Latest news with #newpoliticalparty
Sky News
7 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana announce new political party
Jeremy Corbyn has joined forces with ex Labour MP Zarah Sultana to form a new political party. The former Labour leader - who earlier this month appeared to have been blindsided by the announcement of a new party by Ms Sultana - said it was "time for a new political party". In a post on X, he co-signed a statement with Ms Sultana, the independent MP for Coventry South, urging people to sign up at The statement read: "Our movement is made up of people of all faiths and none. The great dividers want you to think that the problems in our society are caused by migrants or refugees. They're not. "They are caused by an economic system that protects the interests of corporations and billionaires. It is ordinary people who create the wealth - and it is ordinary people who have the power to put it back where it belongs. "It's time for a new kind of political party. One that is rooted in our communities, trade unions and social movements. One that builds power in all regions and nations. One that belongs to you." The pair said there would be an inaugural conference where members would decide the party's "direction, the model of leadership and the policies that are needed to transform society".
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Elon Musk wants to create a new political party, but can it succeed?
Elon Musk left his position in the Trump administration just five weeks ago, but he's already floating the idea of reentering the political world. Once President Donald Trump's right-hand man and a mega donor to Republicans in the 2024 election, Musk has broken with the president and Republican Party over government spending. Now he wants to create a new political party. He floated then revamped the idea in several posts online. Then, on July Fourth, Musk asked his followers on X, the social platform he owns, if they wanted some 'independence from the two-party system.' 'By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it! When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,' Musk said Saturday. 'Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.' It looks like Musk has already taken steps to make the party official. Pollster Nate Silver noted in a Monday newsletter that an FEC filing for the America Party listed Tesla CFO Vaibhav Taneja as the party's treasurer. It's not known if it's a legitimate filing, as Musk has yet to address it, but it could be the start of real action on Musk's part to create the country's newest political party. After being sharply critical of Trump's 'big, beautiful bill,' Musk's party would likely look to curb government spending and could be successful in gaining support from younger men, which proved to be a difficult demographic for the Democratic Party to hold on to, Silver pointed out. Trump responded in a lengthy post of his own on Sunday, saying he is sad to watch Musk go 'completely 'off the rails,'' calling him a train wreck since leaving the administration and his position at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 'He even wants to start a Third Political Party, despite the fact that they have never succeeded in the United States — The System seems not designed for them,' Trump wrote. 'The one thing Third parties are good for is the creation of Complete and Total DISRUPTION & CHAOS, and we have enough of that with the Radical Left Democrats.' Trump's message about Musk poses a common question: Why have third parties in the United States never truly succeeded? Mark Schrad, a political science professor at Villanova University, said a third party will very likely never succeed in elections in the United States because of centuries-old systems in place. He pointed to the French political sociologist, Maurice Duverger, who created what is known as Duverger's Law, which says election outcomes are determined by electoral institutions and how votes for a candidate are counted. 'It's as close to a law-like regularity that we have in political science,' Schrad said. 'And what it essentially says is that the electoral system that you have determines the number of political parties that you have.' Schrad highlighted proportional representation systems in Europe that allow people to vote based on their ideologies, splintering the electorate into various parties like Green parties, Libertarian parties, Socialist parties and more. In the U.S., however, the electoral system has been designed to be a 'single member district plurality,' or a 'first-past-the-post system,' where one candidate wins out, he said. 'There's no consolation prize for coming in second place,' Schrad said of the U.S. system as a whole. Musk's idea to create a third party isn't new. Over the years, there's been plenty of third-party candidates, who, Schrad noted, often want to change the world for the better and think they can be the one to do it. The Prohibition Party, one of the oldest third parties, is the one Schrad has studied most. In the decades since its creation, other third parties have tried — and largely failed — to make it into the mainstream, including Jill Stein's Green Party run, Cornel West's switch from Green to independent and Andrew Yang's Forward Party endeavor, among others. In the most recent election cycle, a centrist organization No Labels toyed with the possibility of running a presidential candidate, the Deseret News previously reported. The organization fought to get on ballots across the country — like former independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also tried to do. No Labels eventually went on to say they'd only run a candidate that had a 'credible path' to the White House and no one emerged. The group also argued that a 'well-funded and cynical conspiracy' was conducted to block No Labels and its Unity Party from gaining access to ballots in different states. States have different barriers to entry for third-party candidates to appear on the ballot. A few states, like Utah, make it relatively easy for candidates to gain access, while in other states it's more difficult. While gaining access to a ballot is only one issue presented to non-mainstream candidates, Schrad argued there's an ideological battle a third party must engage in. Winning over the hearts and minds of people who have decades-long voting patterns and 'deeply engrained' loyalties to one national political party has proven to be a difficult task. For Musk, his America Party needs to be 'conservative enough that it could compete with Republicans' in traditionally red states, but also be liberal enough to compete in traditionally blue states, Schrad said. 