In a stirring and unequivocal address, Labour MP Zarah Sultana has issued a clarion call to her own party, demanding a return to the bold, transformative politics championed by former leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Sultana argued that the Labour leadership's current strategy of cautious centrism is failing to ignite the passion needed to secure a decisive victory in the upcoming general election. She pointed to a widespread sense of disillusionment among traditional Labour voters, who feel abandoned by the party's shift away from its radical promises.
The Ghost of Manifestos Past
The Coventry South MP passionately invoked the party's 2017 and 2019 manifestos, documents she described as the "most radical and popular" in modern history. She lamented that the platform which promised public ownership of key utilities, a Green New Deal, and a significant expansion of social rights has been largely discarded.
"The lesson from 2017 and 2019 was not that our popular policies were the problem," Sultana asserted, directly challenging the current leadership's narrative. "The lesson was that we needed to better communicate them and stand up to the powerful interests opposed to them."
A Warning Against Voter Apathy
Sultana's central warning was one of motivation, not just persuasion. She expressed a grave concern that without a genuinely inspiring offer, millions of potential Labour supporters—particularly young people and those in working-class communities—may simply not bother to vote.
She framed the next election not as a simple referendum on the Conservative Party's record of "crisis and collapse," but as a test of whether Labour can present a compelling alternative worth voting for. "People need a reason to vote for us, not just against them," she stated.
The Call to 'Become the Party of Jeremy Corbyn Again'
The most striking moment of her address was her direct and emotional appeal for the party to rediscover its soul. "We must become the party of Jeremy Corbyn again," she declared, positioning the former leader's agenda not as a relic of the past but as the essential blueprint for a fairer future.
This represents a direct challenge to Sir Keir Starmer's project, which has consciously sought to distance the party from the Corbyn years in an effort to win back trust from moderate voters. Sultana’s intervention highlights the significant internal tensions that still exist within the Labour party as it attempts to craft a winning electoral coalition.
