Your Corbyn/Sultana Party - Discussion thread

[fromorbit]

The new left party is going to have significant implications for gender and sex discussions on the left in the UK and in wider political debate as well. Lets talk about it.

Four of its prospective MPs are Gaza independents whose votes and comments in the Commons indicate a social conservative background . One of them Adnan Hussain has already got into a row on X with prospective members over his social conservatism.

The hilarious breakdown of the Islamo-left alliance
The progressive left has suddenly noticed that most British Muslims are not exactly woke.
This uneasy marriage got a reality check last week when a Green Party councillor and practising Muslim, Mothin Ali, appeared reluctant to sign a set of ‘pledges’ on behalf of the LGBTQIA+ Greens, Feminist Greens and other similar groups. The MP for Blackburn, ‘Gaza Independent’ Adnan Hussain, then waded into the debate. ‘It’s no secret that Muslims tend to be socially conservative’, Hussain said. ‘Is there a space on the left to create a broad enough church to allow Muslims an authentic space, just as it does other minority groups?’
https://www.spiked-online.com/2025/08/04/the-hilarious-breakdown-of-the-islamo-left-alliance/

The initial statement for Your Party focuses on poverty, fighting the system and Gaza, but makes no mention of progressive social issues, . This already signals something significant.
https://www.yourparty.uk/statement

Zarah Sultana on the other hand has already signaled out trans rights as a key principal in a recent interview which has received push back from others. Discussion here:

The Elephant in the Room for Zara Sultana’s “Your Party”
https://labourheartlands.com/the-elephant-in-the-room/
But here’s the rub. Sultana also pledged to “resolutely” advocate for a pro-trans socialist programme. She insists these discussions must happen openly and democratically.

That sounds fine in theory. In practice, the left has already shown itself utterly incapable of having this conversation without collapsing into authoritarian cancel culture.

Can the Left Have an Honest Trans Debate Without Cancelling Women?

For years, women who raise legitimate questions about the impact of gender self-ID on female-only spaces, or about the safeguarding implications highlighted by the Cass Review, have been branded as bigots and driven out of the movement. “Demonising trans people” is often code for “asking difficult but necessary questions.” If Your Party repeats this mistake, it will bleed support from countless socialist women before it even begins.

The truth is, many women will not get involved in this project precisely because of the Corbyn–Sultana line on trans issues. Others may hope the problem quietly goes away. It won’t. Nor is this a side issue: women’s rights are not negotiable add-ons to socialism; they are foundational. To ignore them is to build on sand.

TAs online and who are planning to join are already girding up for war, it is looking messy.

I can see a number of factions inside the new party who are going to make things complicated:

Muslim social conservatives - as mentioned they will be a major part of the party's voting bloc.

Old school Marxists who regard gender ideology as neo liberal capitalist identity politics and a distraction from class.

Realists who will see gender stuff as a marginal issue which needs to be sidelined because it is so toxic and unpopular with the general public.

Last but certainly not least actual left wing feminists who see through gender nonsense and are not going to be quiet about it !!

I expect fireworks over gender at the the party's initial conference supposedly to be held in November. TAs will attempt to make genderism a key principal of the party and will face resistance. Whether it happens or not it will be another nail in the TAs attempt to pretend the left inherently back neoliberal capitalist ideas like genderism. The big terfy mother elephant is going to be at the conference because women keep doing awkward things like existing and saying things.

Corbyn's position is going to be a focus in this because for all his occasional signalling on trans issues like stating pronouns and saying mantras it is not a core issue for him, and moreover he doesn't believe in it narrowly . His circles have long contained gender critical people who he has refused to cancel, because Corbyn for all his faults believes in open debate. So I think this could be a wedge issue between those around Sultana and Corbyn. There are already signs of disagreements between them over other issues like antisemitism:
Sultana: Corbyn 'capitulated' on antisemitism definition
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c79lr40rqelo

Again, not really happy exactly w Khan's position, but I doubt he would start some big movement to repeal lgb rights or anything similar, for that matter.

One thing that TempestTost rightly pointed out though is that there is potential for rights/laws/freedoms to be changed if there were a big demographic change.

The Muslim birth rate seems to be higher than other UK groups, which makes it extra important that we watch out for potential radicalisation in the younger generation. I don't think most Muslims want sharia law etc, but there's obvs factions who do.

