Corbyn's 'The Many' vs Sultana's'Grassroots Left' - What is the Best Direction for YourParty?
By Alfie Tait| February 8th, 2026
The rather pitiful attempts made to unify Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana within YourParty appear to have been all but abandoned and as The Central Executive Committee elections begin to close in , the two are going to head to head in a clash essentially for the direction of YourParty. In this article, we will analyse what both competing factions represent, their strengths and weaknesses and attempt to decide which group is best off leading YourParty into the future.
The Divide in the Collective
Since the start of YourParty's formation, it has felt as though there has always been a tense undertone to the Corbyn/Sultana partnership. These cracks came to the fore just as the party was gathering serious momentum and the relationship has never recovered. Previous articles have broken down the fallout in more detail, but it seems as though both have different visions for the party.
The first blip came last summer when Zarah Sultana seemed to rather eagerly announce the formation of the party. Corbyn denied that he had any involvement in the announcement and there appeared to be noticeably fragile communication links between the two. Soon after, Sultana announced the launch of a membership portal where members could sign up (and pay) to officially become a part of YourParty. Unfortunately, it again appeared as though this was not a unilateral decision, as Corbyn and the official YourParty page put out statements denying that this was the correct membership portal and urged those that had submitted their fees to cancel any direct debits. Undermined by her fellow MP's, Sultana branded Corbyn and the Independent Alliance as a 'Sexist Boys Club' which she had been 'frozen out of'.
Whilst this was the heaviest blow to YourParty's unified front, there have also been some other discrepancies between the visions of the two founding members. Former YourParty member and Member of Parliament, Adnan Hussain's social conservatism caused controversy within the party after he refused to call trans-women women. Whilst Zarah responded with a tweet stating that "Trans rights are human rights. YourParty will defend them... solidarity always", Corbyn never really put his cards on the table. An issue which certainly drives some to Sultana's Grassroots Left Slate.
Despite the issues that have been publicly aired since the formation of YourParty, I truly believe that both Corbyn and Sultana are doing what they think is best to build a socialist party capable of making real change in this country. However, it is now clear that this Party can only progress with one of them in the driving seat, so which of their CEC groups look the most promising?
The Many
As it stands, The Many, a group who have vowed to elect Jeremy Corbyn as the Leader of YourParty have their nose in front in the race for control of the party. But what exactly does the Many stand for? Why are they a better option than Grassroots Left? and what are their possible shortcomings?
Grassroots Left members have been attempting to paint the Many as 'Labour 2.0'. I do not believe that this is a fair or accurate accusation. I believe that like Grassroots Left, the Many are striving to build a mass socialist party, I just think each group differs in how they view this taking place. The Many has a strong stance against the government's blatant complicity in the genocide in Gaza and have vowed to establish a 'YourParty campaign for Palestine' if they are elected. I also agree with many of their economic beliefs such as taxing the rich and scrapping the two-child benefit cap. The Many are also campaigning to defend 'one member, one vote' which I believe is an important part of the identity of YourParty and allows every member to have a direct say on the decisions made by YourParty.
Corbyn and the Many also have the support of two members of the Independent Alliance and major figures in YourParty in Ayoub Khan and Shockat Adam. Khan led the way in banning Maccabi Tel-aviv fans from attending their fixture against Aston Villa and is the only Birmingham MP to stand with the bin workers strike. Shockat Adam managed to take Jonathan Ashworth's parliamentary seat in 2024 and actively campaigns for wealth taxes amongst other issues.
Another vital benefit of the Many is there willingness to work alongside and endorse fellow left-wing parties. The Many have previously stated on their twitter page how 'we must work together to defeat the far-right' and Jeremy Corbyn gave his personal support for Hannah Spencer, the Green Party candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election. I believe these sorts of alliances are going to be imperative in 2029 if we are going to stop a Reform majority and instead install an exciting, truly left-wing government - and it seems as though the Many are for more ready to work with other parties than Grassroots Left are.
