After months of debate, drama, and heated arguments between its co-founders, the fledgling hard-Left movement has finally landed on a name: Your Party.
Closing the party’s inaugural conference in Liverpool, Jeremy Corbyn announced the results of a members’ vote, telling supporters, “Your Party is the name of your party.”
Members had chosen from four options—Your Party, Our Party, Popular Alliance, and For The Many—but only 37 percent backed keeping the original name, signaling a clear appetite for change.
Leadership Struggles Continue
The conference also revealed that the internal power struggles are far from over.
Members voted 52 percent to 48 percent in favor of a collective leadership model, blocking both Mr. Corbyn and co-founder Zarah Sultana from standing as sole leaders until 2027.
For Corbyn, who had campaigned for a “sole leader” approach, this was a blow.
Meanwhile, Sultana can claim a victory in the internal battle, though the contest for influence within the party is far from settled.
Sultana’s Feisty Conference Speech
Zarah Sultana, who had skipped the opening day of the conference citing a “witch hunt” against her allies, returned with a fiery address.
She condemned “expulsions, bans, and censorship” from party leaders, admitted the party’s founding had been “messy,” and offered a partial apology.
She praised Corbyn for his past leadership in the Labour Party but emphasized the need to “build something new.”
Her speech, which went down well with delegates, included a call for Your Party to be explicitly anti-Zionist, led a chant of “from the river to the sea,” and advocated abolishing the monarchy, labeling Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor a “parasite.”
Sultana also confirmed she would stand for a position on the committee of “ordinary members” leading the party, leaving the door open for a future contest with Corbyn when voting opens in January.
Membership Numbers Reveal Reality
Despite the high-profile founders and media attention, Your Party’s membership is far smaller than claimed.
The party’s verified membership stands at just 21,035, with fewer than 9,000 members voting on the leadership model.
This is a far cry from Corbyn’s earlier claims of 50,000 and the 800,000 people who had registered interest.
Dual Membership and Trotskyist Tensions
The conference also saw voting to allow dual membership with other Trotskyist groups, following a row over the expulsion of Socialist Worker Party members.
This decision is likely to add another layer of complexity—and potential chaos—to the party’s already turbulent internal politics.
A Party Born in Discord
Your Party’s launch has been plagued by in-fighting, a botched membership registration, and even threats of legal action over £800,000 in member fees.
A party spokesperson said, “It was Your Party all along.
Our permanent name reflects what our party and our conference is all about: a radically democratic movement seeking a radical transfer of wealth and power from the few to the many.”
The weekend’s conference, they added, was a “festival of democracy”, a sharp break from Westminster’s top-down style, and a glimpse of the unconventional politics they hope to bring to voters across the country.
What Comes Next
Despite the drama, the party insists it is ready to offer a new kind of politics to Britain.
With a collective leadership in place, dual memberships allowed, and heated debates continuing behind the scenes, the next months are likely to be as turbulent as the party’s founding.
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