To see a high-profile MP who refuses to compromise on her values is rare. I try not to get glassy-eyed about politics, we’ve all been let down before (2019 still hurts). But Sultana feels like coming up for air after years spent drowning in the choppy waters of Starmer, Sunak, Truss, Johnson, May, Cameron…you get the picture.
Others feel it too. “Finally, some good news!” says Dr. Nisha Kathrecha, a doctor from London. “Politics has felt so bleak in the UK for a while now, so this is the hope that we desperately needed. This country needs real change and a party that is going to actually make our voices heard, to fight back against the rise in fascism and austerity.”
We’re facing an increasingly terrifying political landscape. Reform and Farage are closer to power than many realise. YouGov polling suggests Reform would win 271 seats if a general election were held now, with Labour trailing behind at 178. Another poll found 30% of Britons have a favourable opinion of Farage.
However, Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana are a welcome piece of hope in this bleak political landscape. A separate YouGov tracker shows Corbyn has 98% name recognition (higher than Starmer or Farage), and as we can tell from social media cut-through, Sultana has serious appeal, particularly among younger and women voters. If this new party can translate momentum into movement, it could become something meaningful.
“Many younger women have been flocking to the Green Party since last year,” says Banseka Kayembe, writer and founder of Naked Politics, “suggesting they’re disappointed with the current Labour party.” But beyond party allegiances, she says what’s important is the message:
“Whilst women are of course incredibly diverse, holding a variety of views, it’s important to remember that issues like wealth inequality, austerity are feminist issues. Patriarchy puts women at the brunt of the cost of living crisis; from gender pay gaps, to child care costs, access to healthcare or precarious work. A party that is unapologetically promising to end that, and transfer more wealth and security to the many is a great thing for the vast majority of us. It’s a small glimmer of hope that things could finally get better.”
Slow living creator Chloe Plumstead puts it plainly: “A protected planet, clean air and water, access to good food, a home, safety and peace – how is any party representing us if they aren’t fighting for these basic requirements for life?” She adds, “And yet in the current climate, it feels almost radical to demand this above profit, growth and corporate boot-licking. I’m cautiously hopeful that the forming of this new party marks a change in the tide. I expect there to be great opposition and demonisation from those in power who want to uphold the current systems of inequality, but still, there is the sense that the nut of change has been cracked open. We don’t have to settle for crumbs ‘trickled down’ from above.”
Whilst I have hope, this new party must do more than just grow and even win elections. It’s imperative that projects on the Left work together – Corbyn, Sultana, eco-socialist Greens, other independents – because it’ll take joint campaigning and organisation to make this glimmer of hope a reality. There’s an appetite, one felt by millions in this country, for a new type of politics – a politics that is on our side, and that works for us. This new party must re-build British society, with community at the centre. It’s a fight, a fight that will take people power and although it’s a long, long road, I’ll be joining, because more than hope, we need action.