One of the 'three key pillars' of the many is "reuniting our multiracial coalition". Whilst this would normally sound like a progressive and important step in order to achieve political equality amongst diverse races, it may not be as clear as that when taking a closer look. The Many aim to achieve this goal by by not focusing on 'what drives us apart' and 'mending trust in the left among Muslim communities'. Again, no real issues here when approached without the context of recent months in YourParty. It feels very difficult to not read this as we will turn a blind eye to social issues such as trans and LGBT rights in order to keep happy socially conservative members of the Muslim community such as Adnan Hussain. If this is the decision that has been made then that is up to the Many to defend, however I am a believer in the notion of 'no one is free until we all are' and that includes the Trans community.
Grassroots Left
On the other half of the YourParty divide is the Grassroots Left slate that is behind Zarah Sultana - although they do also endorse Jeremy Corbyn (a nicety that is not repaid by the Many).
Grassroots Left are campaigning for 50% of fees to be given straight to local branches, they also "stand against any and all witch-hunts of members in our party" - a less than subtle reference to Sultana's previous run-ins with the Independent Alliance. Grassroots Left are aiming to bring forward an 'anti-imperialist, anti-zionist, pro-peace politics. Grassroots Left aims to 'unite the left, not divide it'. I also am very happy to see the openness in their wishes to abolish both the Monarchy and the House of Lords and remove ourselves from the blood-lusting organisation that is NATO - something that should be a necessity for a socialist party.
One of the potential downfalls for Grassroots Left is that outside of Zarah Sultana, the group lacks any other household names of YourParty. Grace Lewis is the other candidate put forward by Grassroots Left to be a public office holder, and whilst she is a member of the Coventry City Council - the lack of high-profile figures may turn some members away. The lack of support for the Greens in Gorton and Denton will likely also displease plenty of progressives.
Whilst it may appear that a lot of the policy visions are similar across both halves of YourParty, I think it is a fair estimation to suggest that Grassroots Left are more 'extreme' in their goals for a Socialist Britain, compared to a slightly more 'liberal' position from The Many.
Who is best equipped to lead the party?
Now that we have analysed both of the options, the question remains, which group offers the greatest potential for the leadership of YourParty. This is a question that is very difficult to answer and comes with lots of strings attached.
In my opinion, if a decision were to be made purely on the members of each group and the visions for the Party that they have in mind, I would lean towards lending my support to the Grassroots Left slate. I find it hard not to get excited by how ambitious and unapologetic their aims are for a truly Socialist Britain. Whilst, like Jeremy Corbyn, I am not entirely sure quite what Zarah Sultana intendend when she said we should 'nationalise the entire economy' I am sure that I like the sound of it.
Grassroots Left seem to be very open and clear about what it is they want from YourParty. That transparity is something I struggle to see within The Many. I think Jeremy is trying too hard to balance his goals of a socialist party alongside not offending any of his partners in the Independent Alliance. Whilst we do not want to shy people away from voting for YourParty, we can not prioritise socially conservative viewpoints over the rights of all citizens - especially those already facing extreme hardships in society like the Trans community.
However, this is not purely about YourParty. This is a decision that has the potential to affect the entirety of the British political system. Reform UK under Nigel Farage are still polling comfortably ahead of any other political party. As we approach 2029 (if we have to wait that long for a General Election), we simply can not let the dangerous, hate-filled politics of Reform UK have control of our country. The consequences would be disastrous for us all. Because of this threat, it is important that the Left-wing parties in this country stick together, if not we simply do not stand a chance of making a dent agaisnt the triple entendre of Reform, Labour and the Tories. Unfortunately, a consequence of Grassroots Left's lofty ambitions is that they seem unwilling to work alongside the Greens for the general betterment of this nation. On the other hand, The Many have ppenly endorsed Hannah Spencer in the upcoming by-election and appear open to a Green/Your Party coalition.
For this reason, I think the best case scenario is a split Central Executive Committee, with enough Grassroots Left figures to create a truly socialist mass movement, alongside the political know-how of some The Many figures in order to give us the best hope of success in the next General Election.
Off With The Monarchies Head? Why The Royal Family Isn't (and never was) Fit For Purpose
By Alfie Tait| February 5th, 2026
There is a very real and easily made argument that the Royal Family has always been an institution that should of ceased to exist. The very highest members of the parasite class, born into a lifetime of wealth and luxury whilst looking down on their subjects suffering in extreme poverty. These people have never deserved the support of the masses - but now more than ever - it is time to abolish the Monarchy.
