In a decisive internal election, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has secured a commanding victory for his faction within the nascent Your Party, winning control of its Central Executive Committee (CEC). The results, announced Thursday, revealed Corbyn’s ‘The Many’ slate captured 14 of 24 seats, decisively defeating the rival faction led by MP Zarah Sultana, which secured seven positions. Sultana herself was elected to the committee despite her slate’s overall defeat.
The election, which saw a 61% turnout among the party’s 40,985 verified members, represents a critical juncture for the left-wing movement. It concludes months of internal strife over the party’s leadership structure and political direction. While the party’s founding conference in November had voted in favor of Sultana’s preferred model of collective leadership over Corbyn’s single-leader proposal, this subsequent committee election has handed organizational control to Corbyn’s allies.
Corbyn’s victorious slate includes MPs Shockat Adam and Ayoub Khan, fellow members of the parliamentary Independent Alliance. In a statement following the win, Corbyn expressed delight, framing it as an endorsement for a “mass, socialist party” ready to challenge both Keir Starmer’s Labour and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. He pledged to build a “positive and inclusive party where all members feel empowered” and to unite the movement around a vision for a “more caring, equal and peaceful society.”
The contest was widely interpreted as a battle for the party’s soul. Corbyn’s faction advocates a broad-church approach aimed at maximizing appeal and engaging previously disenfranchised voters. In contrast, Sultana’s camp emphasizes an uncompromising adherence to leftist principles, a member-led structure, and the empowerment of existing grassroots movements.
Your Party emerged in the political aftermath of the 2024 general election, galvanized by outrage over the war in Gaza and perceptions of British complicity, which also fueled the unprecedented election of five independent MPs. The party quickly garnered hundreds of thousands of sign-ups and initially polled above 10%. However, its rapid growth has been accompanied by intense factional disputes.
Tensions escalated from the outset, with sources close to Corbyn criticizing Sultana and her husband for acting unilaterally in a “rash and controlling” manner. Conversely, Sultana’s allies expressed concern over the influence of longtime Corbyn aides, such as his former chief of staff Karie Murphy. Internal conflicts also erupted publicly over issues like trans rights, leading to the departure of MPs Adnan Hussain and Iqbal Mohamed ahead of the November conference. Despite the internal divisions, Sultana has since moderated her stance on ideological purity, acknowledging the need to reflect a broad base of society to win elections, while still maintaining that a progressive position on trans rights is essential for a socialist party.
With the committee election concluded, Corbyn emerges with a firm mandate to shape the party’s future, though Sultana’s significant presence on the CEC ensures continued debate over its trajectory.