Jeremy Corbyn has confirmed he does hope to become leader of “Your Party”, the left-wing party due to be officially created this weekend – but only temporarily. He didn’t comment on the suggestion that he could become co-leader with Zarah Sultana, the former Labour MP who said she hopes to head the new venture alongside him. But responding to the chaos and splits that have surrounded the launch of the party, which does not yet have an official name, he said: “For any misdemeanour on my part, of course, I apologise”.
Mr Corbyn also joked that he might write a book on how to set up a new party, which is to be formally founded at a conference in Liverpool starting on Saturday. And he said he was “surprised” by claims from Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who served in the shadow cabinet when Mr Corbyn was Labour leader, that the pair were friends.
In an interview with the New Statesman, Mr Corbyn said: “I want us to get a leadership team around by the election of a committee. And if people want me to be the leader or somebody else to be the leader, then that’s the democratic choice that will be made.
“I’m very prepared to do that job, not unlimited time. I want to see it started. I want to see it underway. My purpose is to get this party going and to get the principle of this space occupied by radical voices, so we don’t have the politics decided by what the government says on immigration rivalling what Reform say on immigration, rivalling what the Tories say on immigration for example. I want to see something better.”
Asked directly if that meant he would stand, he said: “I’m around, I’m around, I’m here.”
Referring to the disagreements within the party, which include a reported split between him and Ms Sultana, he said in a message to supporters: “I’m sorry if you are at all disappointed. I hope however your wish and your determination to have a democratic serious left voice that will challenge Reform, that will challenge austerity, challenge the Tories and so on will be there.
“And we are socialists. We believe in a socially just and equal society. It’s never going to be an easy road, but if we work with each other, educate each other and above all inspire a young generation to come along, we can achieve things. And for any misdemeanour on my part, of course I apologise, but I want to make this thing work.”
In a light-hearted comment, Mr Corbyn said: “Well, there’s no handbook on how to set up a political party, and when this is over, I might write one.”
He added: “And so it all sounds great, straightforward, and simple how to do it. But you realize you’re actually starting with a completely blank sheet of paper and you’ve got to populate that paper with something that will come out with a coherent party at the same time being democratic, inclusive, and accountable.
“It’s been quite difficult. However, look at it more positively. We’ve got 54 55,000 people fully paid up as members and that number is going up every day.”
He expressed some admiration for Sir Keir despite condemning the present Labour government for having “no apparent sense of direction or purpose”.
Mr Corbyn praised Sir Keir’s grasp of detail, adding: “Did we always agree? No, but we had a – it wasn’t I wouldn’t say it was ever a close relationship. I was really surprised when he announced that I was one of his best friends. I’d never seen that coming, and I think he dropped that after a while. And I haven’t really had anything to do with him for four years.”