Institutional Inequality
It should be no secret by now that I am a strong believer in the idea of socialism. In fact, I believe that socialism offers the only path into a future without existential levels of inequality, without a natural world on the brink of collapse, and a life where fairness, morality and equality can prosper. However, the idea of a truly socialist Britain remains near-impossible as long as the juxtaposing institution of the Royal Family continues to hold it's position at the top of our society. I do not believe that it should be seen as radical to question the idea that we allow one single family to be given a lifetime of extreme wealth - paid for by us - whilst increasingly huge members of the general public face decisions on whether they can feed themselves, heat their homes or , even put a roof over their head in the first place.
One of my core issues with the Royal Family is the lack of democracy. We spend abundant amounts of taxes paying for this family, they have the final say on the laws we have to follow and we are expected to fulfil our role as their 'subjects' with a smile on our face. However, we do not get to vote for our Royal Family, we do not get to vote for our King or our Queen, we do not get a say on what happens to disgraced leeches Like Andrew - instead his family is allowed to use our money to protect their beloved kin. If we, the people, were given this power, who would vote for a decrepit, corrupt, old man like Charles to be our Head of State?
Some may argue that the Royal Family is good for the economy - I would also disagree with this statement - but nonetheless, the premise of being born into wealth, knowing that the rest of the country will pay for you to live your life with no limits, and even provide the money for you to pay your way out of being a convicted paedophile is undeniably wrong. Supporting the Royal Family is putting money over morals - and that is something that I can not support.
Historical Disgraces
The Royal Family being surrounded by criminals and controversy is nothing new. The Windsors are today and always have been a nasty institution filled with nasty people. You do not have to look very far before coming across acts which would be seen as illegal, immoral and evil - had they not been carried out by our precious royals. Below will be a short list of examples:
- Prince Harry donning a Nazi armband during a party.
- During WW2 the previous Duke and Duchess of Windsor were sent off to the Bahamas due to their links to the Nazi party and Nazi Sympathising views.
- Numerous reports that our (sadly) future King William is a serial cheat.
- The dubious death of Princess Diana
The Royal Family acts, and always has acted, without any rules, without any restrictions, without any care and most importantly, without the slightest thought for those outside the royal circle. They are very aware that they can do as they please, no matter how grotesque that may be, with absolutely no consequences to be concerned with - as best highlighted with the sickening case of Andrew.
'Prince' Andrew
The most recent inditement of the Royal Family's reproduction line of repulsion comes via the late Queen's 'favourite child' - Prince Andrew.
Andrew has been forced back to the forefront of the Nation's discourse after even more damning allegations surrounding his relationship with Jeff Epstein and the disgusting acts committed by the former Prince. In recent days, allegations have been made that Epstein sent a woman to have sex with Andrew at Royal Lodge. It is claimed that the woman was subsequently given 'a tour of Buckingham Palace'. One of the Lawyers linked to the victim has said that "Andrew's power only existed because of his royal family" and that Andrew's involvement with Epstein has been 'well known' to the palace for 'many years'.
There are an outrageous amount of sickening images of Andrew that have also been released in the 'Epstein files' and some truly horrific allegations that are coming out of the woodwork that just get darker and darker. It is difficult to picture just how far Andrew went with some of his acts on these victims, but one thing we do know is that they all knew. The Queen knew. Our current King Charles knew. Our future King William knew. These people are rotten to the core and they must be brought to justice in front of the people.
Unfortunately, due to his title and pressure from the Royal institution, it is almost impossible to see any true consequences finding their way to the former Prince. It wouldn't be the first time either - The Met police previously decided to not launch an investigation into the case of whether Andrew had sex with Virginia Giuffre (a teenager trafficked by Epstein). Could the involvement of Andrew's private police protection officer have had something to do with this ruling? The lack of fairness in the way this archaic family is treated is there for the world to see, and yet so many of us decide to look the other way - or worst of all, celebrate this criminal organisation.
Can It Be Achieved?