'And … what you've just described is a political unicorn,' he said. 'It doesn't exist.' There's often frustration among third-party organizers who want to push their agenda forward, but become gridlocked by the institutional systems at play. No Labels expressed anger after former President Joe Biden's poor debate sparked conversation about the Democratic Party and its chosen candidate. They questioned why the Democratic Party allowed Biden — an aging and unpopular president — to run again, when dozens of polls showed Americans wanted someone else. But the argument could be made that third party candidates, who rarely poll well nationally, are 'spoiling' the electability of candidates from established parties. Stein's 2024 campaign concerned Democrats who said she could pull votes from an untested candidate like former Vice President Kamala Harris. Stein brushed off the concerns as 'self-serving propaganda,' Schrad noted that most third-party candidates are 'true believers' who don't explicitly want to act 'as a spoiler,' but it's just the nature of how voting works in America. He highlighted Ross Perot's 1992 presidential campaign, where he ran as an independent. Perot has polled the best among third-party candidates and is considered one of the most successful, yet still was crushed by the Democratic and Republican candidates. 'Due to the fact that it's a winner take all system, he got exactly zero electoral votes, which is the same number as I got and I wasn't even running,' Schrad said. 'This is not a system that allows for that.' Silver previously shared Musk's declining favorability with the American public. He may not have the sway he thinks he will, should he decide to back a candidate — since he can't run for president himself. After his work with the Trump administration and DOGE to slash federal spending, his feud with the president over the last several weeks, and after spending millions in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race that didn't go in his favor, he may have lost his edge with voters. Musk would have to overcome both voters' sedentary ideological behaviors, but also the practical 'on the ground' challenges third party candidates face, Schrad said. Musk is in a unique position, however, as the world's richest man. He would have an unusual amount of money to back his third party. Still, those are only a few pieces of the puzzle for third-party success, Schrad noted. 'The plight of these third parties is that they come in with big ideas and they can kind of have … the sense of destiny that we can overcome the institutions, just by sheer force of will, 'if we all just come together, we could overcome these things,'' Schrad said. 'And then they fail time and time again because of Duverger's Law, because of the electoral system.' 'And that's something that Elon can't buy his way out of really,' he added. Still, as Silver noted in his newsletter, Trump's rise to the presidency was largely unpredicted and underreported, so the future of Musk's political party remains unknown.
The Guardian
06-07-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Musk should stay out of politics, treasury secretary says after ‘America' party news
Elon Musk should focus on running his companies and keep himself out of politics, Donald Trump's treasury secretary said on Sunday, a day after the world's richest person – and a former White House adviser – announced the formation of a new political party. 'The principles of Doge were very popular – I think if you looked at the polling Elon was not,' Scott Bessent said on CNN's State of the Union, referring to the so-called 'department of government efficiency' that Musk temporarily headed after Trump's second presidency began in January. Opinion polls found Doge and Musk's work implementing brutal spending and job cuts within the federal government to be deeply unpopular. And Bessent alluded to how investors in Musk's companies – including the electrical vehicle maker Tesla, whose sales have suffered during Doge's existence – publicly pleaded for his time with the Trump administration to be short-lived. 'So I believe that the boards of directors at his various companies wanted him to come back and run those companies,' Bessent remarked. 'I imagine that those boards of directors did not like this announcement yesterday, and will be encouraging him to focus on his business activities, not his political activities.' Bessent's reaction came after Musk delivered on his promise to form and bankroll a new US political party, and accused his one-time ally Trump of 'bankrupting' the country by signing his massive tax and spending bill into law. The tech billionaire announced the creation of the America party in a series of posts late on Saturday and early Sunday to X, the social media platform he owns. 'When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,' he wrote. 'Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.' Musk, who was appointed to slash federal spending through the unofficial Doge from January through May, has been a vocal critic of Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' that the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office said would increase the national deficit by $3.3tn (£2.85tn) through 2034. It provides substantial tax cuts for the super wealthy while slashing federal safety net welfare programs, with up to 10.6 million people losing healthcare insurance. The pair have feuded over its cost and impacts since Musk left the government in May, and on Friday, when Trump signed the bill into law in a Fourth of July picnic at the White House, the Tesla and SpaceX chief opened a poll on X: 'the perfect time to ask if you want independence from the two-party (some would say uniparty) system'. Respondents voted two to one in the affirmative, Musk announced late on Saturday. He gave few details about the structure of his new venture or a timeline for its creation. But his earlier posts suggested it would focus on two or three Senate seats, and eight to 10 House districts. Both chambers of Congress are narrowly controlled by Republicans. 