Latest news with #Jeremy Corbyn
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Corbyn: My party might be called Your Party after all
Jeremy Corbyn has said his new political party might be called Your Party after all. The former Labour leader and Zarah Sultana, his co-founder, invited voters to sign up to their new faction via the website when it launched on Thursday. Ms Sultana then declared: 'It's not called Your Party!' in response to a post on X by the news site Politics Joe, which claimed that it was. But in an interview with Novara Media on Saturday, Mr Corbyn said: 'The working title is – it's your party. 'Now, it may not end up being the name, but it might be the name. I want ideas for the name. If you've got ideas for the name, let me know, OK?' Mr Corbyn has said that more than 300,000 people have now registered their interest in the new party, which is expected to have its founding conference this autumn. The party hopes to have the infrastructure in place to fight Sir Keir Starmer's Labour at the local elections in May 2026, which are already being viewed as a key test for the Prime Minister. Asked about his party's core message, Mr Corbyn said: 'Britain should be a voice for peace in the world, not a voice for new nuclear weapons, not a voice for war, not a voice for selling arms. 'Secondly, our country is deeply divided. The levels of poverty are getting worse and worse. We're having none of that. 'We are a community-based, grassroots united organisation determined to challenge the establishment and bring about real political change to give real hope.' When challenged on whether he wanted to be prime minister, Mr Corbyn replied: 'Listen, mate, let's see what happens.' Mr Corbyn made two failed attempts to enter Downing Street when he led Labour to losses at the 2017 and 2019 general elections, with the 2019 defeat being Labour's worst since 1935. The MP for Islington North was stripped of the Labour whip by Sir Keir, his successor, the following year after claiming that problems in Labour with anti-Semitism on his watch had been 'overstated'. He went on to win Islington North, which he has represented since 1983, as an independent candidate. Polling suggests that a party led by Mr Corbyn could command anything between 10 per cent and 18 per cent at a general election. This would deal a significant blow to Sir Keir's blow of retaining his Commons majority after a first year in power which has already seen his popularity decline rapidly. The new outfit led by Mr Corbyn and Ms Sultana is likely to split the political Left in a similar way to the rise of Reform UK on the Right, which has heavily damaged the Conservatives. The Left-wing pair have said they want to set up a political party 'that belongs to you' to take on what they claim is a 'rigged' system. Their priorities already include hitting the wealthiest Britons with heavier taxes and ending all arms sales to Israel, which they have accused of committing 'genocide' against Palestinians. Labour has dismissed the prospect of the new movement, with a source saying: 'The electorate has twice given its verdict on a Jeremy Corbyn-led party.'
BBC News
4 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Could Jeremy Corbyn's new party shake up politics?
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has confirmed he is launching a new political party, promising to "build a democratic movement that can take on the rich and powerful".It doesn't have a name yet but the MP for Islington North says the plan is for the group to fight May's local elections ahead of the next general election, which is likely to take place in four years' new venture has the potential to shake-up the political landscape, with Labour and the Greens appearing to be the most at risk of losing votes. Polling of around 2,000 Britons by More In Common last month - on whether they would vote for a hypothetical Corbyn-led party - suggested it could pick up 10% of the vote. This would potentially take three points off Labour's vote share and extend Reform UK's lead in the polls by the same pollster's UK director, Luke Tryl, says that if this plays out at a general election Labour risks losing seats outright to Corbyn's party, while a splintering of the left-wing vote could also allow Reform UK or the Conservatives to make gains."In an era of very fragmented politics, small shares could make the difference across the board, and it is totally conceivable that the performance of this left-wing party could be the difference between a Labour-led government and a Nigel Farage Reform-led government on current polling," adds Mr party could gain support in parts of the country where pro-Gaza independents have performed strongly such as Birmingham, parts of east and north London and north-west England. More In Common's research suggests a Corbyn-led party would be most popular with those aged under 26 so inner-city student areas could also be key of these urban areas are holding local elections in May, which will mark the first real test for the new party. However, polling suggests the Green Party - where many disgruntled former Labour voters have already turned - stands to lose the most support from a Corbyn-led Greens were second to Labour in 40 constituencies at last year's general election but an insurgent left-wing party could eat into their depends on whether the Greens form electoral pacts with the new party, with both sides agreeing to stand down in