Lots of people will simply say that it is not a realistic goal to abolish the Monarchy in this country. 'They are the backbone of British history'; 'they bring in too much money from tourism'. I say that this is not a question of what is possible, it is a matter of what is necessary.
The truth for the real majority of us is that we do not want, like or support the Royal Family. 61% of young people do not support the Royal Family. This is a figure that is only going to rise as more atrocities reach the surface of the British media. The economic arguments for keeping the Royals also has no factual basis. In 2019, the UK brought in £127 billion pounds via tourism. Only £500 million of this had any relation to the Royal Family - just 0.3% of our tourism income. For example, Buckingham Palace is the 69th most popular tourist attraction in the UK.
Finally, in the Green Party, there is now a political platform that could allow the far overdue abolishment of this family. The new (and hugely popular) leader of the Greens, Zack Polanski has said that he "can't think of any world where you wouldn't want to abolish the monarchy" and described the Royals as "a clear symbol of the inequality that exists in our society".
With the Greens on a rapid rise in British politics and looking on course to be a real threat in the 2029 General Election, this should offer us renewed hope that sooner rather than later , we can break free from this parasitic family, once and for good. Britain and its people will not suffer as a result of the Monarchy's abolishment - we will celebrate our liberation from this unjust, corrupt and unfit for purpose institution.
Guevara, Hampton and Sankara - My Revolutionary Inspirations
By Alfie Tait| October 18, 2025
Over decades there have been plenty of people who have made attempts at bringing forward a Socialist Revolution. Unfortunately, The US or other Capitalist players will often try to shut down these movements before they can get going. However, there have been success stories and in this article I will be delving deeper into three of the figures who I believe should be used as inspiration for future Revolutions.
Che Guevara
Argentine Revolutionary, Che Guevara, leads the way in my biggest inspirations. A believer in Marxism and widely regarded as the greatest Guerrilla of all time, Che is one of the most recognised faces in the world.
An eye-opening motorbike journey through South America allowed Guevara to understand the true extent and consequences of inequality as well as the squalor that the poorest in society were forced to live in. Fuelled by anger at the Capitalist system, Che joined up with Fidel Castro with the intention - and eventual success - of overthrowing the US-backed Cuban Dictator, Fulgencio Batista.
A combination of hit and run attacks, sabotage and ambushes on the Batista Army led to the Revolutionary forces gaining the upper hand in the fight for power. The Revolutionaries also utilised radios to spread their messaging and organise their operations. Promises of land reform and social justice allowed the Revolution to increase popularity with those who had been worst-hit by the previous regime
Once in a position of power, Guevara spearheaded a successful nationwide literacy campaign where the national literacy rate rose from 70% under Batista to 96% under the Revolutionary Government. When word got out of the planned revolution, Batista’s Government rounded up, tortured and shot many Cuban civilians as an “intimidation tactic” to warn off Guevara and Castro. Therefore, it is no wonder that there was significant support from the Cuban Population towards Guevara’s retributive tactics which were branded “brutal” and “merciless” by some.
Whilst trying to create another revolution in Bolivia, Guevara was captured and executed by CIA-assisted Bolivian Forces. He left behind a great legacy and is still currently one of the most prominent names and faces in the world of socialism. He was listed in the top 100 most influential figures of the 20th Century.
"The life of Che is an inspiration to all human beings who cherish freedom" - Nelson Mandela, 1991
Fred Hampton
Fred Hampton was a Marxist-Leninist from Chicago who believed that the biggest threat facing society was fascism. “Nothing is more important than stopping fascism because fascism will stop us all”.
Hampton took an interest in activism at an early age and after joining the Black Panthers, Hampton eventually rose to the position of Chairman of the Illinois Chapter of The Black Panther Party. Hampton, who was inspired by Che Guevara, was a popular, successful and influential member of the Black Panthers who strongly condemned sexism, racism and Capitalism. Hampton had the unique talent of being able to bring people of different races and background together and became the first man to achieve a non-aggression pact between Chicago’s most powerful street gangs with the mutual enemy of Capitalism.
