News has come out today of the formal launching of a new left party in Britain by ex-Labour MPs Zara Sultana and Jeremy Corbyn. Their joint statement reads “It’s time for a new kind of political party. One that is rooted in our communities, trade unions and social movements. One that builds power in all regions and nations. One that belongs to you”.
PRMI members in England, Scotland and Wales are enthused by this move and encourage our members to engage with the building of this new party.
The very welcome announcement of a new left party led by Zara Sultana and Jeremy Corbyn is a blow to Starmer’s flailing government. To add fuel to the fire, Starmer’s government is likely to introduce new cuts and taxes, concentrated on the poorest in society. This will boost support for the right-populist Reform party, but also paving the way for a real left alternative.
Of course the new party has the potential to become that, though whether this new formation is fit for the task remains up for debate.
Labour’s record
Starmer’s Labour government has overseen significant welfare reform putting the poorest in society at further risk. Furthermore, they have targeted the elderly and the disabled. They have faced opposition from their back-benchers and have made significant concessions in this context – for example their U-turn on changes to PIP (personal independence payment – a payment which supports disabled people with the additional costs they face). Whilst this dissent has been managed up to now, it is clear there is a risk of it growing even within their own party.
Labour has long ceased to be a true party of the left – mirroring other social democratic parties across Europe. Its lurch to the right in an attempt to out-racist Reform has not been received well among its core base. The ramping up of repression with the recent move to declare Palestine Action a terrorist organisation, continued support for the genocide in Gaza and escalation of militarism, Labour has effectively blacklisted itself amongst a large core of its support base. Not to mention its attacks on disability benefits, the NHS, trans people, the list continues…
Whilst Blair ensured the transformation of Labour into an outright capitalist party, Starmer’s counter-revolution has been far sharper. He however, has never benefited from anywhere near the popularity levels of Blair in his hey-day, and looks set to be a one-term prime minister. With it looking likely Reform will capitalise on Labour’s train-wreck, a new left party is needed now more than ever.
The potential was shown with Corbyn’s election as Labour leader in 2015. He did tap into an anti-austerity mood and initiated the semi-transformation of the party to orienting towards the most advanced youth layers. We saw what a mass campaigning party was capable of in the 2017 election, and to a lesser extent, in 2019. But, instead of engaging in a struggle against the right-wing of the party, he capitulated and allowed them to sabotage his campaign. It is clear that Sultana at least has drawn the lessons of this and is influenced by the movement.
Launch of the party
The announcement of the new party itself was rather messy, with Sultana announcing Corbyn as co-founder before he had made any public declaration. Whilst not ideal, Sultana does seem to be taking initiative, and is putting Corbyn to the test. Sultana’s record is certainly positive, promising to focus on grass-roots building and breaking away from Starmer’s Labour. However, signals of indecisiveness from Corbyn should be paid close attention to.
None of the Parliamentary Labour Party have shown any willingness to break and even the five rebels who have been expelled from the PLP are begging to be readmitted. Momentum, the left-wing grassroots organisation, which originally supported Corbyn, quickly distributed a pamphlet ‘Why Socialists Should Be in the Labour Party’ following the announcement, clearly rejecting the move.
If Sultana and Corbyn could come together as “co-leaders” they could present a formidable force. However, there is word that some involved would prefer to see Corbyn as the sole-figurehead given his popularity and previous success. Arguably, with Sultana’s decisiveness – and Corbyn’s lack thereof – and youth they would be far better in coalition, especially given his lack of appetite to build something larger.
For all of Corbyn’s previous successes, he failed to convert his support to a real active movement, and to break away from Labour until he was pushed. Whether the two will factionalise or focus on building a truly grass-roots, rank-and-file organisation is yet to be seen. Ideally, this will move towards a different kind of party than we have seen previously, with democratic control from the membership who could alleviate the temptation to factionalise.
The new Party’s potential
Polls show a new left formation could pose a real threat to Labour. Let’s not forget that Labour’s 2017 vote was 3.2 million more than Starmer’s ‘landslide’ 2024 election – it was more of a reflection of dissatisfaction with the Tories than a consensus for Starmer’s Tory-lite manifesto. Interestingly, before it has even been formed, polls indicate somewhere between 10-18% of voters said they would support the new party – increasing to 33% amongst voters under 30. Amongst 16-18 year olds, Corbyn is seen the most favourably of all party leaders.
