Zarah Sultana has resigned from the UK’s Labour Party after 14 years to lead a new party with former Labour leader and independent MP Jeremy Corbyn.
“Today, after 14 years, I’m resigning from the Labour Party,” she said in a statement on Thursday evening local time.
“Jeremy Corbyn and I will co-lead the founding of a new party, with other Independent MPs, campaigners and activists across the country.”
Sultana cited the Starmer government’s support for Israel’s war on Gaza as a reason for leaving, saying that “this government is an active participant in genocide. And the British people oppose it.”
If the UK had ranked choice voting or proportional representation, they’d have a chance of bringing up the left flank, and possibly even having the clout to force Labour to compromise. Though under first past the post, they’ll find it next to impossible to break through in most seats, at best holding seats their high-profile founding members already have (Corbyn’s not going anywhere) and fighting the Greens for Brighton and Bristol (which would probably result in Labour picking them up due to the progressive vote being split).
They have a bigger change than you think. A recent hypothetical poll put them at 10% national support (without that party actually existing or them campaigning!), and it’s very likely that their spontaneous support is highly concentrated in urban areas and the red wall. That means they’r competitive in those seats. Now imagine them going in to an alliance with the Green party (=15%) and they’re already bigger than the LibDems. Now if they start campaigning, and they manage to increase the turnout by 1%, steal 1% of the LibDems, and 2% of Labour and Reform each (respectively disengaged poor/working class people with whom leftist socio-economic plans resonate, dissapointed middle class Labour-voters who went to the liberals, dissapointed leftists who vote Labour because it’s the best thing on the ballot, and dissapointed Labour voters who’re “giving Reform a chance”), and you’ve suddenly got yourself the second biggest party in the election.
They could win enough votes to force the main party to have to form a coalition like the LibDems did in 2010 though - and then force through P.R.
But with the right vibes a populist movement could of course win outright. Coalition with the Greens and SNP while picking up a few defectors from the LibDems in a pinch.
Honestly, I’m sick of voting tactically. It just means that instead of running towards fascism, we inch towards it instead every election.
I’m voting Green or Corbyn. Labour is not my party anymore.
I don’t mind Labour, it’s the current leadership that I’m upset about.
Labour have some really strong potential party leaders. If the Conservatives continue to be as pathetic as they currently are, and Reform continues to just have unhinged PR disasters every 5 minutes, it’s entirely possible they will get the chance to be Prime Minister.