Hampton’s achievements frightened the FBI who feared that the radical coalitions Hampton had formed were a stepping stone to the rise of a revolution that could cause radical change in the US government. Due to this fear of revolution, Hampton was drugged by an undercover FBI Informant in the Panthers, before a 14-Man Unit raided Hampton’s apartment, they instantly shot and killed the Panthers’ security, Mark Clark, whose reflexive death-convulsion shot the only bullet from a Panther gun. Hampton, who was lay with his pregnant girlfriend, was first wounded in the shoulder, and then shot twice in the head at point-blank range by an officer upon discovery.
Hampton's Government-backed assassination should show the World just how low those in power will stoop to keep the people where they want them. This is not a struggle that can be overcame peacefully.
Thomas Sankara
Finally, we come to Burkinabé Marxist revolutionary, Thomas Sankara, who served as President of Burkina Faso from 1983 to 1987 - when he was assassinated.
Inspired by the Cuban Revolution, Thomas Sankara took power in Burkina Faso via a coup d’état. Sankara made big changes when he got into power, his foreign policies were centred around anti-imperialism and self-sufficiency, believing that “he who feeds you, controls you”. Meanwhile, his domestic policies included, planting 10 million trees to go alongside famine prevention, a nationwide literacy campaign and vaccination programmes. Sankara was also a major figure in the fight for women’s rights in Africa, outlawing female genital mutilation, forced marriage.
Sankara was a popular president amongst the population before he was assassinated in a violent coup d’état by his former close associate, Blaise Compaoré, who overturned Sankara’s leftist policies.
Sankara is remembered as a charismatic and iconic figure of revolution and often referred to as “Africa’s Che Guevara”.
Sankara should be a reminder that to make a real difference, you can not always wait for the Revolution to come to you, sometimes you have to step forward and seize it yourself
Time To Paint The Red Wall Green? Zack Polanski And The Future Of Left-wing Politics
By Alfie Tait| October 1, 2025
After what appears to be a possibly fatal roadblock for Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana's 'YourParty' movement, the Left have been left in a political no mans land. Could Zack Polanski's Green Party offer a hopeful new avenue for Left-wing voting at the next General Election?
YourParty's Self-destruction
As discussed in our previous article, recent times have seen the momentum of YourParty come to a grinding halt. The Corbyn/Sultana collaboration seemed as though it was going to be the truly socialist movement that left-wingers in the UK had been crying out for. Despite gaining hundreds of thousands of supporters in the early days of the movement, issues regarding: membership portals, clashes over social views and threats of lawsuits have (in my opinion at least) left 'YourParty' in a mess that seems insurmountable.
Without YourParty's serious momentum, pessimists may claim that there is no challenge to the Far-right steamrolling the 2029 General Election, sending The UK into a hotspot for fascism and a nightmare for those of us with morals. However, my hope is not yet lost. I believe that if things fall into the right places, the Green Party can not only be a party where socialists can feel at home, but also a party that can pose a threat to the right-wing triple threat of Reform, Labour and the Tories.
Zack Polanski
One of the most important thing about a political party is the leader. The leader of a party embodies the parties views and ultimately is where the book stops in the key decision making process. I believe that one of the Green Parties biggest strengths comes via their new leader, Zack Polanski.
Polanski decimated his competition in the Green Leadership contest at the end of August, winning with nearly 85% of the vote - an emphatic victory. In his first month in power, Polanski has: started a podcast where he discusses the future of British politics; immediately rejected the idea of working alongside a Starmer-led Labour government, and has called on Farage to resign due to tax evasion.
Polanski started out in politics as a Liberal Democrat, before making the switch to the Greens in 2017, where he was elected as Deputy Leader in 2022. Eco-populism is the foundation of Polanski's politics - essentially the idea that people can not prioritse climate crisis, whilst struggling to make ends meat - and that this can only be resolved via wealth redistribution.
With Zack Polanski's bold leadership, the greens aren't aiming to compete with the Labour Party, they're aiming to replace them.
Green Party's Historic Policies
The Green Party was initially founded in 1973 under the name 'PEOPLE Party'. In the early days of the party, the Green's were seen as a 'single-issue' party, only concerned with environmental issues. The party began to move further to the left during Tony Blair's centrist 'New Labour' Government, which left more left-leaning Labour members without a political home.
