Iqbal Mohamed becomes second MP to quit Your Party | Politics

A second MP in a week has left your Party under acrimonious circumstances, casting further doubt on the viability of the left-wing group co-led by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana.

One Description of XIqbal Mohamed, who was elected as an independent MP for Dewsbury and Batley last year, said his decision to quit came after “many unfounded allegations and smears” against himself and others and he did not explain it.

Last Friday, Adnan Hussain, another independent MP who joined your party, resigned due to what he called “constant infighting and power struggle” in the organisation.

In his statement, Mohamed said he wished the best for the Party but “after careful consideration” he decided to leave the party and remain an independent.

He wrote: “The many false allegations and smears made against me and others, passed as fact without evidence, are surprising and disappointing. But I am confident that I and my colleagues acted professionally, patiently and in good faith throughout.”

Your party has faced a number of divisions and disagreements in its short history; these pitted Sultana, who was originally elected as a Labor MP but now sits as an independent, against former Labor leader Corbyn and four other independents allied with the group.

Last week, Mohammed and Hussein, as well as two other independent MPs and Corbyn, signed a Your Party statement accusing Sultana of unnecessary delay in transferring £850,000 in donations; This infuriated Sultana.

Sultana’s allies accused other MPs in your party of trying to undermine him with the statement, saying the timing, just before Sultana’s appearance on BBC One’s Question Time, was aimed at hindering his chances of winning a potential leadership contest against Corbyn.

In response, Your Party’s sources said that Sultana created unnecessary obstacles by arguing that there were legal reasons for its inability to transfer all the money immediately. Most of the money has since been transferred and the controversy appears to have calmed down.

But there are some new tensions ahead of your Party’s inaugural conference, scheduled for next weekend in Liverpool, which aims to formally elect leaders and set out the policy platform.

Some party figures linked to Corbyn were upset by Sultana’s decision to hold his own pre-conference rally before the conference started on Friday night, declaring it a Your Party event only when it was organized by him.

The controversy over Party funds stems from the period when the membership portal was launched and your Party did not have a formal structure or bank account.

Membership taxes and a large portion of donations were directed to a newly formed company called MOU Operations Ltd, with Sultana now its sole director, with the idea that it would be transferred once your Party was ready.

Your party officials say they urgently need £850,000 to run the conference. Sultana’s allies insisted he acted as quickly as possible under the law.