The call by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana on Thursday 24 July for a “new kind of political party” to challenge ‘the rigged system’ has met with a phenomenal response. 

Within 24 hours over a quarter of a million people had signed up “to be part of the founding process” of a new party – more than the memberships of Reform (229,000), the Conservatives (131,000), the Liberal Democrats (90,000) and the Greens (65,000). 

If you haven’t done so already, you can read Jeremy and Zarah’s statement and sign up at www.yourparty.uk  Labour’s claimed membership, within target now, is 309,000.

The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) fully supports moves towards the establishment of a new working class party and will do everything we can to take this process forward. 

A full statement from the TUSC all-Britain steering committee, agreed before Jeremy and Zarah’s 24 July declaration but even more relevant now, is at https://www.tusc.org.uk/21778/17-07-2025/tusc-offers-full-backing-to-moves-towards-a-new-party/

Trade union campaign

One immediate next step we identified in our statement was to push forward the campaign calling for urgent discussions across the unions to establish a political voice for working people (see the online petition at https://www.change.org/TradeUnions-LaunchANewParty).

And on July 21 over a thousand trade unionists attended a meeting – on Zoom and via a live feed – to discuss next steps to ensure that trade unionists and trade unions are at the core of a new party.

Hosted by the TUSC chair Dave Nellist, the meeting featured contributions from Jeremy and Zarah and executive committee members from Unite, UCU, NEU, Unison, the PCS, and others.  If you missed it, you can watch the video at https://youtu.be/fTTmB-itr4U?si=CS3s5DEUioGeUzUg

And look out for the follow-up meetings that will be organised for individual unions in the coming weeks.

BFAWU bakers’ union statement

Another speaker on July 21 was the president of the BFAWU bakers’ union, Ian Hodson.  And the day after the meeting the union’s executive council issued a statement on the creation of a new political party (at https://www.bfawu.org/statement-on-the-creation-of-a-new-political-party/).

The BFAWU, which disaffiliated from the Labour Party in 2021 after 119 years of membership, welcomed “the stirrings of a new political force.  A party that could speak in our voice [and] fight our fights”.

“But it must be built the right way”, the statement went on. “Not by coronation but through collective decision-making” and putting workers “at the centre”. 

“We’re not here to follow”, it ended.  “We’re here to lead”.

Jeremy Corbyn concluded at the 21 July meeting that “there’s 1,000 people on this call, 1,000 people with 1,000 ideas.  And they’ll all be good ones, they’ll all be inclusive, they’ll all be determined, and they’ll all, above all, be about bringing a change in our society”.

It’s on!  The fight for a new workers’ party with socialist policies is under way. ■