Former Party Leader, Caroline Lucas became the Green Party's first Member of Parliament in 2010, and the party officially moved 'to the left of Labour' under the leadership of Natalie Bennett. The Greens recorded their best ever General Election result in 2024, with a total of 4 MP's elected.
Despite being often seen as a 'middle-class' party, recently, the Greens have introduced many policies that actually shadow socialist ideals. These include: taxes on those earning over a certain threshold; bringing in a universal basic income; nationalising public services; the immediate abolition of international debts; and the UK's withdrawal from NATO.
Whilst historically the Greens may have been seen as uninterested in the struggle of the working class and focused exclusively on the environmental disaster we are now facing, this is very clearly no longer the case. Modern-day Green's understand that the main creators and beneficiaries of the climate emergency are big corporations and the richest in society.
What Needs To Happen For A Green Government In 2029?
It is undeniable that even with the recent surge in popularity, aka the Polanski bounce, the odds of The Green Party coming out of the 2029 General Election as winners is highly unlikely (150/1 according to bet365) - but it is not impossible. It would not only be defeatist to give up hope, it could also be disastrous for this country. Without, the Green's in charge, the UK will be subjected to more Labour authoritarianism - as seen by the potentially perilous rollout of digital ID's, or a Fascist Reform Government led by hate-fuelled Farage. It is simply not an option to concede this election to the Far-right.
In order for the Green Party to win the next General Election, I believe the following 3 things must take place between now and 2029: A Reform and Labour implosion; an ideological shift from society towards the Greens; A unified front from left-wing politicians and activists behind the Green Party.
Despite being 8/11 favourites to win the next General Election (Bet365), it is not far-fetched to imagine a world where Reform completely collapse before the next General Election. Farage, for starters, is not particularly well-known for his electoral loyalty. A political journeyman, Farage has bounced around the Tories, kickstarted the extremist UKIP party and also saw over the Brexit Parties termination. Unlike other parasites, sticking around is certainly not a strength for Nigel. It also hasn't taken long for some Reform originals to question the party. Zia Yusuf doesn't seem competent enough to work out whether he is in or out of the party, after previously resigning from the party and then reversing his decision just 2 days later. Ben Habib was brought into Reform as co-deputy leader, just over a year later he resigned, essentially because Farage somehow wasn't extreme enough. Habib has since gone on to form 'Advance UK'. Advance UK may actually have benefitted the Left-Wing cause by taking some of Reform's votes, had anyone known they exist. The biggest hit to Reform appeared to come when Rupert Lowe was exiled from political bullies Reform for being a bully - slightly ironic. Like Habib, Lowe has also gone onto start a party that, other than Lowe himself, absolutely nobody is aware of.
I think that as a collective, society needs to shift it's way of viewing the Greens, and begin to take the Greens seriously if they are going to mount a serious challenge in four years time. Despite Polanski beginning to make moves and gather momentum, it seems as though there is still a hesitancy to put our collective support behind them. As horrendous as the start of Starmer's Labour Government has been, the notion of 'tactically voting' Labour to stop Reform from getting into power persists. I believe this is a way of thinking that has to be snapped out of, only when 'tactical voting' disappears, can real change appear. People will continue to say 'you're wasting your vote, The Greens won't get in' up until the day they do get in. Starmer and the rest of his Red Tories will continue to ignore the masses and appease the Right until they feel they are in real danger from a truly Left-wing party, and only the people can make that happen.
The final thing that I believe needs to happen for the Green's to be a contender in 2029 is for other politicians and activists who believe in: workers rights; tackling the climate crisis; ending the hateful narrative around immigration; ending the UK's complicity in the Palestinian genocide and those who wish to create a fair and equal society where nobody is forgotten, to unify behind the Green Party. The Left can not win the General Election if we are divided. Labour MP's who still believe in real Labour Ideals should defect to the Green Party, influential celebrities should be encouraging their supporters to get behind the Green Party. Corbyn and Sultana should admit defeat and encourage members to go Green. Even if YourParty can pick themselves up off the floor and start to build a movement again, then there should be a parliamentary agreement between the two in order to ensure that we do not become a fascist state in 2029.
