A second MP has resigned from Jeremy Corbyn and Zara Sultana’s party to return to service as an independent MP, another blow to the troubled coalition.
Iqbal Mohammad’s resignation comes just a week after Adnan Hussain said he was withdrawing from the “leadership process” of the new Jeremy Corbyn-backed party, citing concerns about factionalism and “hidden bigotry” against Muslims.
Your party, which hasn’t even chosen its official name yet, has been torn apart by infighting and divisions almost since it was announced earlier this year.
But the loss of another representative comes at a difficult time, just a week before the party’s first annual conference.
At the event, in Liverpool, members are expected to decide whether to accept joint leaders, backed by Ms Sultana, whose relationship with other parts of the party has been strained for months.
In September, insiders said Independent “Diplomatic efforts” are underway in the New Left group to heal the differences between Corbyn and Sultana.
It came after she complained she had been subjected to a “sexist boys’ club” amid a row over a new membership system.
Mr Mohammed said in a statement: “After careful consideration, I have decided to leave your party and continue to serve as an independent MP for Dewsbury & Batley.
It has been surprising and disappointing to see so many false accusations and slander made against me and others and reported as fact without evidence.
Mr Hussain, MP for Blackburn, said he had initially agreed to support your party’s foundation because he believed in “building a political house with mass appeal” and “a force capable of challenging the rise of far-right slogans”.
But in a statement published in X, he said he was disillusioned with “constant infighting, factional competition, and the struggle for power, position and influence rather than a shared commitment to the common good”.
The latest departure is the latest blow to a party that has struggled almost since its launch, when Ms Sultana announced she would form a new left-wing political party with Mr Corbyn before he was ready to confirm it.
He has also clashed with Blackburn MP Mr Hussain over their differing views on trans rights.
At the same time, the party built momentum with more than 750,000 supporters registered at one point.
Pollsters also warned Labor that the new group was a threat and could take a significant number of votes.
The Find Now poll shows that your party will be tied for support with Labor at 15%, the Reform Party at 34% and the Conservatives at 17%.
Luke Trail, of pollsters More in Common, told The Independent in August that the prospect of a new party led by Corbyn was “very good” and “took 10% of the vote from Labor and the Greens”.
Leading pollster Sir John Curtis also said Labor were “vulnerable to the left”, adding that the Greens “were taking votes away from them in the last election”.
But, at the same time, he added a note of caution, saying: “For now, I’m waiting to see if Corbyn gets his act together and can create a political party with ideas and organizations behind it.”
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