Almost 1,400 people joined the Green Party in 24 hours following a public rift between Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, which cast doubt on the viability of their new leftwing party. The surge has pushed the Greens in England and Wales above 75,000 members, a more than 10% increase since Zack Polanski became leader earlier this month.
The dispute emerged after Sultana launched a membership portal for the new party, tentatively called Your party, on Thursday. Corbyn responded angrily, describing it as a “false membership system” that collected money and data without authorisation, and referred the matter to the Information Commissioner’s Office. Sultana countered that she had been frozen out by a “sexist boys’ club”.
Green leader Zack Polanski, who had expressed willingness to cooperate with Corbyn and Sultana, said it was impossible to know if that would happen given the lack of party structure or policies. He added that the Greens already offer a political home for left-leaning voters disillusioned with Labour.
Sources within Corbyn’s party said efforts were being made on both sides to calm the mood and find a way forward, with some news likely next week. “Emotions were running high but there is an appetite for de-escalation,” one source said.
