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

One positive outcome I can see is that trans people (at least judging by Reddit Trans UK) seem to be waking up to the fact that a lot of Muslims are extremely socially conservative. As a result, support for Gaza Independent types whose stances on radicalisation, women's rights, lgb rights and other issues are probably less than ideal (to say the least) is probably going to ebb from that quarter.

Incredibly, some were asking why Gaza Independents could not see that 'we, like Palestinians, are facing genocide'. Obvs views on the Israel war vary (I myself am pro Israel but disagree w a lot of Netanyahu's actions) but anyone can surely agree that the agony of the Gazan civilians, however you describe it (I think genocide is definitely NOT what is going on) is incomparable to the problems trans people have. Or rather, anyone with an ounce of comprehension that being trans (even severely dysphoric, which is terrible) is not the worst or most hopeless fate in the universe.

I doubt many Muslim Gaza supporters will take kindly to that sort of talk...

I mean, Gay people (and everyone else) knows full well that in many Muslim countries being Gay is illegal and will lead you to being publicly humiliated then executed.(If they don't then maybe Stonewall should have concentrated on publicising this instead of completely trashing their reputation by wading into trans + issues) That hasn't stopped them supporting Radical Islamists in the past or now. If anything, trans people can point to support for trans people in the ME, even if they conveniently forget the element of Gay conversion therapy. I think the Left has always had a huge element of naive racism in that they believe that any non inclusive behaviour by Black and Brown people is purely down to their oppression. If only they were released from it, they would see the light, as if they are all naive and stupid. Often, they get hoist by their own petard and don't find out that they have been used by the 'oppressed poor innocents' until they are rounded up and shot. Or in the case of Trans people, have their willies cut off.

Some people did seem to be genuinely waking up

The problem w gay people supporting Islamism is infuriating. I do think it's a minority though. We must stop these idiots taking over, people need to speak up.

Zarah's response two days later. Note once again she doesn't respond or name Adnan directly. Zarah is clearly willing to bring down the party over this. Keep watching folks.

Zarah Sultana MP
11:09 PM · Sep 4, 2025
Trans rights are human rights.

Your Party will defend them — no ifs, no buts.

And I won’t let anyone, whoever they are, get in the way of this fight.

Solidarity always 🏳️‍⚧️

The Bruvs won't like that

Considering Corbyn will be 80 by the time of the next election, and Sultana is obviously being lined up as his replacement, you'd hope for someone with coalition building skills, not the second coming of Violet Elizabeth Bott.

Sultana is ridiculous and way out of her depth in every way so that was always going to happen. Remember this?

https://x.com/jk_rowling/status/1853926328380367128

Exactly. I do feel that on here & elsewhere, people often speak as if UK Muslims are all burka-wearing, Islamism-supporting, pro-sharia, misogynist, etc and not at all integrated with wider community.

My experience is the same as yours. My MP is a Muslim, AFAIK a nice lady who has done good work for our constituency for a long time (she's Labour). My dentist & one of my GPs are both Muslim women. Neither cover their hair or seem oppressed (obvs they could be but nothing I've seen indicates that), if anything they're quite formidable characters. (I don't think wearing a headscarf equals oppression, but ykwim). I could bring up many other examples.

I live in an area w a fairly large Asian population in general : so Sikhs, Hindus too. AFAIK people generally rub along quite well, there's certainly not been any race riots or intereeligoius riots, we don't have high levels segregation w no interaction between groups.

Otoh I know the situation is v different in Rotherham & Rochdale (as we know all too well) Bradford (or as nicknamed 'Bradistan'), Leicestershire w it's Hindu-Muslim gang fights & many other places.

I'm not sure how helpful it is to say that Muslims who don't align w the Muslim majority opinion on women, gay rights etc are not really Muslims. I know you mean she's way more liberal than most people from that religion. (And obvs I myself agree about her stupid woke stance on trans etc)

But imo it's really important that the majority of the Muslim community becomes more moderate at least to some degree on a range of issues...I don't think writing off Muslims who don't align w the majority is that helpful for that.

Otoh Sultana herself is hardly moderate on her views on Israel, for one 🙄

I'm also not sure how good a comparison McDonnell is, as he's openly atheist, tho he does attend church. Sultana I suppose could be atheist (it would probs be hard for her to get Muslim support if she were openly so) but she describes herself as a practising Muslim.

Hussain doesn't mention Sultana as co leader, from what I see. Lots of Corbyn stuff.

https://nitter.net/AdnanHussainMP

The last picture I saw had a poster with Corbyn and Hussain with no mention of Sultana at all. I suspect she had committed the sin of insulting Corbyn one too many times so is being sidelined. I don't think she is being lined up as a new leader at least not amongst the Corbynite faction. Hussain will speak more to n the conservative Muslim faction than Sultana.

I agree that there are many Muslims ( possibly the majority) who are not fundamentalist about their religion and more or less play lip service in the same way many Christians do. They are not however the Muslims being listened to. Educated Muslim women with careers ( or for that matter, Muslim women who are oppressed in the UK by fundamentalist strict Islam) are not listened to. Male 'community leaders' are given far too much deference and airtime by politicians and the press. They are the ones claiming to represent the whole Muslim community when they don't.

Has Corbs kicked her to the curb now she’s not so useful to him?

Adnan is continuing down the "I am a reasonable guy road who wants a left party focusing on class issues" line. Meanwhile the TAs are portraying him as basically wholly evil.

