Your Party has been hit by fresh chaos after an MP pulled out of the Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana-led project, citing “veiled prejudice” against Muslim men. Adnan Hussain also hit out at the “persistent infighting” in the group.
It comes as the party’s founding has been marred by internal division, including rows over financing and leadership.
Mr Hussain, the independent MP for Blackburn, said on Friday that he is withdrawing from the “steering process” of the party, and comes barely two weeks before the founding conference in Liverpool.
He said he had initially agreed to support the founding of the party because he believed in “building a political home with mass appeal” and “a force capable of challenging the rise of far-right rhetoric”.
But, in a statement published on X/Twitter, he said he had been disillusioned by “persistent infighting, factional competition, and a struggle for power, position and influence rather than a shared commitment to the common good”.
Mr Hussain said he had also been “deeply troubled” by the way “certain figures” within the new party had been treated, particularly Muslim men.
He said: “At times, the rhetoric used has been disturbingly similar to the very political forces the left claims to oppose.
“I witnessed insinuations about capability, dismissive attitudes and language that carried, at the very least, veiled prejudice.”
He was one of six MPs behind the efforts to set up the new political outfit, and his departure leaves former Labour leader Mr Corbyn, ex-Labour MP Ms Sultana and Independent MPs Shockat Adam, Ayoub Khan and Iqbal Mohamed still involved.
The foundation of the party has been marred by internal divisions, including over leadership, the membership launch, and what the party is called.
On Thursday, the Independent Alliance of MPs – which includes Mr Corbyn, Mr Adam, Mr Khan, Mr Hussain and Mr Mohamed – said Your Party was still attempting to recover money donated by supporters when Ms Sultana promoted a new membership portal that was later disowned as an “unauthorised email”.
They said a “small portion” of the funds had been transferred to the official Your Party, but added this was “insufficient” and demanded “the immediate transfer of all the money that was donated by supporters to get a new party off the ground”.
In his statement, Mr Hussain said he “did not anticipate becoming drawn into very serious and damaging internal disputes on matters relating to organisational conduct and governance”.
He also said he wished “those who continue to work on this endeavour the very best of luck and hope their hard work achieves the results they desire”, and that he remains a “dedicated member of the Independent Alliance” parliamentary group.
