Jeremy Corbyn has beaten fellow MP Zarah Sultana to take control of Your Party’s new leadership committee following a contest marred by months of public infighting, confusion and indecision.
Mr Corbyn is set to become the group’s parliamentary leader after his supporters won 14 of the 24 seats on Your Party's central executive committee (CEC), double the seven seats won by Ms Sultana’s backers.
In response, the former Labour leader said he wanted his “mass, socialist party” to take the fight to his successor, Sir Keir Starmer, and the Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage.
Last year the left-wing party opted to elect a 24-strong CEC rather than a single figure to lead the party. But the contest has been seen as a proxy-war between its two co-founders, with both Mr Corbyn and Ms Sultana putting forward two rival slates of candidates.
Both also stood for election to the CEC’s “public office holders” section, a prerequisite to becoming the party’s parliamentary leader.
On Thursday morning, the party revealed Mr Corbyn’s group, The Many, had won and would now lead the party. Some 25,347 people voted in the election out of 40,985 verified Your Party members, a turnout of 62 per cent.
The foundation of Your Party has been marked by conflict between the founders, including over the announcement of the party’s creation and the “unauthorised” launch of a membership portal.
Ms Sultana boycotted the first day of Your Party’s founding conference in Liverpool over the exclusion of some of her supporters and the expulsion of members of the Socialist Workers Party. But the conference’s backing of a collective membership model was widely seen as a victory for Ms Sultana, as Mr Corbyn’s preference had been to have a single leader.
After the result, Mr Corbyn said: “I am delighted that members have voted for a mass, socialist party that takes the fight to Starmer and Farage. Now the real work begins. We have a precious opportunity to unite our movement around a bold vision for this country – one that creates a more caring, equal and peaceful world for all. I look forward to working with all members to make this vision a reality.”
He added that the UK was “at a dangerous moment. The fear, divisiveness and racism of Reform should not be appeased; it must be opposed. There is only one way we will defeat them: by working together under a common cause of redistribution and peace.”
In a statement, Ms Sultana called on the party to “work together”. But her Grassroots Left group said Your Party needed to become “a party of and for the whole left” after losing out to Mr Corbyn’s backers.
In a statement, the group congratulated the successful candidates and thanked members who had voted for it, saying: “Your Party must now work together to become a party of and for the whole left – with no more witch-hunts or stitch-ups. All those who have been expelled should be reinstated.
“We now need a culture of mutual respect, open debate, and a shared focus on the real issues facing us: inequality, insecure work, crumbling public services, fascism, and a political establishment that keeps letting working people down.”
The new CEC will shortly take control of the party. One of its first priorities will include planning for the May local elections and formally establishing branches of Your Party across the country.
Mr Corbyn’s The Many slate ran on a campaign to “end the navel-gazing” and “campaign on the big issues”, such as the cost of living and Palestine.
Jeremy Corbyn secures control of Your Party leadership committee
Spain to introduce new Gibraltar passport rules for Brits under post-Brexit deal
The UK is shirking its responsibility to ensure one of the most basic rights
Tommy Robinson welcomed by Trump administration in visit to Washington
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch refuses to apologise after ‘paedo defenders’ jibe
Martin Lewis meets Badenoch to discuss student loans as PM under pressure to U-turn
