Zarah Sultana resigns from Labour over Gaza policy, plans to launch new party with Jeremy Corbyn

LONDON: UK Labour MP Zarah Sultana announced her resignation from the Labour Party on Friday, ending her 14-year membership to co-found a new left-wing political party alongside former Labour leader and independent MP Jeremy Corbyn.

“Today, after 14 years, I’m resigning from the Labour Party,” Sultana said in a statement. “Jeremy Corbyn and I will co-lead the founding of a new party, alongside other independent MPs, campaigners, and activists from across the country.”

Sultana cited the Labour leadership’s stance on the war in Gaza as a key reason for her departure. She condemned Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s support for Israel’s actions, stating, “This government is an active participant in genocide. And the British people oppose it.”

She also highlighted the UK’s growing economic inequality, noting that “just 50 families now own more wealth than half the UK population.”

Her resignation follows a previous suspension from the parliamentary party for defying the party whip on the two-child benefit cap.

The new party aims to provide an alternative to the UK’s current political establishment, which Sultana says is failing to address the needs of ordinary people.

While the official launch date of the party has not been announced, its formation is already being seen as a significant development in British politics. Political analysts speculate that the new party could attract a dozen MPs, including potential Labour defectors, forming a notable parliamentary bloc.

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Sultana has been a vocal critic of the Labour government’s political, economic, and military ties with Israel. She accused the political establishment of “smearing people of conscience trying to stop a genocide in Gaza as terrorists”—a pointed reference to Parliament’s recent decision to proscribe direct action group Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, a move she strongly opposed.

“We’re not going to take this anymore. We’re not an island of strangers; we’re an island that’s suffering,” Sultana said.