Corbyn to be Your Party parliamentary leader as Sultana joins leadership committee | Your Party

Jeremy Corbyn will become the de facto leader of your Party following an election in which his rival Zarah Sultana was also elected to the party’s leadership committee.

The former Labor leader’s allies claimed victory immediately after the vote in which Corbyn-backed candidates took 14 of the 24 available places on the party’s central executive committee (CEC). Candidates supported by the Sultan won seven of the seats, while three went to independents.

Your Party, which has a collective leadership model and will be governed by the CEC, announced that 25,347 people voted out of a potential 40,985 confirmed members, a rate of 61%.

Corbyn, who will become the party’s parliamentary leader, said it was time for the “real work” to begin and that the movement must come together to overcome the “fear, divisiveness and racism of Reformation”.

“I’m delighted that members voted for a mass, socialist party that took the fight to Starmer and Farage,” he said. “Now the real work begins. We have a valuable opportunity to unite our movement around a bold vision for this country—a vision that creates a more compassionate, equal, and peaceful world for all. I look forward to working with all members to make this vision a reality.”

Despite the decision to run the party using a collective leadership model, the election was widely seen as a battle for the future of the party, with different visions presented by co-founders Corbyn and Sultana. Both put forward a list of candidates; Corbyn’s “Multitude” list aims to appeal to a broader coalition of left-wing voters and a “campaign on big issues” such as the cost of living and Palestine.

Sultana’s “Base Left” list offered a narrower ideological vision, emphasizing the need for “maximum member democracy” and warning of the danger of “Labour 2.0” if Corbyn’s camp wins. Candidates with no affiliations also competed; some complained that independent voices were being excluded by the two big names.

After the result, there was little sign of an end to the conflict that had dogged the party; Sultana’s Left Base issued a statement warning that there should be “no more witch hunts or stitches” and calling for the reinstatement of its expelled members.

Sultana, who has fallen out with Corbyn over a number of issues over the past six months, including setting up your party and raising funds through its membership portal, said the Grassroots Left candidate had “sent a clear message” despite failing to achieve “the outcome we had hoped for”.

He added: “Now is the time to work together. The risks are huge. With fascism rumbling at the door, we must take the fight to the country on the cost of living crisis, the housing emergency, the climate emergency, and stand firm against genocide and injustice wherever it occurs.”

Sultana stated that he remains determined to “build a socialist, anti-imperialist, anti-Zionist party” and added: “The work continues together.”

Sources close to Sultana said he had no intention of leaving the party despite Corbyn’s victory. “He will stay and fight,” they said. “She will fight alongside seven other women elected from the Base Left to ensure that the party is as democratic as possible and gives members as much power as the ‘Majority’ allows.”

The 24-person CEC, which will include 20 women, will decide who will assume the roles of president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, political official and spokesperson. After months of public debate, money rows, accusations of sexism and disagreements over policy and direction, Your Party is hoping to turn the page on the controversies that have dogged it since its founding in July last year.

Around 800,000 people initially joined an email list expressing interest in the new party founded by Sultana and Corbyn. But by September their union had soured spectacularly, with Sultana encouraging supporters to sign up for £55. Corbyn told his supporters to ignore an email requesting funds. Sultana responded by accusing the party of being run by a “sexist boys’ club”.

Sultana later boycotted the first day of the party’s inaugural conference in solidarity with delegates expelled for their links to other left-wing parties, describing the process as a “witch hunt”.

The Guardian understands that a dispute is ongoing over funds raised in the party’s early days and legal correspondence is ongoing between the Corbyn and Sultana camps.