@TheJoyOfWriting I totally agree with what you say. I would like to believe most Muslims are moderate and do not want Sharia law or Blasphemy laws implemented in the UK. I wish Labour politicians would stop pandering to the Imams and the male self styled 'community leaders'. I also believe that we should stop visas being given to Imams from hostile nations like Iran and keep a close eye on those who come over from Saudi too. that is where the money is coming from and where a lot of the radicalisation comes from.

Definitely...the attitude too many (mostly male?) Labour MPs have towards Muslim women facing community oppression is disgusting. Just wanting votes, with no concern for what they're enabling.

..I was listening to the New Yorker investigation podcast The Runaway Princesses recently, about the appalling treatment of the princesses of Dubai by their father. It really infuriated me that our links to Dubai meant we turned a blind eye to allegations of assaults on sex workers, the abuse of the princesses, and much more (ofc Dubai's draconian laws, treatment of foreign workers are also well-known).
And ofc it's not just Dubai, as you say, it's Saudi Arabia, & others. More detail is coming out about Prince Andrew's unethical links with Saudi Arabia (& others like Bahrain). The UK has pandered to these terrible rulers for far too long. Obvs there is the oil issue...If iy that could be resolved, then we would not need to be in thrall to them.
In the meantime, we definitely need to keep a very close eye on Saudi exportation of Salafism & Wahhabism. I need to check this, but is there not some evidence the Saudi rulers may even had some kind of link to the 9/11 hijackers? Doesn't mean they condoned it, but v worrying, to say the least, if true....

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=www.newyorker.com/the-runaway-princesses&ved=2ahUKEwiIsfCV86PAxU-UkEAHSv7FIAQFnoECBwQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2DRw5ySs6XVR1mSlQatUqd

Yes, Saudi and Dubai seem to know how to keep themselves protected- Oil money and getting in with the British RF who lap it up. Its not just Andrew, its all of them- The York sisters are now doing their parents dirty work, Charles, The Late Queen with her gifts of the horses. They know they can get away with a lot more this way than openly funding terrorism like Iran. They are still dangerous.

The reaction to Zara Sultana's comments on the Pod Save the UK podcast on social media are interesting. There seems to be quite a few people who want to support the new party, and generally consider themselves to be sympathetic to trans rights, who think that ZS has overstepped the mark here. They see it as authoritarian the way she is trying to force this belief on party members rather than recognising that it is a nuanced issue that requires respectful debate. Perhaps she would have been better off joining the Greens if this is the hill she wants to die on.

I imagine she is going to end up joining the Greens.

I can't be the only person who thinks Sultana already has her own theme music

Another exhaustive account of this new party formation, tipped from that Charlie Mansell Twitter thread.

https://prometheusjournal.org/2025/09/09/whose-party-is-it-anyway/

Described as "the glacial pace of the development of Your Party rivalling the pace of the heat death of the universe",

It looks very much like the hardcore TWAW element are all aligning themselves behind Sultana. A cynic might speculate that TWAW is their single overriding principle and the one thing they absolutely won't compromise on.

I don't quite agree. I think they have two red lines, one being TWAW and the other being "Hamas! Yo!" I'm not sure which would take priority if they came into conflict.

I’ve got an extra large popcorn order in while they decide.

Has Jeremy Corbyn said anything? I always thought he was very TWAW, and his behaviour towards the women holding placards regarding sex-based rights at the Miners Gala was pretty appalling. However, he is coming in for a lot of stick on Reddit for his support for Adnan Hussain. And he has been called a transphobe, so he seems to be pissing everyone off 🤣 It seems now he is getting firsthand experience of how uncompromising gender ideology zealots can be.

I don’t think Corbyn is particularly pro trans, he doesn’t see it as important compared to Israel/Palestine etc. He said what his followers wanted to hear I think.

The other thing about Corbyn is that he's incredibly stubborn, once he's taken a position he won't budge from it - but he knows he needs to build coalitions and if it's not high on his list of priorities he won't break a relationship over it.

But I don't think suffering the wrath of the TRAs will be a learning experience for him, because he's so stubborn.

He's currently got disgraced former professor David Miller, who has a big social media following in Corbyn world, denouncing Corbyn as a Zionist and saying Corbyn's circle is full of Mossad operatives. I do not expect Corbyn to say "Jesus, maybe I was wrong to encourage these cranks when I led Labour." Even George Galloway is telling Miller to wind his neck in, but Corbyn can't ever admit he was wrong.