'Given the razor-thin legislative margins, that would be enough to serve as the deciding vote on contentious laws, ensuring that they serve the true will of the people,' Musk said. Bessent was one Trump ally to quickly take a swipe at Musk's move. Musk's series of posts to X, which continued into the early hours of Sunday, also appeared to indicate that his on-again, off-again relationship with Trump was firmly back in negative territory. When the pair fell out earlier in the summer, Musk lashed out during an astonishing social media duel in which he stated Trump's name was in the files relating to associates of the late pedophile and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Musk later deleted the post and apologized to the president as they embarked on an uneasy truce. On Sunday, however, Musk returned to the subject, reposting a photo of the jailed Epstein facilitator Ghislaine Maxwell that questioned why she was the only person in prison while men who engaged in sex with underage girls – a crime colloquially known in the US as statutory rape – were not. In other posts he said it would be 'not hard' to break the two-party stranglehold in US politics enjoyed by Democrats and Republicans. And he questioned 'when & where should we hold the inaugural American Party congress? This will be super fun!' There was no immediate comment from the White House about Musk's announcement, but Trump has made clear his feelings about his former friend in recent days after criticism of the bill. In response to Musk's posts calling the bill 'insane', Trump said he might 'look into' deporting the South African-born, naturalized US citizen billionaire. The president also mused about slashing subsidies to his companies, especially SpaceX, which holds billions of dollars in government contracts. 'Doge is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn't that be terrible?' Trump asked reporters on Tuesday. There is no requirement for new political parties in the US to register with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) initially, but reporting regulations kick in once spending surpasses what the FEC calls 'certain thresholds'. Musk is estimated to have spent more than $275m of his personal fortune helping to get Trump elected to a second term in the White House in last November's presidential election.
Reuters
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Musk says 'America Party' is formed in US
July 5 (Reuters) - A day after asking his followers on X whether a new U.S. political party should be created, Elon Musk said on Saturday that the "America Party is formed." "By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it!" he said in a post on X. "Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom."
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New political party will be confusing, say voters
A new political party could become "confusing", say concerned constituents in the wake of MP Zarah Sultana's plan to launch one after her resignation from Labour. Sultana made her declaration on Thursday to co-found the new left-wing party with former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. People in her Coventry constituency had mixed views on the news, with some also concerned another party would "dilute" things. Corbyn has praised the "principled decision" by Sultana - but councillor Jim O'Boyle told the BBC that if her resignation triggers a by-election, he would put himself forward. Corbyn's new party - is it happening and could it damage Labour? O'Boyle, who is in charge of jobs, regeneration and climate change on the city council, represents St Michael's ward, within Sultana's Coventry South constituency. He said: "It's the least surprising news I've heard in a long time – I knew this was going to happen, I'm afraid she was never really a true member of the Labour Party – she didn't believe in its values, she didn't believe in its outcomes." Sultana was suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party last year after she voted against the government and backed a move to scrap the two-child benefit cap. Until this week however, she had retained her party membership. She said the new party would be formed with other independent MPs and activists, aiming to challenge a "broken" Westminster system. Constituent Jackie Brown told the BBC the country "will never get anything done" as she questioned: "Why are we diluting too many parties?" Norman Brown echoed her views, adding: "Another political party is just going to confuse what we already have, it's too many political parties. "I don't think it's a good idea at all." But some residents of the city supported Sultana's decision. "Good on her, I think she's really popular around here isn't she," Sharon Luckett said. "Farage has done it, and look how successful he's been. "I think there's a lot of discord among the Labour Party and Labour voters, because they haven't really treated us terribly well." Corbyn, who was himself suspended from the Labour Party, in 2020, released a statement on Friday, supporting Sultana. He wrote: "Congratulations to Zarah Sultana on her principled decision to leave the Labour Party. I am delighted that she will help us build a real alternative. "The democratic foundations of a new kind of political party will soon take shape. Discussions are ongoing - and I am excited to work alongside all communities to fight for the future people deserve. "Together, we can create something that is desperately missing from our broken political system: hope." But O'Boyle questioned how "principled" the MP is, referencing an Early Day Motion signed by Sultana in 2020. He said: "Of course she signed an EDM back in 2020 saying that any MP that crossed the floor and joined another party should resign and have a by-election, so let's see if she's as principled as she claims she is. "She thinks she's principled but if she was principled then I'm sure she would then perhaps resign her seat and stand again and let's see how she gets on there." Responding to whether he would contest a by-election, should it be triggered - he said he would "love to". "I think it would be a great opportunity, clearly, to stand up for Labour values and Labour's policies which is what we do," O'Boyle explained. "[This is] in terms of making sure we've got people who can get NHS appointments. [And] get the investment into our city, get jobs for people and create better cost of living for people." Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Discussions ongoing about new party, says Corbyn Zarah Sultana says she is quitting Labour to start party with Corbyn Corbyn's new party - is it happening and could it damage Labour? The Labour Party
