Talks of a Jeremy Corbyn-led alliance in the House of Commons have been circulating since early August as the former Labour Party leader and other independents are looking for greater access to power in Parliament.
Founded on 2 September 2024, the Independent Alliance entered the parliamentary scene with a bang. Made up of five other independents including Shockat Adam, Ayoub Khan, Adnan Hussain, and Iqbal Mohammed, the Alliance is being unofficially fore-fronted by Jeremy Corbyn. The group hit back at Starmer’s progress as Prime Minister, in their statement, “Already, this government has scrapped the winter fuel allowance for around 10 million pensioners, voted to keep the two-child benefits cap, and ignored calls to end arms sales to Israel.”
Corbyn’s critique of Starmer’s leadership comes as no surprise after his suspension from the Labour Party following rows over antisemitic behaviour. It was in fact Starmer’s motion that prevented Corbyn from standing as a Labour candidate in the 2024 General Election, with Corbyn later calling the lack of Labour endorsement a “shameful attack on party democracy.”
Much of Labour’s most recent demise can be put down to Corbyn’s absence from the party as well as Starmer’s stance on Gaza which has alienated many of the Muslim and left-wing Labour voters from the party.
As many in the Independent Alliance stood on pro-Gaza tickets in the 2024 General Election, they have made obvious digs at the current Labour Party leader for his baseless comments on the issue. Since the group’s rise in early September, Starmer has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the return of hostages, and a recommitment to the two-state solution between Palestine and Israel. However, his calls have been overshadowed by an unfortunate blunder where Starmer called for the release of “sausages” rather than hostages. The gaffe has since gone viral on social media and has been used by many as an opportunity to rib the Labour Party leader.
As Corbyn has been quick to point out, the Independent Alliance has now become the joint-fifth largest group in the Commons, sharing places with Reform UK and the Democratic Unionist Party. Unlike these groups, Alliance will not have any formal leadership or whipping process. Although many Alliance members beat out Labour candidates for a seat in the Commons at the general election, Corbyn and his colleagues are set to be disappointed in the battle for parliamentary attention.
It is unlikely that the Independent Alliance will be giving Keir Starmer any sleepless nights as Labour’s landslide victory earlier this year left the Prime Minister with a very comfortable 174 seat majority, something that Corbyn may well be envious of. However, the group could become a thorn in Labour’s red rose as they have made their move on the seven Labour MPs suspended by Starmer after they voted against the party line on the two-child benefit cap.
A lack numbers is not the only problem the Independent Alliance faces. Usually established parties who hold more than five MPs are eligible for “short money”- public funds awarded to opposition parties to support their research. However, Independent Alliance have been barred from these funds as parliamentary rules dictate funding is not awarded to new groups formed between general elections. This severely curtails Independent Alliance’s ability to operate in an increasingly money-swamped politics, leaving them relying on a skeleton team of grassroots activists and what remains of the Corbynistas.
However, with formal coordination yet to be seen between the Independent Alliance and suspended Labour MPs, this group may well turn out to be the latest move in decades of pseudo-progressive Corbynite ego trips.
Image: Wikimedia Commons & UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor
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