There’s an ever-growing and much supported argument that the European left is dying. Communism has all but disappeared as a genuine contender, let alone as a gripping power of half the continent, the left-wing continuously fall short against other opponents in nations such as France, Germany, and Italy, whilst even the centre-left is now experiencing a steady decline, with the SPD in Germany experiencing a catastrophic 2025 election result, and the PSOE in Spain losing their power over the centre-right PP in 2023. Obviously, Labour currently hold a 411-seat majority in the United Kingdom, however Starmer has moved the party further and further right since taking the reins in 2020, dividing its MPs and voters into those who believe that this centring is necessary to keep up with the right, and those who just want their pure socialism back.
Enter former leader and cult hero Jeremy Corbyn. Despite never getting Labour an election win, and exiting the party on pretty bad terms following a disastrous 2019 result, and the following anti-Semitism row, his name has hardly been tarnished in the minds of his followers, and has performed handsomely as an independent so far. This is a man who certainly can still win over many Labour’s furthest left, and also believes that there’s a space in the UK political scene, that has been opened up with his former party’s rightwards direction. Along with greater support for a free Palestine, Corbyn wants to serve the country’s people, and present them with a true socialist party, which could very well be an alternative for frustrated Labour followers (even MPs), and the less environmentally concerned within Green.
It must be mentioned however, that this new party is still very much in its early stages, and we’re not yet sure what form it’ll come in. Cold water definitely shouldn’t be poured, but a pinch of salt must be taken, as it could turn out to be an alliance of independents instead, and Corbyn may not even be their leader. Zarah Sultana’s “the time is now” announcement appears to be a little premature, and might also be stepping over lines that those close to Corbyn don’t want crossed. We can’t assume that this party will be successful- obviously the current climate supports the rise of a new contender, however it is perhaps too soon to herald this new group as the left equivalent of Reform, as they may well end up being a new version of Change UK.
A lot waits to be seen for Corbyn’s proposal, however there’s no denying that there’s an appetite for a new socialist party, highlighted by the recent discontent shown within Labour surrounding Kier Starmer’s welfare reforms. Admittedly, there’s already been a number of high-level rejections from MPs when questioned about the possibility of joining Corbyn, but this new party could have cataclysmic impacts on the UK political scene now, and in the years to come. Green’s steady growth could be immediately halted by a big-name standing very near their spot on the spectrum, whilst Labour could begin to be hammered from multiple directions, clearing the path for a certain right-wing Nigel Farage and Reform UK to ascend to power. In this first section of a two part series, I will investigate exactly what Corbyn’s new party is, and what form it will take, whilst in the second article, I will look into the huge implications it could have on UK politics as a whole.
Jeremy Corbyn (Vox) and Zarah Sultana (zarahsultana.com), the supposed leaders of this new party
Since losing his Labour whip in 2020, Corbyn has quietly been working away as a successful independent, and has worked with other party-less MPs to form left-wing alliances, however it appears that he now feels the time is right to step it up a level, with the creation of a fully-fledged, competitive party. Admittedly, if a new competitor was going to spring up into UK politics right now, the left-wing would be the easiest place to be successful, as it’s the main area where there’s a gap in the spectrum, and there’s a certain appetite for it to be filled. It’s also worth adding that there’s perhaps no better man to lead this new party than one of Labour’s most loved, genuine, well-respected, and purely socialist leaders, who retains a cult status with much of the UK population.
Labour under Kier Starmer have undertaken a pretty well-recognised drift towards the centre, which has left many of its more socialist MPs behind, frustrated with the party for losing some of its deeply integrated heart and soul. When looking for a major English option further left than Labour (other than the occasional Lib Dem leapfrog), Green are there only choice, and they often leave a lot to be desired for many, due to their motives being well-set on the environment, often more than the people-first approach that makes Corbyn so popular with so many. As well as the former Labour leader’s own initiatives, many other left-wing coalitions have sprung up around the country, including Majority, and We Deserve Better, which has been set up by activist and Guardian columnist Owen Jones. Labour’s divided stance on an independent Palestine has many critics, and this new group would include it as one of their main selling points. It appears that Corbyn now wants something with a little more structure in order to compete, however we’re still not entirely sure what form that will take.
Welfare rebellions (BBC) and Palestine protests (the Guardian)- two key driving factors for the desire for a Corbyn-led party
The unconvincing response to Zarah Sultana’s “the time is now” statement has left many wondering whether reports of a new left-wing party are overplayed versions of reality, and this could very well be the case. As mentioned previously, Corbyn has previously brought together independents into some sort of loose alliance rather than an official political party, and whilst it appears different this time, it could end up being another one, intentionally or not. One of Reform’s greatest strengths so far has been the persuasion of Tory MPs to defect to Farage’s party (as well as voters), however Corbyn has struggled to replicate this with Labour so far. The frustration within the backbenches highlighted by the welfare reform response suggested that the former Labour leader wouldn’t have many problems trying to pluck the more socialist MPs away from Starmer, however Corbyn has experienced a few big name rejections so far- older politicians such as John McDonnell and Diane Abbott (since suspended) have vowed to reject the new hard-left party and remain with Labour, whilst the most notable defection so far (Zarah Sultana) was met with a less than warm welcome.