Only with a unified front can the Green Party defeat the right-wing in 2029. It is not a dream to have a Green Government, it is a necessity.
The Implosion of 'YourParty': What Went Wrong and Where Do We Go From Here
By Alfie Tait| September 21, 2025
On the 24th July 2025, Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana announced the formation of a new political party - "one that is rooted in our communities, trade union and social movements". 'YourParty' promised its supporters that "real change was coming". On the 18th September the effective death of 'YourParty' was played out on social media for the world to see and the Right to enjoy.
How did such a promising movement, founded by two socialist MP's, with hundreds of thousands of supporters, crumble before it even started?
The Beginning
YourParty's initial creation wasn't particularly smooth-sailing in itself. Zarah Sultana seemed to jump the gun on the party announcement on the 3rd July, when she made a statement on social media declaring "the founding of a new party" alongside Jeremy Corbyn. Zarah's statement was powerful and statements such as "In 2029, the choice will be stark: socialism or barbarism" seriously got people talking. However, the supposed co-leader Corbyn appeared to be blindsided by this statement and instead made a statement the following day claiming that "discussions were ongoing".
When this first hurdle was cleared things seemed to start falling into place for YourParty. The official announcement of YourParty's creation a few weeks later quickly gathered momentum, with 500,000 people signing up for the party within just 3 days of its creation. Without an opening conference, any policies or even an official name, YourParty was still up to 4% in the polls between the 15th-19th August (focaldataHQ).
One week after Corbyn and Sultana's announcement, the other MP's in the Independent Alliance (Adnan Hussain, Ayoub Khan, Iqbal Mohamed, Shockat Adam) also got on board the YourParty train and things seemed to really be moving in the right directions. With 6 MP's pledging their allegiance and a 600,000 strong following within one week, how did this movement come to a halt so painfully?
What Went Wrong?
The question of what went wrong is a tough one to answer as there seems to have been cracks in the foundations of YourParty since it began. It didn't appear from an outside perspective that everyone was on the same page on the direction the party was to take. Zarah Sultana's (premature) announcement of the party's creation was an abundantly clear and very strong call for a truly Socialist party, however the official announcement that followed a few weeks later, whilst still discussing topics such as taxing the rich, made sure to steer clear from any use of the words 'socialist' or 'socialism'.
Doubts in the party began to pick up after Independent Alliance member and YourParty Company Secretary, Adnan Hussain, was involved in an X (Twitter) controversy regarding trans rights. Hussain, who is also a landlord (Parliament website) refused to call trans-women, women and instead said "They're not biologically women, hence trans-women" and believes that "women's rights and safe spaces should not be encroached upon." Hussain also voted against an Abortion Bill amendment that would decriminalize abortions occurring after 24 weeks of pregnancy. These overtly socially conservative views are in direct conflict with the core beliefs of socialism. "Nobody's free until everybody's free" - Fannie Lou Hamer (1971).
Zarah seemed to pick up on this and tweeted out "Trans rights are human rights. Your Party will defend them - no ifs, no buts. And I won't let anyone, whoever they are, get in the way of this fight. Solidarity always". This was a clear shot taken at Hussain and was an early indicator of what was to come.
The deadly blow to YourParty however came on the 18th August. Just after 11am, Zarah posted a link to sign up for a YourParty membership, followed swiftly by an email to all the people that had signed up on the initial launch. Things seemed to be going well, with 20,000 members after a couple of hours of going live. However, Corbyn and the rest of the Independent Alliance then sent out a statement calling for supporters to ignore the link and cancel any direct debits they had made.
The relationship between Corbyn and Sultana only seemed to worsen after this when Sultana put her own statement out. She described YourParty as a "Sexist Boys Club" from which she had been '"sidelined" and "frozen out of". The other members of the Independent Alliance denied these claims, and instead say that everyone involved is committed to "inclusivity and mutual respect". Things continued to sour and on the 19th August, Sultana announced that she had hired defamation lawyers and that she was the victim of "politically-motivated" attacks and she would hold those responsible to account.
Who's To Blame?
