By News18
Zarah Sultana, the Member of Parliament for Coventry South, officially resigned from the Labour Party after 14 years, announcing plans to co-lead a new political party alongside former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
In a public statement, Zarah Sultana said the new party will be founded in collaboration with independent MPs, campaigners and activists from across the country. The decision, she said, is driven by disillusionment with both Labour and the broader political establishment.
鈥淲estminster is broken but the real crisis is deeper. Just 50 families now own more wealth than half the UK population,鈥 she wrote, adding, 鈥淧overty is growing, inequality is obscene and the two-party system offers nothing but managed decline and broken promises.鈥
Zarah Sultana was suspended from Labour last year for defying the party whip to vote for the abolition of the two-child benefit cap- a stance she stood by in her statement.
鈥淚鈥檇 do it again,鈥 she said, explaining, 鈥淚 voted against scrapping winter fuel payments for pensioners. I鈥檇 do it again.鈥
She also accused the government of actively harming the vulnerable and failing to stand against the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as she wrote, 鈥淭he government wants to make disabled people suffer; they just can鈥檛 decide how much. This government is an active participant in genocide. And the British people oppose it.鈥
鈥榃e Are Not Going To Take This Anymore鈥
Framing her move as part of a broader political uprising, Zarah Sultana urged disaffected voters to join her in creating a new left-wing movement. She said, 鈥淲e are not going to take this anymore. We need homes and lives we can actually afford, not rip-off bills we pay every month to a tiny elite bathing in cash. We need our money spent on public services, not forever wars.鈥
She ended her statement with a stark call to action ahead of the next general election, saying, 鈥淚n 2029, the choice will be stark: socialism or barbarism. Billionaires already have three parties fighting for them. It鈥檚 time the rest of us had one. Join us. The time is now.鈥
Who Is Zarah Sultana?
Zarah Sultana was elected to Parliament in the 2024 general election as Labour MP for Coventry South. A prominent voice on the party鈥檚 left wing, she quickly became known for her outspoken views on welfare, anti-racism, and foreign policy- especially her support for Palestine. In 2024, she was suspended from the Labour Party, alongside several other MPs, after defying the party whip over the two-child benefit cap. Though others were later reinstated, Zarah Sultana remained independent, often criticizing Labour leader Keir Starmer for abandoning progressive values.