The unauthorised launch of a membership portal for the new socialist Your Party by MP Zarah Sultana may constitute a "serious criminal act", the UK's data watchdog has advised. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has suggested the matter should be referred to the police for investigation.
A Public Split and Data Breach Concerns
The controversy stems from an incident in September last year. Sultana promoted a new, paid membership scheme for Your Party via social media, urging supporters to "be a part of history" and sign up for £55. An email was sent to around 800,000 people on the party's mailing list.
This move prompted an immediate and public rift with former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. On the same day, Corbyn's Peace and Justice Project (PJP) – the official data controller for Your Party – issued an "urgent message" labelling the site as "unauthorised" and warning followers to ignore it, stating legal advice was being sought.
The PJP subsequently referred the incident to the ICO over potential data protection breaches.
ICO Advises Police Involvement
After reviewing the case, the ICO has now advised the PJP that formal regulatory action is not required from them at this stage. However, in guidance first reported by the New Statesman, the watchdog stated that "serious criminal activity may have occurred".
The ICO advised Corbyn's project to consider "taking further action" by reporting the issue to Action Fraud (now Report Fraud) and the police. It noted that any potential police investigation would take precedence over an ICO probe.
"After reviewing the information provided, we have assessed that formal ICO involvement is not required at this time," an ICO spokesperson said.
Contrasting Responses and Future Plans
On Friday, Zarah Sultana issued a statement claiming the ICO had "dropped the case". Writing on X, she said she had always anticipated no further action and was pleased everyone could "draw a line under the matter".
She added that she was looking forward to campaigning in the party's forthcoming leadership contest and would continue working with Jeremy Corbyn and others to build on the party's claimed 60,000 members.
Your Party itself declined to comment on the ICO's latest advice. The episode highlights the significant internal tensions within the fledgling political movement as it attempts to establish itself as a major force on the left.