Obviously the appetite for a left-wing alternative is there from voters. Sultana has used the platform Action Network to gather supporters, and has so far recorded more than 64,000 “action taken”. This is only a fraction of the 18% of the UK that is estimated to be considering voting for a Corbyn led party, however they haven’t got off to a clean start, with a jumbled announcement, and high-profile rejections. It awaits to be seen whether Corbyn is able to put together a functional party on the level of current powers like Labour and Reform, or whether it will crumble to a mere alliance of independents without an official name on the polling form. In the words of Jeremy Corbyn- “the democratic foundations of a new kind of political party” were still taking shape, and discussions were “ongoing”.
Despite the cult hero, big-name status of Jeremy Corbyn, it’s been Zarah Sultana grabbing the headlines of late. It’s become somewhat of a strange scenario, where the former Labour MP has appeared to jump the gun, and perhaps take some limelight that Corbyn’s camp wanted elsewhere. She had been with Starmer’s party for fourteen years, and since 2019 has been the MP for Coventry south, however had her whip suspended in 2024 for voting to remove the two child benefit cap. Sultana has also been a staunch supporter of Palestine, sharing many of Corbyn’s traditionally socialist ideas, and in recent weeks, has announced that she will be leaving her long-term Labour party to “co-lead” a new one with Jeremy Corbyn. It has been reported that the former PM candidate was left confused and a little annoyed with the timing of this statement, which some argue was timed with the one-year anniversary of Starmer’s government. Nonetheless, it appears that the time isn’t indeed “now”. After initially meeting it with silence Corbyn congratulated Sultana on her “principled decision” to leave and said he was “delighted that she will help us build a real alternative”.
Sultana with her possible new parter Corbyn (the Guardian) and Sultana making a speech (the Scottish Sun)
It does really appear that Sultana’s declaration came as news to him, however there are some doubts whether Corbyn will actually lead this new party, but what he didn’t say is far more notable than what he did. He is said to prefer “consensus politics”, and is understood to have leaned toward a looser formation – one that builds on parliamentary independents and grassroots groups. Should Corbyn not desire a fully-fledged party, Zarah Sultana may be the hard-left’s way forwards, as she has long been seen as a key figure in the youthful generation, and many see her as a bold figurehead. Others believe that she may have made an ambitious attempt for power too early, especially given that many close to Corbyn weren’t happy with her statement, with some concerned and uneased that control over the donations and fundraising may become concentrated in Sultana’s camp, moving focus away from the original idea.
There’s still more questions than answers when looking at the idea of a new party led by Jeremy Corbyn. We’re unsure whether it will be a genuine party, or just an alliance of independents, and even without Zarah Sultana’s declaration of co-power, doubts remain whether it would actually be Corbyn leading the new group. What is pretty certain is that this would be a pure form of socialist, hard-left populism, that appeals to the less-environmentally orientated of Green, the frustrated furthest left of Labour, and the many pro-Palestine followers that live in the UK. Even if Sultana is a bold figurehead with 477,800 TikTok followers, it seems that for the party to really succeed, Corbyn must be the driving force of it, or at least co-lead with Zarah.
His cult status amongst much of the younger UK population is incredibly valuable, especially with the numbers of youth attracted by the right-wing and Reform. Many will point to the failure of Change UK, however the current, more European, political climate in the UK supports new-comers more than ever, especially in a part of the spectrum not occupied by the nation’s four biggest parties (in the polls). Names proposed include “Arise” and “the Collective”, with both suggesting different things. “Arise” brings to mind visions of the left-wing rising from its ashes to become a strong contender again, whilst “the Collective” suggests the more boring idea of an independent alliance, like we’ve seen from Corbyn before. If this new party does begin to gain momentum as a genuine contender for seats by 2029, it may not have a chance of victory (there is more demand for the right at this point in time), however it will certainly have huge impacts on the future of this country- subscribe or keep an eye out for the second part of this overview to discover the effects of a new Corbyn-led socialist party on the UK’s current major political powers.
From allies to enemies- Corbyn with Labour leaders Angela Rayner and Kier Starmer (Politics Home) (BBC)
Thanks for reading my latest blog post on Your World Explored by me, Lewis Defraine. The second half of this overview of Jeremy Corbyn’s new party, which will investigate its possible affects on UK politics, will be available by the end of the week. Feel free to offer your support, or even constructive criticism in the comments section below. A like would be greatly appreciated, and if you’d like to receive more articles from Your World Explored, you can also subscribe. Also, you can take part in the poll down below.
Key sources-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DOKvxHDBH8&themeRefresh=1
https://novaramedia.com/2025/07/08/what-we-know-about-the-new-left-party-so-far/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cedg56670qdo
https://yougov.co.uk/politics/articles/52505-who-is-open-to-voting-for-a-new-corbyn-led-party
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