Members of the new left-wing party, Your Party, have voted narrowly to adopt a collective leadership model, avoiding a direct contest between Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana. The decision, taken at the party's inaugural conference in Liverpool, means a 16-strong central executive committee will guide the party initially rather than a single leader.
Despite the avoidance of a one-to-one contest, insiders warn of a potential proxy war between supporters of Corbyn and Sultana. The pair have fallen out over issues including Sultana's unilateral announcement of the party's formation and a dispute over transferring membership funds. Sultana boycotted the first day of the conference after some of her supporters were expelled for being members of other parties.
“We’re long past happy families,” one party insider said. “Effectively what it means is that the battle continues, but via their representatives. We have avoided, by a members’ vote, the one-to-one leadership contest, but it’s still basically a battle for the soul of the party.”
Under the agreed model, the executive will comprise 16 ordinary members alongside four office-holders: Corbyn, Sultana, and independent MPs Shockat Adam and Ayoub Khan. The executive will elect roles such as chair, vice-chair and spokesperson, who will provide the party's public political leadership.
Another source argued that avoiding a direct leadership battle was the “de-escalatory option”. However, one source warned that if the executive becomes dominated by Sultana's supporters, the other MPs might quit. “If she wins, the others walk, and she can be at the helm of a coalition of the sects.”
In a separate policy decision, Your Party members voted to adopt a targeted election strategy, standing only in seats where it has a good chance of winning, paving the way for potential electoral alliances with the Green Party. The move aims to avoid splitting the left-of-Labour vote in next year's local elections.