seats where the other has a stronger chance of winning. The four pro-Gaza MPs who formed an independent alliance with Corbyn after the general election are expected to make up the core of the new party, along with former Labour MP Zarah Sultana. But how could they work with the Greens?Corbyn has suggested he will cooperate with the Greens but whether they will agree a formal deal remains to be Schneider, a close ally of Corbyn who is involved in the new group, tells the BBC it would make "perfect sense for our new party to have some form of pact with the Greens".Green Party leadership candidate Zack Polanski has also said he will "work with anyone who wants to take on Reform and this government". However, his rival, Green MP Adrian Ramsay, warned his party must not become "a Jeremy Corbyn support act" and maintain its "distinct" identity and broad appeal beyond the traditional Ford, a professor of political science at the University of Manchester, says a Corbyn-led party is a big threat to the Greens."Corbyn has a level of name recognition, a level of celebrity, that no one in the Green Party can possibly match," he tells BBC Radio 4's PM programme."Now, they have one big advantage which is that they have a core issue, the environment, which is one that Corbyn doesn't necessarily seem particularly interested in."So there is a world in which they could divide up the pie, so to speak, but they're going to need to think hard about that or they risk being pushed aside." Another poll of more than 2,500 Britons by YouGov earlier this month found that while 18% say they are open to voting for a new left-wing party led by Corbyn, just 9% of these would not consider voting for any of the five existing significant national the fractious and unpredictable state of politics, 11% of this group were also open to voting for Reform UK.A lot could change in the four years there is likely to be before the next general Tryl argues that if Labour presents that election as a choice between Sir Keir Starmer and Reform UK's Nigel Farage as prime minister, many on the left may choose to vote tactically. In this scenario, voters who are sympathetic to Corbyn's party could hold their nose and back Labour to stop a Reform candidate winning in their has also been a chaotic start for the party, with confusion over the name and who will lead it, after Sultana appeared to jump the gun by announcing her intention to form a new party with Corbyn earlier this sources have dismissed their former leader's latest venture, saying "the electorate has twice given their verdict on a Jeremy Corbyn-led party" at the 2017 and 2019 cabinet minister Peter Kyle went on the attack on Times Radio, accusing Corbyn of "posturing" and of not being "a serious politician". Mr Schneider argues the impact of the new party will not be limited by how many MPs it manages to claims more than 200,000 people have already signed up to get involved in less than 24 hours. There's no guarantee all of them will go on to join the party but it suggests some enthusiasm for the idea amongst sections of the public."We're going to be having a huge outside influence on the political debate in this country," Mr Schneider says."Of course the long-term goal is to win elections and enter office and be really in power. "But in order to have real sustainable power you need to have people coming with you and have your foundations in the society you want to be building up." Sign up for our Politics Essential newsletter to keep up with the inner workings of Westminster and beyond.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Jeremy Corbyn confirms plan to create new political party with Zarah Sultana
Ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has confirmed he is setting up a new political party. In a message on X, formerly Twitter, he said it was 'time for a new kind of political party - one that belongs to you'. It will be a joint venture with former Labour MP Zarah Sultana. Earlier this month, Ms Sultana announced plans to set up a new left-wing political party alongside Mr Corbyn, taking aim at Keir Starmer's government for having 'completely failed to improve people's lives'. She promised to offer an alternative to 'managed decline and broken promises'. Mr Corbyn said his party would tax the rich and invest in council houses. He also said it would support Palestine and be 'made up of people of all faiths and none'. The former Labour leader said the left-wingers would 'only assist the enemies of Labour' by forming a breakaway challenger party.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Militant doctors' leader once compared Brexit to rape and alleged murder to Jesus
