Less than a month into its existence, Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana’s new leftwing party is already widely seen as a mess. Its leadership, launch schedule, and even its name have caused inconclusive, semi-public rows. For many journalists and politicians who view the left as incompetent, the stop-start first weeks of ‘Your Party’—as it may or may not be named—have felt like a gift. Sebastian Murphy of the Daily Express wrote: ‘Thank Christ Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana are here to give us a laugh.’
Yet despite the confusion and ridicule, the party has struck a nerve. It says more than 600,000 people have signed up on its rudimentary website for updates—almost as many as the combined memberships of Labour, the Tories, and Reform UK. In hostile coverage, a note of alarm is evident. Camilla Tominey of the Telegraph wrote: ‘Something has actually gone seriously wrong with British society if a party such as this could poll at 18 per cent’—the proportion who told YouGov they would consider voting for a new Corbyn-led party. ‘It’s a rebellion against the broken status quo.’
Superficially, this rebellion resembles previous failed leftist breakaways like Respect, Left Unity, and the Workers Party of Britain. Well-known figures such as Arthur Scargill and George Galloway attempted to turn local power bases and personal charisma into broader movements, but these parties were often too narrow or too prone to ideological differences to sustain momentum. This time, the involvement of Sultana—one of the most digitally fluent young MPs—and innovative operators like Momentum co-founder James Schneider signals a potential shift. Six years after Corbynism’s defeat, there is a movement of bright, youngish leftwing activists re-engaging.
However, frictions between Corbyn and Sultana highlight the challenge of uniting two leftwing generations, very different in age and political patience, while also appealing to middle-aged Britons who grew up under New Labour. The left’s struggles since the 1980s have left gaps and imbalances that are exposed whenever it tries to take the initiative. Yet the new party’s rapid sign-up numbers suggest it has tapped into a widespread discontent with the political status quo.
