When Jeremy Corbyn posted a video apologising to Your Party supporters for the “confusion” and “commotion” of the past week, there was one figure who was conspicuous by their absence.
Zarah Sultana, who launched the currently nameless political party alongside the Labour leader in July, appeared in the video only three times, and not prominently.
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There was no video of her own to accompany Mr Corbyn’s. Instead, she merely retweeted his post and later wrote that she was a “member” of Your Party, before encouraging others to sign up.
On the surface, it represents a significant climbdown from “co-leader” – a title Sky News understands was Ms Sultana’s “red line” for joining the project – although allies of Mr Corbyn say this was never formally agreed, with the actual leadership model set to be determined at the party’s first conference.
But on closer inspection, it appears Ms Sultana may be attempting to use the departure from the co-leadership model she initially favoured to her advantage.
In the same post, the independent MP promised to remain “a fierce advocate for the grassroots” who will “continue to fight hard for maximum member democracy”.
That has been seen in some circles as a leadership pitch, in which Ms Sultana could paint herself as standing up on members’ behalf to the “sexist boys club” she claimed drove her to launch her own membership drive, the cause of last week’s very public row, in the first place.
As one insider put it: “Zarah’s latest tweet is more polite and measured in its tone, but the underlying issue of how much control MPs have versus members remains”.
The suggestion that Mr Corbyn favours concentrating control in MPs’ hands is one his allies reject – and it was even addressed by the former Labour leader himself in his solo video.
“Once the party is established at the conference, the role that I and other Independent Alliance MPs have been playing to get it off the ground will end,” he said.
“Our role is not to run the party, not to control it, not to direct it – it is merely to steward the founding of the party that will belong to the grassroots, to the members, who will make the key decisions, and elect a leadership through one member, one vote.”
Nevertheless, this moment could mark the continuation of Ms Sultana’s desire to differentiate herself from Mr Corbyn, a process some believe began in the summer when she criticised aspects of his leadership of the Labour Party and declared herself an “anti Zionist”.
If Ms Sultana does want to cast herself as the members’ candidate in a potential leadership contest, she has the support of the Democratic Bloc, a group of activists who want to “ensure the new left party is genuinely democratic and grassroots” and who will launch their own proposals and demands ahead of the conference.
A broad church?
One key cause that is the topic of debate is where the line should be drawn in allowing members of other political parties to join Your Party.
At the moment, on par with most political parties in the UK, the Your Party rulebook states that you cannot be a member if you are also signed up to another national political party.
It was recently changed to clarify that only members of national parties could not join the new party, after concerns were expressed that independent, local parties that have contributed to the movement could be excluded.
While some will welcome this development, others are wary of the risk of infiltration from other leftwing, Trotskyist groups, noting their reputation for disruption.
Then there is the question of how to treat the Socialist Workers Party and the Greens.
Both are understood to count as national parties and so on that basis will be excluded from joining.
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But as one source remarked: “If this is a member-led party that does things differently to everyone else, there needs to be a discussion around what alliances we want to have.
“So long as a separate party is willing to agree that it will not contest elections against the party, and is willing to agree to the political programme, then I don’t see why they shouldn’t be allowed to join.
“The movement will be stronger for it.”
The ethos of the conference is that members get to decide the party’s direction – and so these rules could feasibly be changed at the conference or further down the line.
In a potential leadership contest that could take place at the conference if members signal an appetite for one, the question of alliances could loom large.
From who can attend the conference to who will lead the party, it is all still to play for.
