Leftist party is yet another headache for sinking PM

Allies of Keir Starmer will be tempted to dismiss the announcement that Jeremy Corbyn is set to form a breakaway party that will include the other four pro-Palestinian MPs elected in last year’s general election, the suspended Labour MP Zarah Sultana, and about 200 councillors.

- ANDREW GRICE

For some Starmer aides, the formal split will usefully remind voters that Labour is in the centre ground, despite the damaging headlines about the humiliating climbdown forced by rebels over welfare cuts.

After Corbyn’s expulsion by Labour, Starmer won’t mind another fight with the hard left. He needs to detach it from the much bigger, soft-left group at Labour’s heart; the two groups joined forces to devastating effect in the rebellion against disability benefit cuts.

The unnamed new party has not been confirmed by Corbyn, who seems irritated that Sultana jumped the gun by announcing she had resigned her Labour membership and would co-lead an alliance with him. It was a messy launch. “Can a party split before it starts?” one Labour wag asked.

However, Corbyn’s new project could prove a headache for Starmer. It could win over 10 per cent of voters, reducing Labour’s support by three points, according to More in Common. The new party would be in first place among 18to 24-year-olds, on 32 per cent.