Details of meetings posted via long time anti capitalist forum (didn't realise they were still going!) urban75

https://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/new-left-party-2025-your-party-to-be-led-by-corbyn-and-sultana-discussion.388032/post-19186295

Banbury, Bradford, Canterbury etc

A not very illuminating report on the South London meeting here:
South London launch shows radical potential of Your Party

I have to say, I'm slightly amused by a stylistic tic Socialist Worker has adopted, whenever nepo baby SWP national secretary Lewis Nielsen speaks at one of these events he's always described with false modesty as "Lewis from Stand Up To Racism".

Then they ruin the modesty by giving a giant Stalin-style seven-paragraph block quote of Dear Leader's banal remarks.

It's as if they're trying to create a cult of personality around a young man with no personality, and even they find it a bit embarrassing because they know he's just a proxy for the disgraced Martin Smith.

From that:

"Support for Palestine—and a determination not to repeat the Labour left’s capitulation to antisemitism smears—ran through the crowd. “I am a proud anti-Zionist and that’s what this party should be,” said Sultana to loud cheers.
“We will fight for a free Palestine, a secular state with equal rights for all.”
Asmaa from the Palestine Youth Movement made one of the most powerful speeches. She argued it was vital for the new party to be “anti-Zionist and anti-imperialist” to claps, cheers and nods throughout her speech..."

All very utopian, but are they in any position to demand a secular state if that's not what actual Palestinians want.

As far as I remember reading, like the former Guardian forum spin off site did,they also had a schism on the subject of “trans rights”.

All very utopian, but are they in any position to demand a secular state if that's not what actual Palestinians want.
Yes how very colonialist of them. I think there is a snowballs chance in hell of a future Palestinian state being secular and inclusive. Yet they think some lefties from the UK are going to be able to impose a Secular state and have a Gay Pride event in Gaza City?

Meanwhile the drama continues with Laura Pidock getting involved and being responded to by Adnan. She is the former Labour MP and Corbyn ally tipped for the top who attracted much controversy by saying that maybe the Terfs should be talked to back c 2019.

Laura Pidcock

The idea that there won’t be social conservatism in a movement which is aiming to be a mass movement is a fallacy. The point is to build political cultures which are robust enough to challenge each other & raise collective consciousness through political education. Otherwise you end up building political cliques.

Adnan Hussain MP

Traditional socialism has never shunned the socially conservative. It's liberal absolutism that won't allow the space for differing views - driving away the very communities the Left both needs to survive and claims to represent.

Adnan Hussain MP

Room must be made. We need to build a mass movement, not exclusionary cliques.
Quote
Richard Cotton

So true. My lifelong support for socialism/social democracy is driven by Catholic social teaching and liberal absolutism is the antithesis of that. Faith groups do more to promote community - running food banks etc. There has to be room for that.

Adnan knows the basic history of British socialism.

Adnan Hussain MP

Historically, several UK communities fused social conservatism with political socialism: Welsh Nonconformists, Scottish crofters, & East End Jews grounded leftist activism in faith, tradition, and their understanding of moral order. A politics of solidarity before individualism.

There is no future for any political party on the British left without religious minorities. That is a fact.It is the same situation as the Democrats in the US. Black/Latino voters according to surveys are way more conservative in their views than white liberals.

Is it just me or does anyone else think Adnan Hussein is one to watch? He’s dealt with this all fairly well, it seems to me.

Agreed. I'm a card carrying London middle class leftie, a staunch atheist and I don't relate to social conservatism of any stripe, at all. But I can tell a reasonable and well expressed point when I see it and, more importantly, I don't feel at all threatened by anything he's said there.

This would all be much easier if people like Zarah didn't see leftwing aspirations in Utopian terms, as a way to form every last detail of society into the exact image that they consider perfect (including all those details so ripe with potential for disagreement and factional strife), and instead contented themselves with the core issues of economic equality, opportunity, fairness and compassion - you know, "socialism".

It's a shame that Jeremy Corbyn doesn't recognise a classic case of 'the many, not the few' when it's staring him in the face.

I think part of the issue for people like Corbyn is they have only one tool, and that tool is marxest historical dialectic, and so every issue is a nail, be it race, economic resources, sex, the nature of the family, religious sectarianism, or whatever.

There is no room for any other kinds of values or meaning or way to analyse many human behaviours that don't fit into that model.

I'm a Corbyn admirer but that's a really astute observation.

All true. From what we can glean of the inner going on inside Your Party the TAs are not doing so well. The thing is if Adnan and the three other Gaza MPs walk the new party is sunk.

Corbyn is not the one Sultana needs to worry about it is the people Corbyn lets run things. People like Murphy who have a background in union politics and who know how to fix/break things behind the scenes.

Meanwhile the clock is ticking. Still no announcement for the date of the launch conference.