Members of the new leftwing party founded by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana have voted to make the name 'Your Party' permanent, but the weekend conference in Liverpool exposed deep divisions within the organisation. Just over 37% of members voted for the name, which was provisionally adopted at the party's launch earlier this year. Other options included Popular Alliance (25.23%), For The Many (23.52%), and Our Party (14.19%).
Tensions flared on Sunday when Sultana, who has been at odds with Corbyn, launched a blistering attack on those 'at the top' of the party. She had boycotted the first day of the conference in protest at the expulsion of several members belonging to the Socialist Workers party. In a vote, members narrowly endorsed a new member-led executive (51.6% to 48.4%) rather than a single leader model preferred by Corbyn, who warned that collective leadership could confuse the public.
Before the conference closed with members singing the Italian anti-fascist song 'Bella ciao', Corbyn appealed for unity and thanked his former chief of staff, Karie Murphy, who has become a controversial figure within the party. The collective leadership vote avoids a potentially explosive head-to-head contest between Corbyn and Sultana, but the executive will review options, leaving the possibility of a more traditional leadership structure in two years.
Sultana hailed the endorsement of collective leadership as a victory for 'maximum member democracy', though critics accused her of being disingenuous, noting she had originally demanded 'co-leadership' with Corbyn. She later expressed contrition for 'hiccups' in the party's formation but insisted the party must 'confront' the expulsions and bans, calling them 'undemocratic'. Opponents accused her of undermining Corbyn and seeking to freeze out socially conservative Muslims while allowing far-left groups influence.
Members also voted to allow dual membership of other political groups (69.2% to 30.8%), a significant win for Sultana's faction. This comes after she refused to enter the conference hall on Saturday in solidarity with expelled delegates, whom she described as victims of a 'witch-hunt'. Corbyn had stated that entry was granted only to those not aligned with other registered parties.
