Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana in Bitter Row Over Membership Scheme as New Party Faces Early Turmoil
The ink has barely dried on the launch of Jeremy Corbyn’s new political project, and already a storm has erupted.
A bruising clash between Corbyn and fellow MP Zarah Sultana has laid bare deep divisions inside the movement, with accusations of exclusion, sexism, and a “boys’ club” culture threatening to overshadow the party’s first steps.
The dispute exploded earlier this week after Sultana unveiled a membership system for the group, currently operating under the provisional title Your Party.
In an email to supporters on 18 September, she encouraged sign-ups at £55 per year, or £25 for concessions. By the evening, she proudly declared on X (formerly Twitter) that more than 20,000 people had already registered.
We’ve hit 20,000 members!
Right-wing bad faith actors are desperate to claim this link is fake.
It isn’t. It’s safe and secure!
Join us here: https://t.co/0OEbebJNFj pic.twitter.com/AOiGYhpNxd
— Zarah Sultana MP (@zarahsultana) September 18, 2025
My response: pic.twitter.com/pIWrzZ4MzB
— Zarah Sultana MP (@zarahsultana) September 18, 2025
But the celebration didn’t last long. Hours later, Corbyn intervened. He urged supporters to cancel their payments, calling the scheme “false” and unauthorised.
He warned that the move was never agreed by the leadership and said legal advice had been sought, with concerns referred to the Information Commissioner’s Office due to data and payment security.
Urgent message to all https://t.co/4acVYPvSDi supporters pic.twitter.com/vtyGbJB0yO
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) September 18, 2025
In an extraordinary escalation, Sultana accused Corbyn and four allied Independent Alliance MPs, Ayoub Khan, Adnan Hussain, Iqbal Mohamed, and Shockat Adam, of sidelining her from decision-making.
She said she had been cut out of official channels and denied a voice in shaping the party’s direction.
She told her supporters she had been “treated appallingly and excluded completely”, branding the inner circle “what can only be described as a ‘sexist boys’ club’.”
Her words struck a nerve, injecting the row with wider questions of gender balance, transparency, and the inclusivity of the new movement.
Corbyn flatly denies the allegations. He insists the group remains in its early stages and that discussions are open and inclusive.
On the membership saga, he was firm: the portal Sultana launched had no official approval and risked misleading supporters.
The former Labour leader has framed the spat as a matter of governance, warning against hasty moves before structures are properly in place.
For political observers, the row couldn’t have come at a worse time. Your Party was pitched as a grassroots vision to Labour, promising transparency, republicanism, and fresh energy for disillusioned voters. But only days into its life, it already faces credibility questions.
One analyst noted: “When a movement begins with public infighting, it risks appearing no better than the parties it set out to challenge.”
Beyond personalities, the dispute exposes the age-old struggle of new political projects, how to balance openness with organisational control.
Sultana has argued that her membership initiative was about keeping supporters engaged. Corbyn, meanwhile, says unauthorised moves could endanger the party’s reputation before it even takes off.
With a founding conference on the horizon, the stakes are high. Still, the rift between Corbyn and Sultana could leave lasting scars if unresolved.
However, the party might yet crop stronger, presenting itself as the radical, if renovated.
For now, however, the Jeremy Corbyn–Zarah Sultana party fight looks less like a bold new dawn and more like a warning shot, a memorial that indeed fresh movements aren’t vulnerable to the old battles of power, trust, and control in British politics.
