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Suspended Labour MP Zarah Sultana has announced she is leaving the party to co-form a new political force alongside former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

It’s a dramatic move that could re-shape the UK’s political Left.

Sultana, long seen as a rising star of the Labour Left, was suspended last year after backing a motion to scrap the widely criticised two-child benefit cap — a policy Labour under Keir Starmer has refused to oppose.

She cited her opposition to the party’s failure to offer meaningful change, along with its position on Gaza, as key reasons for her departure.

“Labour has completely failed to improve people’s lives,”

Sultana said in a statement.

“And across the political establishment, from Farage to Starmer, they smear people of conscience trying to stop a genocide in Gaza as terrorists.”

Though Corbyn has not officially confirmed his involvement, he hinted strongly at it on ITV’s Peston, saying:

“There is a thirst for an alternative… a grouping will come together.”

The signs suggest this grouping is now beginning to take shape. Some may say it’s about time, too.

‘Socialism or barbarism’

Sultana made her announcement in a blistering social media post, accusing the government of being “an active participant in genocide” in Gaza — a reference to the UK’s support for Israel during the current… conflict.

She also criticised the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payments Bill, calling it a “punishment of disabled people,” and attacked Labour’s record since taking power a year ago.

“We’re not an island of strangers,”

she said, rejecting the immigration rhetoric pushed by both the Tories and, increasingly, Labour.

“At the next election, the choice will be stark: socialism or barbarism.”

While Israel has denied any genocide, and Starmer has called for a ceasefire, he has stopped short of stronger language — something that continues to drive a wedge between Labour and its remaining Left flank.

A new Left bloc?

Corbyn has already formed a small parliamentary group with four other pro-Gaza Independent MPs, and sources close to the project suggest the goal is to launch a full political party before the next general election.

With Sultana — young, articulate, and popular among grassroots activists — now joining him, the movement may be finding its figurehead.

Her credibility among disaffected Labour members and younger voters gives this fledgling party serious potential.

Though Starmer’s allies will downplay the threat, the mood among many on the Left is one of betrayal.

For them, Labour’s refusal to oppose austerity-era policies and its tone on Gaza are deal-breakers.

Sultana’s departure may be the spark that lights a broader fire.

Labour responds

In response to Sultana’s resignation, a Labour Party spokesperson pointed to the government’s record since taking office last year:

“In just 12 months, this Labour government has boosted wages, delivered an extra four million NHS appointments, opened 750 free breakfast clubs, secured three trade deals and four interest rate cuts lowering mortgage payments for millions. Only Labour can deliver the change needed to renew Britain.”

For many on the Left, though, those pledges ring hollow — and the creation of a new party may finally give them somewhere else to go.

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