Jeremy Corbyn has apologised to his leftwing party’s supporters for a week of turmoil and division, in a video that failed to mention its co-founder Zarah Sultana.
The former Labour leader said membership was now officially open and that the new party would have its founding conference in Liverpool at the end of November.
Announcing the conference in a video for supporters, Corbyn said he was “sorry for the confusion in getting to this point” – a reference to the tensions over a membership portal launched by Sultana, which Corbyn then disavowed.
Threats have been exchanged between the two factions, including reporting Sultana to the information commissioner. Sultana accused the group of independent MPs of running a “sexist boys club” and said she would take legal action for defamation – which she later said she would drop and attempt to repair relations.
In an email to the 750,000 people who expressed an interest in supporting the new organisation when it launched in the summer, Your party said: “Today, we’re delighted to announce the next steps in this process, starting with the opening of our official membership portal.”
It said the conference would encompass “a total of 13,000 members” and they would “debate and amend the party’s founding documents in person across two days”. Attenders would be chosen by lottery, it said, “ensuring a fair balance of gender, region and background”, and a final decision would be taken by a digital vote involving all members.
Corbyn did not mention Sultana in the video but twice expressed regret for the row, which threatened to blow up the party.
The video does feature two fleeting glimpses of Corbyn’s co-founder, including one from behind as she speaks on a panel and one shot of her holding a banner with other MPs.
He 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.
“Once the party is established at the conference, the role that I and other Independent Alliance MPs have been playing to get it off the ground will end.
“Our role is not to run the party, not to control it, not to direct it. It is merely to steward the founding of the party that will belong to the grassroots, to the members, who will make the key decisions and elect a leadership through one member, one vote.”
On Wednesday evening, Sultana posted on X: “I’m a member of Your Party – and if you haven’t joined yet, you should too. I’ll remain a fierce advocate for the grassroots – and will continue to fight hard for maximum member democracy.
“For those who joined the previous system: data and membership will be migrated across in due course. We have a world to win. Let’s get to work!”
On Wednesday Sky News reported that Corbyn had yet to secure the ACC Liverpool to host the conference despite announcing it as the venue. The venue will host the Labour party conference this week.
An ACC spokesperson told Sky: “All event enquiries are handled in strict confidence between our team and prospective clients, therefore we are unable to provide any further comment on this matter.”
