Blackburn’s MP, Adnaan Hussain, has been drawn into a public row at the heart of Jeremy Corbyn’s fledgling political movement, Your Party, after co-founder Zarah Sultana claimed she had been “frozen out” in what she called a “sexist boys’ club”.
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The Coventry South MP, who helped launch the new Left-wing party with Mr Corbyn, released a blistering statement on Thursday accusing her fellow MPs of excluding her and blocking women from voting rights on the party’s working group.
The dramatic split was triggered by an “unauthorised email” sent to supporters this week encouraging people to sign up for membership at up to £55 per year. Within hours, Mr Corbyn – backed by the four other MPs in his Independent Alliance, including Blackburn’s Adnaan Hussain – told members to ignore the message and cancel any direct debits, insisting legal advice was being sought.
Hussain’s name appeared alongside Ayoub Khan, Iqbal Mohamed and Shockat Adam on the statement denouncing the email. The group stressed it had not been approved and should be disregarded.
Sultana, however, rejected the claim, insisting the portal she promoted was “safe, secure, legitimate” and that she had acted to “safeguard grassroots involvement”. She accused her colleagues of running a “sexist boys’ club” and called on Mr Corbyn to meet her to prevent a repeat.
The dispute is the latest sign of chaos in Your Party, which was only formally launched this summer. Mr Corbyn has already faced ridicule after confusion over the party’s name and reports that he unexpectedly ceased to be listed as a “person with significant control” in Companies House filings.
For Blackburn, the controversy places Hussain at the centre of national headlines just months after winning his seat. His involvement in the statement against Sultana highlights the deep divisions already facing Corbyn’s breakaway movement.
