Corbyn x Sultana : They’ve All Been Waiting for You.

What are the possibilities for the future of this new party?

Like myself, a lot of you reading this weren’t of voting age by the time that Labour had turned it’s back on Jeremy Corbyn. Under the spotlight, and in front of an audience made up of a largely uninformed British public, this betrayal, where he faced accusations of ‘Antisemitism’ whilst being largely defamed* by the media. After the storm, solid proof began to emerge regarding Labour’s involvement in Corbyn’s departure, including a move by the party in 2017 to ‘blacklist’ anti-war advocates, namely, Corbyn himself. As a long-time critic of the Iraq War and a supporter of nuclear disarmament, Corbyn led the party during a period of surging grassroots support from anti-war activists. To thwart his efforts, unelected party staffers were exposed after creating secret blacklists, whilst banning terms like “war criminal” (commonly used to criticise Tony Blair), in addition to new disciplinary procedures to block or expel Corbyn supporters.

“Scores of internal emails and WhatsApp messages show that party officials were hostile towards new members who came from Britain’s anti-war movement. Some party officials also relished public criticism of Corbyn’s support for nuclear disarmament and wanted him to blame immigration for a terrorist attack.”

- Phil Miller, Declassified UK

The hostility intensified around pivotal moments, like the release of the Chilcot Inquiry, and considerable backlash surrounding Corbyn’s criticism of UK foreign policy following the 2017 Manchester bombing. Extensively, staff were seen diverting resources during the 2017 general election in ways that disadvantaged Corbyn’s campaign, despite him nearly winning. After the report exposed deep factionalism within the party, it became increasingly clear that certain officials may have worked against their electoral success even if only to prevent Corbyn from becoming prime minister.

The years that followed, bringing us to our current labour government were in many ways characterised by the same dysfunction that oversaw Corbyn’s exit. Luckily though, there have been one or two MP’s emerging out of Labour to proliferate the sentiments that helped to solidify the parties’ position in British Politics to begin with.

After being announced as the Coventry South candidate in 2019, Zarah Sultana made a promise to her constituents, vowing to “Be a strong socialist voice for working people in [the] city." Since then , Zarah has only ever remained consistent - a rare quality amongst British politicians as exemplified by consecutive leaders of our country.

Primarily, she opposes the rightward shift of Labour under Keir Starmer, often condemning its failure to address issues like poverty, public sector cuts, and the two-child benefit cap. At the forefront of her vision, Zarah illustrates a socialist movement that supports workers’ struggles, opposes all forms of oppression, and prioritises democracy from below - where activists, not elites, set the agenda. Additionally, she stresses the need to win over disillusioned and abandoned working-class voters, particularly those tempted by Reform’s reactionary message, by offering real solutions grounded in justice and solidarity. She is also critical of authoritarianism where it might be seen in British politics, pointing to repressive laws that target protest movements and warning that the UK is sliding toward a police state under Starmer’s leadership. Ultimately, Sultana calls for a principled, activist-led socialist party rooted in everyday struggles as opposed to parliamentary maneuvering as the path toward genuine political change.

As a welcome deviation from overwhelming support both passively and actively for the Israeli government and their initiatives, Sultana has continued to exhibit public support for Palestine. Whilst news outlets aimed to target her in 2015 after commenting on how she would celebrate should the likes of Tony Blair, Netanyahu and Bush die, questions surrounding her credibility were never truly successful. Whilst she later apologised for the anger that fuelled the tweets, alongside apologies for her support of violent Palestinian resistance, she remained firm in her wider stance surrounding Western interference in the Middle East, and continues to criticise Starmer’s support of the genocide.

As Sultana continued to gain popularity online, outlets have over the last few years been eager to dub her an ‘Influencer MP’, citing her popularity with the British Youth as evidence for a more fundamental yet forever unidentified weakness.

With a track record not dissimilar from Corbyn’s, the overlap in the sentiments of their respective supporters highlighted the latest news for the pair as being a beacon of hope for leftists.

Political correspondent for The Guardian’s Aletha Adu provided insight into a new potentially ‘credible alternative’ for the left, consisting of a new independent* party, co-run by both Corbyn and Sultana. A year after many assumed the Labour left was politically sidelined, recent events serve as proof of a certain vitality. Keir Starmer's shift to right wing politics, the suspension of Jeremy Corbyn, and disciplinary actions against MPs like Zarah Sultana unsurprisingly fractured the left. Now though, momentum has begun to build outside of the party’s structures. Sultana’s departure to join Corbyn’s new Independent Alliance, coupled with a significant Labour rebellion over the welfare bill, underscores internal tensions over core issues like poverty and inequality, as well as international political tensions like the genocide in Gaza - concerns echoed by formerly proud labour supporters. Grassroots networks and former Labour figures, excluded from party selections, have also been organizing outside Westminster, with at least 200 councillors quitting Labour and aligning with new campaigns and movements. Expectedly, Labour continues to publicly downplay the threat, whilst polling suggests a left-wing bloc could prove attractive to a notable share of city voters. Corbyn’s alliance-driven strategy favours bottom-up organisation, a value aligning with Sultana’s approach. For the time being, the only valid concerns seem to surround questions about how to convert the energy of excitement into electoral success. At the same time, Reform continues to gain popularity amongst constituents. As of May this year, “Britons [were] (…) more likely to consider Reform UK (37%) as the main opposition party, ahead of the Conservatives (33%)”, according to IPSOS.

Nevertheless, the response from the right signifies their increasing formidability. Where the BBC aims to paint this new party as being confusing, others like The New Statesman and The Telegraph label their efforts as being “Messy” and even “Sinister”.

After witnessing the serious effort by major news outlets to undermine their appeal, all we can know isy that they’re a real threat. This is where the lack of professionalism in headlines written just reveals where the response from the right is overwhelmingly emotional as opposed to being grounded in reality.

In light of the parties’ success thus far, it would appear that a Sultana X Corbyn alliance is needed now more than ever, especially where a lot of us having been experiencing a reactionary disillusionment for a while now. So far, the left’s re-emergence is still fragmented , but recent events suggest the foundations for a credible alternative may be forming, which is what is needed to combat opposition from what seems like each and every corner.

Asisa