Good morning. If you worried that there weren’t enough rival factions in Westminster at the moment, you can relax: Jeremy Corbyn has formed a new one. Pulling together under the banner of the Independent Alliance, five leftwing MPs who stood as independents in July’s election say they aim to “provide hope in a parliament of despair” – by fighting to keep the winter fuel allowance, scrap the two-child benefit cap and provide a voice for Palestinians.
At a stroke, the new grouping has as many MPs as Reform UK, and more than the Greens – and even though they haven’t said so, many will be wondering whether this could be the first step towards something larger: a new party of the left, forming from the ashes of Corbynism and presenting a serious danger to Labour’s chances at the next election.