The militant Corbynista leader of the British Medical Association once compared Brexit to rape – and an alleged murderer to Jesus, the Mail can reveal. Dr Tom Dolphin, 46, boss of the union at the centre of the junior doctors' walkouts, has been a political campaigner for more than a decade. At the height of the UK-EU negotiations in 2019, he criticised comments by Tory grandee Sir Iain Duncan Smith, who had said Theresa May 's request for a Brexit delay was 'as close to a national humiliation as I've seen'. Dr Dolphin, who was a Labour Party activist and member under Jeremy Corbyn, commented on the remarks on social media, saying: 'This reminds me of the surveys on 'What do you fear most?', where men say 'Humiliation' and women say 'Rape/assault'. 'It is high privilege to be able to conflate embarrassment with actual harm, and those who are not at personal risk from Brexit don't get how scared some are.' It has also emerged that he compared Luigi Mangione, who was arrested in December over the shooting of UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson in New York, to Jesus. Appearing to praise the alleged murderer, Dr Dolphin shared a photograph of Mangione in an orange jumpsuit surrounded by police and likened it to Greek painter El Greco's 1579 The Disrobing Of Christ just before his crucifixion. Dr Dolphin wrote: 'This dramatic scene was the authorities trying to show what happens when one man stands up against the rich and powerful. 'I don't think this was how the NYPD [New York City Police Department] were anticipating it would look. Perhaps El Greco's piece should be retitled 'Christ's Perp Walk To The Praetorium'.' He added: 'To be clear, Mangione is alleged to have used violence to further his cause, and Jesus (as recorded in The Bible) did quite the opposite. I was just struck by the visual imagery.' The tweets come despite Dr Dolphin telling junior doctors in 2023 that 'the Right-wing press are at it again' and urged members to 'lock down your social media because these [redacted] are sniffing round again'. Dr Dolphin was elected as BMA council chairman last month, having been a member of it since 2012. He works as an anaesthetic consultant in London. Conservative health spokesman Stuart Andrew said: 'These remarks are deeply troubling and inappropriate. To liken a man charged with murder to Jesus, and to compare Brexit to rape, is offensive and deeply disturbing.' Resident, formerly junior, doctors in England will go on strike this week with the BMA saying the Government failed to make an offer to 'meet the scale' of challenges felt by medics. The union is demanding a 29.2 per cent pay rise. In September, BMA members voted to accept a government pay deal worth 22.3per cent on average over two years. A BMA spokesman said: 'Dr Dolphin was not trivialising the serious impact of sexual violence but instead drawing an analogy to emphasise how individuals who are not personally affected by a major event – such as Brexit – may struggle to understand the fear or harm it can cause others.
Telegraph
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Suspended Labour MP: It's insulting and contemptuous to call me a k---head
A suspended Labour MP has said it is 'insulting' to be accused of 'k---headery'. Rachael Maskell was one of four Labour MPs stripped of the party whip on Wednesday as Sir Keir Starmer punished rebels who voted against his flagship welfare reforms. A Government source told The Times some MPs would be suspended for 'persistent k---headery' and rebelling against Downing Street. But Ms Maskell told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: 'I don't even know what that means but I think it is really insulting. 'I am here trying to do a professional job on behalf of people that desperately need a voice. 'And if that is the contempt by which I and my colleagues are treated, let alone my constituents, I find that really insulting and I hope that is withdrawn.' The disciplinary move by the Prime Minister means the four MPs will now sit in the House of Commons as independents, raising questions about their long-term futures. Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader, is in the process of setting up a new Left-wing party which he says will provide a 'real alternative'. But Ms Maskell, who served on Mr Corbyn's front bench as shadow environment secretary in 2016-7, categorically ruled out joining the new party as she declared she was 'Labour through and through'. Asked whether she would consider the move, she replied: 'No, no, no. I am Labour through and through. I support the Labour Party. I have been a member for so long, walked the streets, knocked the doors all those years and of course I want to see a Labour Government really succeed. 'I really hope from this process, yes there will be reflection over the summer, but also learning. 'And there needs to be a better reach out to backbenchers to ensure that we are the safeguards of the Government, ensuring that the Government do well.' Ms Maskell was one of the most prominent critics of Sir Keir's original welfare reforms and tabled an amendment which would have killed the legislation. A Labour revolt over the welfare bill extended to 127 MPs at one point, forcing the Government to cave in on its planned cuts to disability benefits, wiping away all of the planned £4.6bn of savings. Ms Maskell rejected the suggestion that she had been a 'ringleader' of the rebellion. But he signalled she does not intend to change her behaviour in terms of speaking out against the Government. The York Central MP said it was 'not about my behaviour'. Told that Sir Keir's decision to withdraw the whip was precisely because of her behaviour and asked again if she intended to change her approach, she replied: 'I will continue to advocate for my constituents, of course.' The other three MPs who lost the whip were Neil Duncan-Jordan, Chris Hinchliff and Brian Leishman. A further three welfare rebels – Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, Bell Ribeiro-Addy and Mohammad Yasin – were also punished as they lost their trade envoy roles. The punishment was widely seen as an attempt by Sir Keir to reassert his authority after the welfare revolt struck a hammer blow to his premiership.
