New Left-Wing Party Embraces Collective Leadership After Internal Clash
The founding conference for the new left-wing party, provisionally named Your Party, witnessed a significant victory for Zarah Sultana as members narrowly voted to adopt a model of collective leadership. The decision, announced on Sunday in Liverpool, came after a chaotic start to the gathering, which was overshadowed by a public rift between Sultana and the party's prominent figure, Jeremy Corbyn.
A Conference Overshadowed by Disagreement
The event was thrown into disarray from its outset when Zarah Sultana, a former Labour MP who now sits as an independent, boycotted the first day of proceedings. The boycott was a direct response to disagreements with Jeremy Corbyn over the fundamental structure and running of the new political movement. This internal conflict highlighted the early growing pains of an organisation seeking to establish its identity.
Corbyn had previously expressed scepticism about a multi-person leadership model, telling journalists, "It's quite hard for the public to grasp things that there are sort of 10 people who run things." Despite this, the membership delivered a different verdict.
Narrow Vote Seals New Direction
In a closely contested ballot, members voted 51.6% to 48.6% in favour of the collective leadership structure advocated by Sultana. This model will see a new member-led executive committee take the major decisions on party management and strategy. A chair, deputy chair, and spokesperson will be appointed to provide public leadership for the party, whose official name was set to be revealed later on Sunday from a shortlist including Your Party, Our Party, Popular Alliance, and For The Many.
The wins for Sultana's camp extended beyond the leadership model. Members also voted to allow dual-membership with other political groups, a significant move given the context of recent infighting. This decision followed a controversy where Sultana refused to enter the conference hall on Saturday in solidarity with delegates who had been expelled over their links to other left-wing parties—an action she labelled a "witch-hunt."
However, the party's constitution includes a safeguard: members of other parties will only be eligible to join after their organisation has been ratified by the party's executive (CEC) and conference as being aligned with its core values. This clause follows Corbyn's statement on Saturday that entry was conditional on members not being aligned with other parties registered with the Electoral Commission.
