At precisely 8.11pm on Thursday, Zarah Sultana, the Corbynite MP for Coventry South, took to social media to announce the formation of a new political party alongside Jeremy Corbyn — sending shockwaves through Westminster and the wider left.
The dramatic declaration came nearly two years after the events of October 7, and just one day before the anniversary of the general election.
With bold language and an urgent call to arms, Sultana promised a fresh force in British politics, one prepared to offer uncompromising opposition to what she described as the “genocide” in Gaza, Reform’s stance on migration, and, most pointedly, Sir Keir Starmer, reports The Times.
“Join us,” she urged. “The time is now.”
At just 31, the Birmingham-born firebrand and former student radical — who once said she would “celebrate” the death of Tony Blair — had committed herself, and Corbyn, to what many interpreted as a direct challenge to the Labour leader and a bold new chapter on the left.
Her announcement, which racked up 7.8 million views on X and nearly 240,000 Instagram likes, drew comparisons with the Gang of Four’s 1981 Limehouse Declaration. But this was an online-age call to arms, not for a centrist realignment, but for a revitalised, louder, angrier, and more unapologetically left-wing movement.
Yet within hours, a storm was brewing — not from Labour HQ, but inside the very movement itself. Unbeknownst to the public, Jeremy Corbyn was livid.
Despite agreeing with the need for a new political force to represent left-wing dissent and marginalised communities, Corbyn was furious about the premature announcement. He had not signed off on it. Sources say only a tight-knit group of senior leftists knew of his anger at Sultana’s unilateral move.
He reportedly urged her to delete the post. His wife, Laura Alvarez — a Mexican socialist and former coffee bean importer — made the same request. Both were ignored.
The backlash within Corbyn’s inner circle was swift. Karie Murphy, his former chief of staff, was appalled. Pamela Fitzpatrick, trade unionist and co-director of Corbyn’s Peace and Justice Project, was no less unimpressed. She messaged colleagues to express her fury: “Neither Jeremy nor Laura deserves to be treated with such a lack of respect.”
The Express has reached out to Jeremy Corbyn’s office for comment.
The frustration stemmed from Corbyn’s belief that the left needed a serious, coordinated launch — not a rogue social media post.
As tensions rose, he remained silent for nearly 24 hours, eventually releasing a carefully worded statement supporting the “concept of an alternative,” but pointedly adding: “Discussions are ongoing.”