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Telegraph
4 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
In a perfect storm for Starmer, next week may see the birth of a Left-wing Corbynista party
For some, this coming week sees an alignment of the stars. For others, it's a perfect storm. Not only is the Government facing division and humiliation over two key crunch votes – the first on its already defenestrated welfare proposals and the other on the proscription of Palestine Action – but it's widely reported that a new Left-wing party, led by none other than Labour's former leader, Jeremy Corbyn, is set to launch. Early polling suggests the new party could enjoy the support of ten per cent of the electorate, damaging both Labour and the Greens. It's hardly a mould-breaking moment, but any high-profile Left alternative is the last thing our beleaguered prime minister needs right now. Despite Labour's 170-seat majority secured a year ago, the party still feels bruised over the loss of four formerly 'safe' seats to independent pro-Gaza candidates, plus, of course, the loss of Islington North after Corbyn himself was prevented from standing as a Labour candidate and went on to win as an independent. And it's likely that the new party will be keen to woo a handful of whipless Labour MPs who have yet to be welcomed back into the fold after they rebelled over the two-child benefit threshold last July. Starmer suspended seven of his MPs over their refusal to support the continuation of the threshold originally introduced by the Conservatives. Since then, four have been restored to the party's embrace while three – former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, Apsana Begum and Zarah Sultana – remain suspended with no indication that the whip will be restored to them this side of the next general election. That being the case, none of them would have anything to lose by hitching their star to Corbyn's new vehicle. Following a truly disastrous week for the prime minister, the next seven days might actually eclipse it. After months in which he insisted the welfare reforms, aimed at cutting benefit costs by a modest £5 billion, would not be watered down, Starmer did exactly that on Thursday evening as a concession to more than 100 Labour MPs who had threatened to vote against them. Hot on the heels of the government's humiliating reversal over the Winter Heating Allowance and the prime minister's unprompted admission in a newspaper interview that he 'deeply regrets' using the phrase 'Island of strangers' in his recent anti-immigration speech (a speech that is primarily known for the phrase he now disavows), it is little wonder that speculation as to how long he can remain at Number 10 has been re-energised. Even after promises to maintain Personal Independence Payments (PIP) for existing claimants, whips still expect there to be a rebellion of at least a dozen Labour MPs, and maybe more, unhappy with the principle that welfare should ever be reduced. And the debate and vote on the categorisation of the Palestine Action group that damaged RAF planes at Brize Norton last week will reveal the extent of discontent with the Government's unexpectedly robust approach to direct action. It will be fascinating to see if that unhappiness extends beyond the usual suspects in the Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs. And as the parliamentary drama unfolds, the latest addition to the plethora of Britain's smaller parties will be announced. The first-past-the-post electoral system does not treat newcomers to the political arena well; in fact Corbyn's new party will likely do little more than further split the Labour vote, making Reform UK's advance easier. Next week ends with the first anniversary of the 2024 general election. But there is little for Labour to celebrate and Keir Starmer might be advised to leave his party hat locked inside his red box.
Daily Mail
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Could Jeremy Corbyn split the Left? Poll finds a new party fronted by ex-Labour leader could take 10% of the vote
A new Left-wing party led by would attract 10 per cent of voters and pose a fresh challenge for Sir Keir Starmer, a poll has found. A survey by More in Common showed, if the ex-Labour leader were to front a new party, it would be backed by one in 10 voters. At the same time, Labour 's share of the vote would drop from its current 23 per cent to 20 per cent - leaving Sir Keir's party on the same level of support as the Tories. In a further split on the Left of British politics, the Greens would drop from 9 per cent to 5 per cent if Mr Corbyn took the helm of a new party. Meanwhile, the SNP would drop one percentage point to 2 per cent. Yet, Nigel Farage 's Reform UK - who are mounting a stern challenge to both Labour and the Tories - would remain on 27 per cent in both scenarios. The poll revealed the potential headache Sir Keir might face at the next general election as he attempts to remain as Prime Minister. To stay in power, Labour would have to guard against leaking votes to Reform on the populist Right, as well as to a Mr Corbyn-fronted party on the populist Left. At the same time, Labour 's share of the vote would drop from its current 23 per cent to 20 per cent - leaving Sir Keir's party on the same level of support as the Tories Last month, Mr Corbyn reportedly raised the prospect of a potential new party being formed by the time of next year's general election. The veteran politician now sits as part of an independent alliance of pro-Palestinian MPs in the House of Commons after being kicked out of Labour by Sir Keir. He was said to have told an event in Huddersfield: 'This whole cause is coming together so that by next year's local elections - long before that, I hope - we're going to have something in place.' An ally of Mr Corbyn, speaking about the prospect of a new party, told the New Statesman - which first published the poll results - there was a 'large hole in politics'. 'You can see it from the very low turnout figures, the high levels of volatility and Labour being in the low twenties,' they added. There has also been speculation about an electoral pact between a new left-wing party and the Greens. Adrian Ramsay is currently seeking re-election as co-leader of the Green Party alongside fellow MP Ellie Chowns. Current co-leader Carla Denyer has announced she would not stand again in order to focus on her work as an MP. The Greens had four MPs elected to Parliament at last year's general election, the best result the party has ever had at Westminster. Zack Polanski, the party's deputy leader and a member of the London Assembly, has also announced a leadership bid focused on transforming the Greens into an 'eco-populism' mass movement. He has said the party needs to be more 'bold'.