Whilst the first-past-the-post electoral system doesn’t favour smaller parties, it is suggested they could win 7 seats at the next election. The electoral system also requires concentrated geographical support, something Sultana does not have in her current constituency – but Corbyn has built in Islington. However, Sultana could potentially garner more support running somewhere like Birmingham, where the genocide in Gaza tops voters concerns.
Regardless of the first-past-the-post system, there is potential in multiple constituencies to build grassroots campaigns behind local candidates. This should not be focussed solely on electoral work but on building a movement capable of challenging the status-quo.
Certainly in Scotland and probably in Wales there will be elections in the devolved parliaments in 2026. It would be a mistake to keep the party England-centric and both Labour in Wales and the SNP in Scotland could be challenged by a fighting left alternative using the favourable terrain of the proportional voting system . In Wales in particular there is a concerning rise in support for Reform proving the need for a fighting left force able to offer a real alternative to the current political discourse.
However the new party can only provide such an alternative if it decisively breaks with Labour’s disdain for the right of these (overwhelmingly working class) nations to determine their own future. This is particularly crucial in Scotland, where Corbyn’s refusal to offer a second referendum on independence undermined Labour’s appeal in both 2017 and 2019. Similarly in the North of Ireland a left party campaigning for a voluntary, democratic and socialist federation of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales could break the electoral monopoly of the sectarian capitalist parties who dominate both Stormont and Westminster politics.
The Unions also need to come out far more strongly against Labour in its current formation, the fact that 11 are still affiliated to the Labour party in the current situation of all out attacks on workers, is quite frankly, absurd. They should of course orientate towards a new Sultana-Corbyn formation, but calls for the unions to simply take over in this context are equally flawed.
Whilst positive moves have been taken by Unite to suspend Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner’s union membership because of her disgraceful role in the Birmingham bin strike, the Union bureaucracies at large have almost fully adopted the social partnership model and actively suppress rank-and-file democracy. Of course there are some exceptions to this – notably the Baker’s union EC has endorsed the Sultana/Corbyn project. But unless it is based on militant political and industrial struggle led by the rank and file membership, trade union involvement in the new party is more likely to be a fetter than to aid it.
The way forward
In order to stand a chance at success, a new organisation will need to draw together workers, socialists, trade unionists, and the oppressed into a truly democratic, youthful and inclusive party, involved in and built through grassroots struggle. Attempts at bureaucratisation and top-down leadership will only be off putting to the most active and radical layers capable of really bringing a new left party to fruition.
Rallies up and down the country have been significant but a significant organised base is yet to materialise. This is not to say that it won’t, but it will require commitment to building a mass organisation, with true rank and file democracy. Regardless of its limitations, it is very likely to attract fresh and enthusiastic new layers who have the potential to push leadership forward.
Corbyn and Sultana both firmly support Palestine. In the context of increasing support for Palestine, with protests comparable to those during the Iraq years, a new left party standing firmly opposed to genocide is a potential boost for the movement. It is no coincidence this is happening alongside the Mamdani election in New York, as the movement against the genocide in Palestine grows, and the establishment continue to clamp down on it, people are drawing more radical conclusions. The left needs a strong party capable of linking the Palestinian solidarity movement to other anti-oppression and economic struggles in order to build effectively.
The new party needs to be an uncompromising opponent of capitalism
Without having a clear anti-oppression programme the organisation could fail to build appropriately, and especially in an inclusive way. ‘Bread and butter’ issues alone will not be enough to convince people of the need for serious change. It is to be expected that left figures and formations will emerge in this period.
Their success will hinge on their ability to present a real challenge and not capitulate like others before them. To quote Sultana, quoting the revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg, “Socialism or barbarism” are the only two choices.
The establishment of a new political force would be a massive step forward, but is not an end in and of itself – especially when it is largely focussed around individuals as opposed to a mass movement. Whilst many would hope for an electoral machine, a mass left party oriented to struggle could pose a far greater threat to the establishment.
In the face of a genocide, armed and informed by the British state, with the cost of living crisis at an all time high, all out attacks on trans people and the rise of far right, any new left party must be capable of building a mass fight back and facing capitalism head on – any appeasement will be fatal. This organisation must be enthused with a confidence in the working class and oppressed to liberate themselves, not as voters, but as members active in the struggle.