Ex-Labour party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has made public his decision to contest against his former party in the forthcoming UK general election scheduled for 4th July. Corbyn, evicted from Labour’s parliamentary party by his successor and current leader, Keir Starmer, was officially axed from the Labour party last Friday. This followed his announcement of his intention to retain his parliamentary position for Islington North as an independent contender.
Corbyn has been the constituency’s representative in North London since 1983, having succeeded the MP at the time, Michael O’Halloran, originally from Co Clare. O’Halloran, who passed away in Wexford in 1999, also ran independently in a bid to keep his seat following a disagreement with the top brass of the Labour party.
Labour tossed Corbyn out of the party in October 2020, due to his response to a formal report on accusations of anti-Semitism within the party during his leadership, which spanned 2015 to 2019. He claimed the allegations were blown out of proportion.
Though reinstated as a party member a month later, his readmission to the parliamentary party was denied by Starmer, who was committed to eradicating anti-Semitism from Labour. The party’s key national governing body prohibited him from representing them in the imminent election.
In his announcement of running independently, Corbyn maintained that the local Labour party members were not granted the privilege to select their own candidate. He further stated that he staunchly believes in democracy and advocates for political parties to adopt democratic values.
With Labour maintaining its grip on the Islington North seat since 1937, it makes it one of the safest seats for the party nationwide. Corbyn previously commanded a majority of nearly 26,200 votes. Nonetheless, his resolution to run independently presents an interesting rivalry against his former party. Subsequent to his declaration to run independently, the Labour top office chose local councillor Praful Nargund as their candidate.
When the order for the election was issued, the Labour party had not yet chosen their representatives for an estimated 80 to 100 constituencies throughout the UK. Insiders from the Labour party stated that there were provisions in place to select candidates in the event of a sudden election.
A phenomenon referred to as the “chicken run,” where currently seated MPs declare that they will not participate in the next election, quickened its momentum on Friday. This was two days subsequent to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s unexpected move to schedule the election in July, previously speculated to unfold in November. The tally of Conservatives not vying for their current positions was potentially reaching 80 by Friday, a historic high.
Michael Gove, the current UK Housing Secretary, was among those not contending. Having served as an MP since 2005, Mr. Gove has been a key figure in the Conservative party’s strategies and successes. His resume also includes roles such as education secretary, justice secretary, the secretary for environmental affairs, and the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Craig Mackinlay, MP for South Thanet, recently announced his decision to not run for re-election following a bout of sepsis which resulted in quadruple amputation of his limbs. Mr. Mackinlay, who earned the nickname the “bionic MP” owing to his four prosthetic limbs, was warmly welcomed back into the House of Commons post-recovery just this Wednesday. Merely five hours later, PM Sunak announced the unexpected vote.
John Redwood, a strong supporter of Brexit, also joined the “chicken run” on Friday.
Mr. Starmer made his campaign trail to Scotland on Friday, while Prime Minister Sunak made his way to Belfast, honouring their pledge to engage every part of the UK in the initial days of the campaign season.