A shock new poll has suggested Jeremy Corbyn’s newly launched hard-Left party is already neck-and-neck with Labour – news that will terrify Sir Keir Starmer. Find Out Now asked 650 Britons who they would vote for, including an option for Mr Corbyn’s newly launched party following the defection of Zarah Sultana.
It found the new Corbyn-Sultana party is already winning about 15% support, the exact same as those saying they would stick with Labour. The bombshell poll suggests the new hard-Left breakaway party, also comprising the Islamist Gaza independents elected at the last General Election, could take votes off Labour and hand Nigel Farage the keys to Downing Street. The poll put Reform miles ahead on 34% of the vote, with the Tories trailing in second on 17%.
The rapid growth in support for Mr Corbyn’s party also appears at the expense of the Liberal Democrats and Greens, who scored 9% and 5% respectively.
Most pollsters are yet to include the new breakaway party in their polls, given it does not yet have a name, logo or formal structure.
However, the Find Out Now poll appears to echo a YouGov one from last week, which found that 18% of voters would be willing to consider backing Mr Corbyn’s party.
It also found that 31% of 2024 Labour voters would consider backing the new Left-wing alternative.
Find Out Now’s poll also pointed to a stark splintering of opinion depending on age, with a whopping third of all 18 to 29-year-olds saying they want to back the new party.
Ms Sultana launched a fundraising campaign for her new political party this weekend, as well as a new supporter sign-up page.
It claims there have so far been 64,000 “actions taken”.
The launch of the party proved highly chaotic, with Ms Sultana announcing her departure from Labour to Mr Corbyn’s new party, despite Mr Corbyn having not yet launched a new party.
Speaking on Saturday, the former Labour leader told ITV he and fellow Left-wing independent MPs “are very keen to ensure there is a new alternative party developed, which will be to the Left, which will be for peace and justice, and will be for social inclusion and economic equality in our society”.
Asked if he was concerned about splitting the Left-wing vote and helping Mr Farage, Mr Corbyn hit back: “There’s a lot of independent Left councillors around the country who have already been elected.
“They’re doing very well and giving people a voice, and I think it’s very important that voice be articulated and that’s what we’re doing.”