Your Party has avoided a direct leadership contest between Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana after members voted narrowly for a collective model of governance, but insiders warn the internal battle for the party's direction is far from over.
The decision at the party's inaugural conference in Liverpool means a 16-strong central executive committee will guide the new leftwing party initially, rather than a single leader. However, tensions remain high, with Sultana boycotting the first day of the conference over the expulsion of some of her supporters.
“We’re long past happy families,” one insider said, adding that supporters of both figures will continue to struggle over the “soul of the party” through their representatives on the executive. Another source described the avoidance of a direct contest as a “de-escalatory option”, but acknowledged that a leadership race would have been “sub-optimal”.
The executive will include four office-holding party members—Corbyn, Sultana, and two other independent MPs—alongside 16 ordinary members. The elected roles of chair, vice-chair, and spokesperson will form the public political leadership. One source warned that if Sultana’s supporters dominate the executive, the other MPs could quit, potentially leaving her at the helm of a “coalition of the sects”.
In a separate vote, members adopted a “targeted” electoral strategy, only standing in winnable seats, which raises the possibility of an electoral pact with the Green Party. No deal is in place yet, but such an alliance could avoid vote-splitting on the left at next year's local elections, as seen in areas like Hackney where the Greens are gaining momentum.
