JEREMY Corbyn has denied the launch of his new party had been “messy” and said it had adopted a “totally coherent approach”.
The Independent MP for Islington North spoke to press after he released a statement launching the new party temporarily called Your Party, adding that the “system is rigged” as he called for “mass redistribution of wealth and power”.
The new party is a joint venture with Coventry MP Zarah Sultana.
Sultana took to social media to deny reports that the party was officially called Your Party, and Corbyn made clear a consultation has been launched around the party's future and name, which will be decided at an upcoming people's assembly.
Reporters put to Corbyn that the party “looked a bit messy”, to which the former Labour leader said: “It’s not messy at all. It’s a totally coherent approach.
“It’s democratic, it’s grassroots and it’s open.”
He added that he wants the name the party to be “inclusive” and “bring people in”.
Asked what the new party he was establishing would be called, the ex-Labour leader said: “It’s your party. We’re going to decide when we’ve had all the responses, and so far the response rate has been massive.
“They’ve been coming in at 500 a minute wanting to support and join the new party.”
He added: “I want it to be something that's inclusive, effective to mobilise people and bring people in.”
Corbyn indicated that the inaugural conference for the party will “hopefully” take place in the coming months.
“That will hopefully be mid-autumn time, but we haven’t fixed the date for that yet.
“We want obviously to take soundings from those people that are signing up on the website,” Corbyn said and suggested that there are other people who “will want to be brought on board as well”.
Asked whether he believed his new party could do on the left what Reform had on the right, he said: “Reform only offer a message of division and blame.
“All they do is say that every social problem in our society is somehow or other the fault of extremely vulnerable minorities. They are a dangerously divisive sort of force in our society.
“What we’re offering instead is to bring people together so we collectively face the issues of poverty, the issues about bad housing, the issues of underfunded education, so we face those issues together.
“Reform are a road to danger, not a road to any improvement in people’s lives.”
Asked how he could convince people the new project would not simply be a rehash of Corbyn-era Labour, he said: “The Labour Party is a very top-down, highly centralised party that is full of control freaks who want to control whatever goes on within the party.”
He added: “This is going to be community-led, community-based, grassroot-led, this is going to be very different, and you know what? It’s going to be fun.”