Who should be the person to fall on the sword for the death of YourParty? This is not an easy question to answer and I certainly don't feel like any one individual is responsible for the unfortunate end of this once promising movement. However, there are some decisions that I feel definitely contributed substantially to YourParty's demise.
One of the things I feel threw some spanners into the works was the inclusion of the Independent Alliance in YourParty. I strongly agree with many of the views expressed by the Independent Alliance, especially the heavy pro-Palestine stance that they have taken. I also appreciate that they have supported economically progressive policies such as taxing the rich and bringing public services back into public ownership. Whilst I understand that it is important to grow the party and in order to do that you need to bring in recognised figures; if members were not able to follow that up with socially progressive views then I don't feel like they should have been included in a Socialist movement - and I feel like this is a decision more-so pushed by Corbyn than Sultana.
I do also recognise that it seems as though on a couple of occasions now, Sultana has jumped the gun and taken things into her own hands that ought to be decided as a collective. This is obviously a fairly risky trait to have in someone who looked in line to be a co-leader and I can sympathise with the Independent Alliance's desire for a more controlled approach in comparison with what appears to be a slightly spontaneous strategy from Sultana.
Overall, I think YourParty met its untimely end due to too many clashes between Sultana and her fellow members, in particular Corbyn. I believe they clashed over strategies, clashed over opinions on social issues and possibly even clashed on what they wanted to get out of 'YourParty'. From my perspective it seems that Sultana was hoping to build a truly socialist movement, with no room for negotiation. Whereas I would read the situation as Corbyn searching for a way back into the upper echelons of the political establishment, I have no doubt that he would provide a strong, socialist movement had he risen up the ranks, but I think he was happier to make more sacrifices than Sultana was in order to do so.
What Happens Now?
The big question, and I believe the important question, is what now for: Corbyn, Sultana and Left-Wing politics in this country as a whole.
The most recent statement from YourParty indicated that they had no plans to abandon the Party, the closing sentence being "We have a historic opportunity to transform this country - we cannot let it to go to waste". This gives the impression that Corbyn and the Independent Alliance have no intention of going anywhere. However, it is very hard to see a way back into the fold for Zarah Sultana after online exchanges and that legal teams are now both involved on each side. I truly hope to see YourParty resurrect from this mess, but it feels like all the momentum it had gathered has hit a brick wall and I struggle to see how they pick themselves up to a level where they can compete for any real success in the next General Election.
For Sultana, the door seems firmly shut on a YourParty return and she appears to be left in a sort of political no-man's land. Whilst she still seems to be fighting for Socialism under the YourParty banner, but I can't imagine this being the case for much longer. Creating a whole new movement independently from YourParty would seem too ambitious of a project and would only split the left vote further. I believe that the best decision Sultana could make right now would be to defect to The Green Party. The Greens are flying right now under 'Eco-populist' Zack Polanski, whose politics align heavily with that of a socialist. I believe that the Greens would benefit from a highly-known politician like Zarah pledging her allegiance to their cause and it would offer her a way back into the political sphere.
The Greens are also the party that, as of now, seem to be the best option for left-wing voters in this country. Labour have lost all of their credibility as a left-wing party under the current Keir Starmer government, The Liberal Democrats are still too central to be a real option and YourParty has lost any momentum and promise it once had with no sign of a speedy recovery. Polanski's Greens recognise the genocide being comitted by Israel, want to nationalise water companies and tax the rich. Polanski has also been making waves since achieving leadership of the Green Party and hasn't pulled any punches in coming after Labour and Reform's fascist policies and moral-less leaders.
YourParty could've been something very special. Founded by two socialist politicians, created for people who have become disillusioned with the hopeless state of modern British Politics. A pathetic scramble over who's right and who's wrong has led to the death of an exciting uprising, but we can't lose hope of our ambition for a left-wing government. The Greens are flying right now and they will need all of our support to mount a serious challenge against the far-right when the 2029 election comes around.
I would urge Corbyn, Sultana and Polanski to provide a unified front for those in this country with morals, that care about others and recognise that our real enemy is Capitalism. YourParty may have all but collapsed, but Zarah's words ring true nonetheless.
"Billionaires already have three parties fighting for them. It's time the rest of us had one."