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Zarah Sultana resigns from Labour, founding new party with Corbyn

8 July 202521 views0

Former Labour MP Zarah Sultana has confirmed she is leaving the party and plans to help set up a new political movement alongside Jeremy Corbyn.

Sultana, who represents Coventry South, had already been sitting as an independent since she was suspended last year for opposing the government’s two-child benefit limit. She now says the time has come to build an alternative to what she calls a “broken” Westminster system.

Posting on social media, Sultana accused the government of contributing to a genocide in Gaza and criticised Labour under Sir Keir Starmer for failing to stand up for working people and the vulnerable. She argued the new party will offer voters a clear choice between “socialism or barbarism” at the next general election.

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Labour responded by defending its record in government, pointing to higher wages, more NHS appointments and new breakfast clubs. Senior figures, including Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, dismissed Sultana’s criticisms, saying she has long taken a different approach from the party’s leadership.

Sultana was originally elected as a Labour MP but lost the party whip along with other MPs who defied the leadership on welfare reforms. Some have since returned to the party, but Sultana chose to remain outside Labour’s ranks.

Her decision has drawn mixed reactions on the Labour left. Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell said the leadership should reflect on why young left-wing politicians like Sultana feel unwelcome, although he has ruled out joining her new project. Other MPs on the party’s left, including Kim Johnson and Ian Byrne, have voiced regret at her departure but confirmed they will stay with Labour for now.

Sultana’s move comes as debates over Gaza and the government’s approach to welfare continue to expose tensions on the Labour benches. Corbyn and several pro-Palestinian independents have already formed an alliance in Parliament after winning seats last year on a platform critical of Labour’s position on Gaza.