It’s not YOUR Party, Jeremy: Zarah Sultana resumes battle with Corbyn lower than two hours after he received management of recent exhausting Left get together – although he is likely to be 80 on the subsequent election

Rival factions in Jeremy Corbyn‘s new hard Left party managed to keep a lid on bitter  infighting for less than two hours today after members voted to hand control to the former Labour leader and his allies.

Mr Corbyn’s faction won 14 of 24 seats on Your Party’s controlling committee after a bitter internal election campaign which pitted them against a group led by Zarah Sultana.

Party rules prevent Mr Corbyn being officially named overall leader, but he is set to become its ‘Parliamentary leader’, a job that will make him its most visible and recognised face.

In the wake of this morning’s announcement, Mr Corbyn pledged to work with all wings of the party to implement a ‘bold vision’ for the UK and create a party ‘that takes the fight to Starmer and Farage’.

However, around 90 minutes after the result was announced online, Ms Sultana issued a tacit warning to him not to start acting like he officially led the party.

‘In November, Your Party conference voted for a collective leadership,’ she said on X.

‘From today, that work begins … members have sent a clear message and it must be heard.’

And in a statement, her Grassroots Left slate warned: “Your Party must now work together to become a party of and for the whole Left – with no more witch-hunts or stitch-ups.’

Eyebrows might also be raised at Mr Corbyn’s victory and pledge to battle Labour and Reform. 

If the current parliamentary term runs to its fullest extent the next election would be in June 2029, by which time he will be 80. 

The party unveiled the results of elections to its 24-strong central executive committee (CEC) amid a fight between rival factions led by Mr Corbyn and rival Zarah Sultana 

Mr Corbyn’s The Many group secured 14 seats against the seven won by Ms Sultana’s Grassroots Left slate, giving his supporters overall control

Mr Corbyn and Ms Sultana were both elected to seats on the on the Central Executive Committee (CEC) reserved for elected politicians. 

 But Mr Corbyn’s The Many group secured 14 seats against the seven won by Ms Sultana’s Grassroots Left slate, with three independents, giving his supporters overall control.

The results of the month-long election campaign were broadcast live on YouTube and are set to extend the months of factional infighting that has dogged the party since its launch last summer.

And in a bizarre twist the online results announcement featured Steph Pike, a member of the committee which oversaw the vote, explaining their work while sat at home in front of an airer covered in drying clothes.

Mr Corbyn pledged to work with all members of Your Party to implement a ‘bold vision’ for the UK and create a party ‘that takes the fight to Starmer and Farage’.

‘Now, the real work begins. We have a precious opportunity to unite our movement around a bold vision for this country — one that creates a more caring, equal and peaceful world for all. I look forward to working with all members to make this vision a reality,’ he said.  

Some 25,347 people voted in the election out of 40,985 verified Your Party members, a turnout of 61.8 per cent. Last December Ms Sultana claimed the membership was more than 55,000. 

In a bizarre twist the online results announcement featured Steph Pike, a member of the committee which oversaw the vote, explaining their work while sat in front of an airer covered in drying clothes

While most of those elected are ordinary members, the contest was seen as a battle between the two former Labour MPs for control of its ideological direction.

Ms Sultana quit Labour last summer and announced she would co-lead the new party. But that never materialised and instead a major row developed between the two camps.

At one point Ms Sultana labelled Mr Corbyn and his allies a ‘sexist boys club’. She retaliated by helping force through rule changes late last year that blocked Mr Corbyn from becoming the sole leader.  

The choice of collective leadership has avoided a direct contest between Mr Corbyn and Ms Sultana but both MPs have put forward rival slates of candidates and have themselves stood for election to the CEC’s ‘public office holders’ section.

It makes Mr Corbyn the public face of the party.

Mr Corbyn’s slate, called ‘The Many’, includes the former Labour leader and MPs Shockat Adam and Ayoub Khan, who were both elected to Parliament in 2024 as so-called ‘Gaza Independents’.

Ms Sultana’s slate ‘Grassroots Left’ does not include any other MPs but has also endorsed Mr Corbyn.

The foundation of Your Party has been marked by conflict between the pair, including over the announcement of the new party’s creation and the ‘unauthorised’ launch of a membership portal.

Ms Sultana boycotted the first day of Your Party’s founding conference in Liverpool over the exclusion of some of her supporters and the expulsion of members of the Socialist Workers Party.

But the conference’s backing of a collective membership model was widely seen as a victory for Ms Sultana while Mr Corbyn had preferred having a single leader.