To offer hope for the politically homeless, 'Your Party' must build bridges
https://www.politicshome.com/opinion/article/offer-hope-politically-homeless-new-party-build-bridges

Going to be very interesting to see how this plays out. Obviously the model is the smear job they used against Shahrar Ali, the big difference being Adnan is an MP and basically has a power base till 2029. Right now the TAs can do nothing to him. If he was a woman Adnan might be in more trouble, but whether these attacks land who knows. Remember the TAs threw everything they had against Rosie Duffield in Canterbury and got nowhere in terms of local voters. I can't see it working in Blackburn either. The real question is whether Adnan can find allies inside YP. I mean the other three Gaza MPs are likely to back him.

This long article looks at YP's chaotic development so far. It seems it is developing as a sort of federal party which Corbyn prefers. It may be there will be no central section for the TAs to try to take over. If that is the case as well it looks entirely possible for lefty women to form some kind of Terf section to really make Sultana upset.

Inside The Founding Of Jeremy Corbyn's New Party: "End This Horrible Power Struggle"
https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/power-struggles-inside-founding-jeremy-corbyns-new-party

I think they know they need a successor in the wings, the people around Corbyn know about his age, they know about his dithering, but they can't seem to get a credible number two even if they could agree amongst themselves who that should be.

When he was Labour leader there was an influential lobby trying to line up Laura Pidcock as his successor, and that's even more absurd.

But Sultana throwing her weight about like this before they've even got off the ground... this will not end well for her.

Very interesting!

Janice Taylor in The Times weighs in
Left’s holy alliance is built on a contradiction
Greens and Corbyn’s new party could hurt Labour but the pact between conservative Muslims and queer activists is uneasy
https://www.thetimes.com/article/0966b0b4-6745-415c-9cc1-44f16c6d6560?shareToken=29d5c54be119f0a1bdeaeba732bee26b

The left excuses conservative Muslims from observing secular norms in all areas but one. It’s not women’s rights: Afghanistan’s gender apartheid or Iran hanging feminists for refusing the hijab are never mentioned, let alone northern grooming gangs. It’s not antisemitism: duh, as if! It’s not gay rights: they overlook the homophobic violence Queers for Palestine marchers would face if they showed up in Gaza. No, it is the issue which overrides all others: trans rights.

Corbyn now sits in parliament with four independent Muslim MPs, one of whom, Blackburn’s Adnan Hussain, posted on X that “women’s rights and safe spaces should not be encroached upon”. This modest remark brought a mighty outcry, with young Corbynistas calling on Sultana — an avid trans activist — to denounce him. Then Ali weighed in, comparing Hussain’s critics to Nigel Farage. Cue Green Rainbow rage.

Gender politics, like asbestos, eventually destroys everyone who touches it, from Nicola Sturgeon to Kamala Harris. For the Rainbows, trans ideology is a religious belief as heartfelt as the Crescents’ Islam. If Muslims in Your Party or the Greens won’t endorse trans-identifying males entering women’s changing rooms, the alliance cannot hold.

perfectly put!

It really is like the most intransigent of religious beliefs. If you don’t share it, and won’t pretend to, you must be cast out.

Exactly. Adnan Hussain isn't trying to make it the Muslim Party, he's trying to talk about universal class issues. It's Sultana who insists that everyone involved has to bow down before the mighty Rainbow Dildo.

Exactly. The book The War On Women by Sue Lloyd-Roberts (v brave videojournalist who sadly died in 2015 of cancer after writing it) describes the forced marriage, honour killings, FGM, sexual abuse in various Muslim communities in England. She interviews a lot of local Muslim women who fight these practices, as well as other opponents like Yasmin Alibhai-Brown. The book makes it v clear that white male MPs etc seem v happy to throw Muslim women under the bus on all those issues to keep in w male 'community leaders'. Sadly probably still the case...

Catherine Mayer, founder of the Women's Equality Party, is rightly somewhat under a cloud due to her dreadful mistake on the trans issue. But her book Attack of the 50ft Women does have some v good points, one being the chapter where she speaks to Muslim women who question the UK's tolerance of sharia courts. Again, an issue many (mainly but not all male) politicians ignore.

It's so bloody infuriating. Do these people think it's middle class White women who are subjected to FGM? Or are married off to some elderly illiterate first cousin and subsequently have to care for severely disabled children, or are left with nothing as a result of being ' married' under sharia law? Or have their votes stolen and live in poverty because they arent allowed access to education. No. It's Brown, poor Muslim women.

Oh wowsers that politics home article says they were proposing to have the Aspire Party in tower Hamlets become the main name and organisation with Lutfur Rahman as a co leader.

Also: when Sultana shorted the interminable process of party formation to announce the new party "all hell broke loose. Collective members quit and rows over WhatsApp leaked. Corbyn, his key allies and crucially his wife Laura were said to be furious." 😂

Or as Socialist Worker says, "the left wing Aspire Party".

Back in the 1980s Radio Zimbabwe had this amusing style thing of always saying "racist South Africa" even in the weather report, so they'd say "a high pressure system is moving east across racist South Africa". (Also "expansionist Morocco" - I'm not sure what beef Mugabe had with the Moroccans)

Socialist Worker operates the same approach, so they always say "Nazi Tommy Robinson" as if Nazi is his first name. It keeps the readers, who they assume are stupid, clued up on who the goodies and baddies are in every story.

But as strategies go, "we're going to tap into the idealism of youth by involving Lutfur Rahman" is a bold and exciting one.