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The new left-wing political movement founded by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, operating under the interim name Your Party, is grappling with an escalating internal crisis just weeks before its founding conference. The party, which Sultana intends to be a multi-decade project to ultimately replace the Labour Party and win state power, has been marred by financial and legal disputes that threaten its stability.
The £800,000 Donations Showdown
The most immediate and critical challenge is a major row over the control of at least £800,000 in membership donations. These funds were collected by an external company, MoU Operations Ltd, whose directors included former Labour figures Jamie Driscoll, Beth Winter, and Andrew Feinstein.
Sources close to the party's leadership indicated Your Party was preparing legal action against these founders after a deadline to transfer the funds passed without payment. The dispute stems from an initial agreement that MoU would hold the money until the new party was formally registered with the Electoral Commission. Although Your Party was registered on September 30, the funds and supporters' data, which were collected from early July to mid-September, remained with MoU.
In a dramatic development this week, Zarah Sultana gained sole control of the company holding the donations in an attempt to break the financial deadlock. She has reportedly assured co-leader Jeremy Corbyn that the money will be transferred to Your Party’s official accounts, though some figures within the movement remain frustrated that the transfer is yet to be completed. Sultana, the independent MP for Coventry South, had previously threatened to hire defamation lawyers against Corbyn in a separate dispute over an "unauthorised" launch of a paid membership system in September, though the pair have since reconciled their volatile working relationship.
Long-Term Vision for State Power
Despite the internal turbulence, Zarah Sultana has clearly articulated the party's ambitious long-term goals. Speaking on a BBC podcast, she stressed that the movement is not merely one of protest, but a project committed to winning state power over the next 10 to 40 years.
"I’m in politics because of a desire to change people’s lives for the better and that means winning state power," Sultana stated. She outlined a platform focused on nationalisation, building council homes, and creating secure jobs, all of which necessitate "actually running government."
The party's first national conference, where members are due to approve a draft constitution and decide on a permanent name to replace 'Your Party', is planned for next month in Liverpool.
Corbyn Shares a Platform in Tower Hamlets
The new party’s activities have not been limited to internal power struggles. Last weekend, co-founder Jeremy Corbyn attended a counter-protest in Tower Hamlets after a planned far-right march in the multi-ethnic East London borough was banned by police.
Corbyn appeared on the main platform alongside Lutfur Rahman, the Mayor of Tower Hamlets who leads the local Aspire party. Local Labour MP Apsana Begum was also present at the demonstration, though some reports indicate that local trade unionists and even Begum were not permitted to speak from the main stage, whose primary speakers were Corbyn, Rahman, and representatives from the 'Stand Up to Racism' group.
The fact that Mayor Rahman and Corbyn shared the stage underscores the alignment between Aspire and Your Party, particularly as Rahman's political group has been previously linked to discussions around the formation of a new national left-wing party. However, it remains unclear whether Rahman intends to officially join Your Party or retain Aspire as his base ahead of next year's local mayoral elections, as he continues to lead the local council. The public joint appearance nonetheless signals a working relationship between the two figures at a local level.
