Zarah Sultana has said that Your Party “can win power”, despite a turbulent start for the new left-wing movement.
Ms Sultana, who founded the party with ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, told the BBC that she sees it as “a 10, 20, 30 year project”, after the party has been beset with internal rows since its inception.
Speaking to the broadcaster’s Political Thinking podcast, the Coventry South MP – who quit Labour to found the party earlier this year – said: “I’m in politics because of a desire to change people’s lives for the better, and that means winning state power, that means actually running government.
“We’re building a party of the left that can win power and deliver justice.”
The party has faced rows over leadership, financing, and what it will be called since its inception in the summer. The outfit has attracted tens of thousands of sign ups.
Ms Sultana told the same podcast that she had been advocating for it to be known as ‘The Left’ or ‘The Left Party’. The name is expected to be chosen by members.
“I don’t think they will go for The Left Party, despite my strong advocacy for it,” Ms Sultana said.
“And I’m going to obviously support whatever the members decide. But I think embracing our politics and being proud of who we are on the left as socialists, and then going out and knocking on doors and delivering that vision is incredibly important.”
Ms Sultana and Mr Corbyn appeared to be at odds for a period, after a row over the party membership system last month, when Ms Sultana sent an email from Your Party’s account inviting supporters to become paid members, apparently without Mr Corbyn’s backing.
That promoted a furious row between the pair, which saw Ms Sultana claim she had been subjected to a “sexist boys club”.
Threats of legal action were called off and the politicians reconciled, but the saga highlighted a divide in the party.
After the spat, Mr Corbyn admitted that the party “haven’t covered ourselves in glory”.
Launching an “official” membership portal at the end of September, he posted a video message and said: “We’ve had some fraught days in the last week, as you will no doubt be very aware. And to be honest, we haven’t covered ourselves in glory.
“But what is most important is this: We all agree about the plans for the conference and the road map to get to it.”
He added: “People desperately want the chance for a real alternative, an alternative to poverty, to war and injustice.”
The episode came after a series of questions over the party’s launch, and then it’s name.
When Ms Sultana resigned from Labour, she said she was founding the new outfit with the former Islington North MP, but it was not until leather that Mr Corbyn appeared ready to formally announce the move.
It was launched with the website “yourparty.uk” but Ms Sultana then said “it’s not called Your Party”. The term has since been used as a holding name until a formal title can be decided.
A founding conference is due to be held in Liverpool in November.
