Jeremy Corbyn’s Your Party descends additional into chaos as one among its six MPs hits out at ‘persistent infighting’ and ‘veiled prejudice’ in opposition to Muslim males
Jeremy Corbyn’s new political party descended further into farce yesterday as one of its six MPs hit out at ‘persistent infighting’ and ‘veiled prejudice’ against Muslim men.
Independent MP Adnan Hussain said he was withdrawing from the ‘steering process’ for Your Party, barely two weeks before the new platform’s founding conference in Liverpool.
The Blackburn MP said he had initially agreed to support the foundation because he believed in ‘building a political home with mass appeal’ and ‘a force capable of challenging the rise of far-right rhetoric’.
But in a statement published on X, he said he had been disillusioned by ‘persistent infighting, factional competition, and a struggle for power, position and influence rather than a shared commitment to the common good’.
Mr Hussain said he had also been ‘deeply troubled’ by the way ‘certain figures’ within the new party had been treated, particularly Muslim men.
He said: ‘At times, the rhetoric used has been disturbingly similar to the very political forces the left claims to oppose.
‘I witnessed insinuations about capability, dismissive attitudes and language that carried, at the very least, veiled prejudice.’
Mr Hussain’s withdrawal leaves five MPs working to set up Your Party – former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, ex-Labour MP Zarah Sultana and Independent MPs Shockat Adam, Ayoub Khan and Iqbal Mohamed.
Jeremy Corbyn’s (pictured) new party has been marred by internal division following a dispute between Mr Corbyn and Ms Sultana that resulted in a botched membership launch, threats of legal action and hundreds of thousands of pounds in withheld donations
Independent MP Adnan Hussain (pictured) said he was withdrawing from the ‘steering process’ for Your Party, barely two weeks before the new platform’s founding conference in Liverpool
The party is due to hold its founding conference in Liverpool on November 29 and 30, when it will choose its formal name.
But its foundation has been marred by internal division, with a dispute between Mr Corbyn and Ms Sultana resulting in a botched membership launch, threats of legal action and hundreds of thousands of pounds in withheld donations.
On Thursday, just as Ms Sultana was about to appear live on BBC’s Question Time, the five other MPs put out a statement saying they were still attempting to recover money donated by supporters when Ms Sultana promoted a new membership portal that was later disowned as ‘unauthorised’.
They said a ‘small portion’ of the funds had been transferred to the official Your Party, but added this was ‘insufficient’ and demanded ‘the immediate transfer of all the money that was donated by supporters to get a new party off the ground’.
In his statement, Mr Hussain said he ‘did not anticipate becoming drawn into very serious and damaging internal disputes on matters relating to organisational conduct and governance’.
He added that he would remain a member of the Independent Alliance of MPs and said he hoped Your Party would be ‘ultimately able to become what it initially promised’.
