Latest news with #political party
Telegraph
6 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
7 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
24-07-2025
- 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
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
STEPHEN DAISLEY: If Greer thinks climate change will wipe out humanity, I'm rooting for climate change
Ross Greer has the only qualification required to be leader of a political party: when he speaks, his hands jut out in front of him as though waiting for an invisible hand drier to turn on. Every few words, there's a shake to emphasise this point or that. Tony Blair used to do the same, and while I don't want to read too much into a gesticulation, if Greer ends up invading a Middle Eastern nation we can't say we weren't warned. The West Scotland MSP is standing to succeed Patrick Harvie, perhaps the first time the words 'Patrick Harvie' and 'succeed' have appeared in the same sentence. His leadership bid wasn't unexpected but it was still a lot to take in. It's a bit like Dumbledore retiring and Ron Weasley proposing to take over Hogwarts. Greer presented at the Languages Hub in Glasgow in a skinny suit, open-necked shirt with no tie, and sporting trainers instead of shoes, looking like a youth pastor about to explain how the Book of Genesis was the original Minecraft. He was standing, he said, because the Greens 'need to become a more effective campaigning vehicle'. It's about time they put the clown car in for its MOT. Greer described himself as an 'eco-socialist' and recalled how his additional taxes had cut the number of second homes by 2,500. But the revolution wouldn't end with cottagecore kulaks. He boasted of 'tackling the super rich'. 'I'm not afraid to say,' he declared, 'that it is the extremely wealthy who need to pay for the kind of transformation that we need in our society'. A Green government would certainly solve Scotland's super rich problem. He wasn't done yet. 'There are Tory MSPs in parliament who are some of Scotland's biggest landowners who get tax breaks for their shooting estates,' he yelped. In fairness, it's better they do their shooting out in the open air, rather than in the traditional Tory direction of their own feet. Scrapping these tax breaks would fund his proposal for universal free bus travel, and we even got a wee story about one of his pals who was recently charged £20 for a return ticket between Fraserburgh and Aberdeen. Happily, letting everyone on the bus for free would be a bargain, costing a mere £400 million. That's not a bad price. You can't even get two ferries for that nowadays. When he joined the Greens, he said, the party's job was to 'put pressure on the big parties to be a bit less s***', but in recent years they had been able to 'deliver on the policies that we've always advocated for'. If you're impressed by how things are going in Scotland today, know that the Greens are the people to thank. The most offensive thing about Greer is not his horrific politics but the fact that he's not only young but still looks it. It's all well and good putting himself forward as leader but what happens when First Minister's Questions clashes with double geography? You can't accuse Greer of student union politics. He hasn't got to that stage yet. Yet, unfathomable as it might seem to some, Greer finds himself in the novel position of being the moderate in this contest. He is opposed by the so-called Glasgow Group of ultra-leftists for whom he is insufficiently committed to overthrowing capitalism. (Your occasional reminder that if you'd just voted No to a devolved parliament in 1997, this argument would be taking place on a blog read by 12 people.) Asked about the Glasgow Group, Greer said the Greens had to be more than 'a party of protest', before assuring everyone that he would still be attending the protest against Donald Trump in a few weeks' time. 'Our Palestinian and our Ukrainian friends,' he told journalists, 'will take a lot from seeing us rally around their causes.' They speak of little else in Khan Yunis: Lorna Slater has gone on a march against Trump. The Glasgow Group have an opportunity to put forward their own standard-bearer, which would require the Greens to air their bitter internal differences in public. That would be in the best interests of democracy, and by 'democracy' I mean schadenfreude. We are witnessing an electoral contest in which Ross Greer will be the voice of common sense and pragmatism. The Greens say climate change is going to wipe out all human civilisation on Earth. I'm rooting for climate change.
