Your Party is facing a potential proxy war between supporters of Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana after members opted for a collective model of leadership, insiders have warned. Members voted narrowly in favour of a 16-strong central executive committee at the party's inaugural conference, avoiding a direct leadership contest between Corbyn and Sultana.
The pair have fallen out over several issues, including Sultana unilaterally announcing the party's formation and launching a membership drive, and a dispute over transferring funds from members to the party. At the conference in Liverpool, Sultana boycotted the first day in protest over some of her supporters being expelled for belonging to other political parties.
One party insider said the collective leadership model means the battle continues via representatives. 'We have avoided the one-to-one leadership contest, but it's still basically a battle for the soul of the party,' they said. Another source argued the avoidance of a direct contest was the 'de-escalatory option' and good news for the party.
Under the agreed model, 16 ordinary members will form the governing executive alongside four party members who hold office: Corbyn, Sultana, and independent MPs Shockat Adam and Ayoub Khan. The executive will elect roles including chair, vice-chair and spokesperson, who will be the public political leadership. One source warned that if the executive is dominated by Sultana's supporters, the other MPs could quit.
In another decision, Your Party members adopted a 'targeted' strategy of standing only in winnable seats, a step towards a possible electoral alliance with the Greens. While no pact is in place, and any deals must be agreed locally, this could avoid splitting the left-of-Labour vote at next year's local elections.
