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Zarah Sultana’s dramatic departure from the Labour Party to help form a new left-wing political movement has ignited a fierce debate — and a transparent campaign to push her out of Parliament entirely.
Critics, mostly from Labour ranks and their media allies, have called on the Coventry South MP to resign her seat and seek a fresh mandate from voters.
The logic, they say, is simple: she was elected as a Labour candidate and should now test her support without the party banner.
But let’s not pretend this is a point of principle.
This is a power play — a calculated effort to remove one of the Left’s most articulate and popular voices from Westminster before a new party can even get off the ground.
Six books are gone – 44 to go!
Just click on the image, make your donation
and provide your details!
Labour wants a by-election – but why now?
Calls for by-elections over party defection are rare — and usually ignored when it suits the major parties.
After all, no one demanded Keir Starmer resign when he shifted Labour’s platform to the right.
Nor were calls loud when MPs joined Change UK in 2019.
What makes Sultana different is that she still holds strong grassroots support and could pose a threat if Labour’s polling continues to dip.
With the party’s popularity at an all-time low following a string of unpopular policies — including support for the two-child benefit cap, welfare clampdowns, and its stance on Gaza — Sultana’s principled stance may resonate beyond her base.
In short: Labour fears her precisely because she might win.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
Would she actually lose? Don’t be so sure.
The idea that Sultana would inevitably lose a by-election relies on two assumptions: that she lacks the resources to compete, and that Labour’s support remains solid in working-class areas like Coventry South.
But both claims are shaky.
Labour suffered several shocks in the 2024 general election, with Independent and Green candidates taking seats in what were once Labour heartlands.
The party’s shift rightward has alienated parts of its base, particularly young voters, Muslims, and low-income communities — Sultana’s core supporters.
Meanwhile, crowdfunding, union support, and the grassroots activist network that once backed Corbyn could well rally behind her.
A well-run, people-powered campaign could make Sultana not just competitive — but victorious.
And what then?
A re-elected Sultana, under a new party banner, would send a shockwave through Westminster and prove the space exists for a serious Left alternative.
Get my free guide: “10 Political Lies You Were Sold This Decade” — just subscribe to our email list here:
👉 https://voxpoliticalonline.com
Should she have been ready first? Perhaps — but that’s the nature of political courage
Of course, critics have a point when they ask whether Sultana jumped too soon.
Launching a new political party in the current system — first-past-the-post, media-hostile, donor-dependent — is no small task.
She’s now fighting on terrain designed to crush Independents.
But political movements aren’t born from perfect conditions.
They’re built through moments of moral clarity.
For Sultana, opposing what she called a “genocide” in Gaza and standing up for Britain’s poor were lines in the sand.
Her exit from Labour is a risk.
But it’s also a statement — and for many disillusioned voters, that’s exactly what they’ve been waiting to hear.
Six books are gone – 44 to go!
Just click on the image, make your donation
and provide your details!
If Labour believes Sultana’s support is so shallow, let them call her bluff.
But the Party of Government may be surprised to find that the electorate is hungrier for integrity than party loyalty.
That may be especially true when Labour has so little of the former left to offer.
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Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
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The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
Should Zarah Sultana resign her seat? Critics push — but the Left can push back
Share this post:
Zarah Sultana’s dramatic departure from the Labour Party to help form a new left-wing political movement has ignited a fierce debate — and a transparent campaign to push her out of Parliament entirely.
Critics, mostly from Labour ranks and their media allies, have called on the Coventry South MP to resign her seat and seek a fresh mandate from voters.
The logic, they say, is simple: she was elected as a Labour candidate and should now test her support without the party banner.
But let’s not pretend this is a point of principle.
This is a power play — a calculated effort to remove one of the Left’s most articulate and popular voices from Westminster before a new party can even get off the ground.
Six books are gone – 44 to go!
Just click on the image, make your donation
and provide your details!
Labour wants a by-election – but why now?
Calls for by-elections over party defection are rare — and usually ignored when it suits the major parties.
After all, no one demanded Keir Starmer resign when he shifted Labour’s platform to the right.
Nor were calls loud when MPs joined Change UK in 2019.
What makes Sultana different is that she still holds strong grassroots support and could pose a threat if Labour’s polling continues to dip.
With the party’s popularity at an all-time low following a string of unpopular policies — including support for the two-child benefit cap, welfare clampdowns, and its stance on Gaza — Sultana’s principled stance may resonate beyond her base.
In short: Labour fears her precisely because she might win.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
Would she actually lose? Don’t be so sure.
The idea that Sultana would inevitably lose a by-election relies on two assumptions: that she lacks the resources to compete, and that Labour’s support remains solid in working-class areas like Coventry South.
But both claims are shaky.
Labour suffered several shocks in the 2024 general election, with Independent and Green candidates taking seats in what were once Labour heartlands.
The party’s shift rightward has alienated parts of its base, particularly young voters, Muslims, and low-income communities — Sultana’s core supporters.
Meanwhile, crowdfunding, union support, and the grassroots activist network that once backed Corbyn could well rally behind her.
A well-run, people-powered campaign could make Sultana not just competitive — but victorious.
And what then?
A re-elected Sultana, under a new party banner, would send a shockwave through Westminster and prove the space exists for a serious Left alternative.
Get my free guide: “10 Political Lies You Were Sold This Decade” — just subscribe to our email list here:
👉 https://voxpoliticalonline.com
Should she have been ready first? Perhaps — but that’s the nature of political courage
Of course, critics have a point when they ask whether Sultana jumped too soon.
Launching a new political party in the current system — first-past-the-post, media-hostile, donor-dependent — is no small task.
She’s now fighting on terrain designed to crush Independents.
But political movements aren’t born from perfect conditions.
They’re built through moments of moral clarity.
For Sultana, opposing what she called a “genocide” in Gaza and standing up for Britain’s poor were lines in the sand.
Her exit from Labour is a risk.
But it’s also a statement — and for many disillusioned voters, that’s exactly what they’ve been waiting to hear.
Six books are gone – 44 to go!
Just click on the image, make your donation
and provide your details!
If Labour believes Sultana’s support is so shallow, let them call her bluff.
But the Party of Government may be surprised to find that the electorate is hungrier for integrity than party loyalty.
That may be especially true when Labour has so little of the former left to offer.
Share this post:
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Follow Vox Political writer Mike Sivier on BlueSky
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
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