Amid rising criticism against Prime Minister Keir Starmer within the ruling Labour Party, former Labour chief Jeremy Corbyn made plans to set up a new political party with MP Zarah Sultana, who quit the Labour Party to join Corbyn as a co-lead in founding the new one.
Zarah Sultana announced it on her socials: “Jeremy Corbyn and I will co-lead the founding of a new party with other independent MPs, campaigners, and activists across the country.”
This came along with her announcement of quitting the Labour Party. Announcing her departure she said: “Today, after 14 years, I’m resigning from the Labour Party.”
She urged people to join the movement in setting up a new party.
“Join us. Time is now,” the MP for Coventry South added.
While announcing plans to launch a new “socialist” party aimed at tackling “growing poverty, obscene inequality, and the two-party system of broken promises,” she criticised Britain’s wealthy elite, stating: “We pay every month to a tiny bathing in cash, we need our money spent on public services, not forever wars.”
Billionaires already have three parties fighting for them. It’s time the rest of us had one.” She added.
Endorsing the announcement, Jeremy Corbyn, said in a statement that he issued: “Real change is coming.”
“The democratic foundations of a new kind of political party will soon take shape. Discussions are ongoing – and I am excited to work alongside all communities to fight for the future people deserve,” he added.
He also congratulated Zarah Sultana for her “principled decision” to build a “real alternative” and to “leave the Labour Party.”
Now the MP for the Islington North constituency, Corbyn had formed Independent Alliance, a parliamentary faction, since he was re-elected as an independent MP. He contested in 2024 general election into British parliament as an independent candidate after loosing candidacy within the Labour Party under Keir Starmer’s leadership.
This forced him to contest as an independent candidate. In a huge setback to PM Stamer’s Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn was re-elected to parliament with a massive n the last general election with a massive majority of more than 7,000 votes.
Independent MPs have been hinting transformation of this Independent Alliance into a new political party since last week.
Corbyn told ITV on Wednesday that independent MPs would “come together” to provide an “alternative” party which will be about “a society that deals with poverty, inequality and a foreign policy based on peace not war.”
“People before profit. People before power. People before politics. Always. Proud to stand with Jeremy Corbyn fighting for people-powered change.”
Shockat Adam, the independent MP for Leicester South, posted Tuesday on X, formerly Twitter, along with sharing a video.
Similarly, Adnan Hussain, another independent MP for Blackburn, posted on his X account “JC4PM,” revealing the possibility of the launch of a new political party under the leadership of Corbyn.
MP Corbyn’s recent private bill demanding a public inquiry into the UK’s involvement in Israeli military operations in Gaza has received cross-party support, including from a few MPs in the Conservative Party.
The bill has been presented by Corbyn on Friday, 4 July 2025, in Parliament, as he received support from more than 40 MPs.
The independent alliance has been working as an en bloc in Parliament since it was formed ten months ago after the last parliamentary election.
The new announcement by MP Zarah Sultana received a huge response on her socials, with 50,000 likes and 15,000 reposts on X, formerly Twitter, and also more than 130,000 likes on Instagram within a few hours of her announcement.
Zarah Sultana was stripped of her party whip for voting against Labour’s two-child benefit cap bill along with a few other Labour Party MPs, but maintained party membership until the announcement of her resignation late in the evening on Thursday, 3 July 2025.
All other MPs who lost their whips along with MP Sultana are still in the Labour camp, including former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne, Imran Hussain, Rebecca Long-Bailey, and Apsana Begum.
The party whip was restored for four of them, including Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne, Imran Hussain, and Rebecca Long-Bailey.
John McDonnell and Apsana Begum, however, have still not received their whip back. They still remain in the party, maintaining their membership with Labour.
Responding to the announcement of resignation, MP John McDonnell said that he is “dreadfully sorry to lose Zarah from the Labour Party. The people running Labour at the moment need to ask themselves why a young, articulate, talented, extremely dedicated socialist feels she now has no home in the Labour Party and has to leave.”
