Your Party leadership elections now open

Your Party’s leadership elections have opened on the afternoon of 9 February. The vote closes at 5pm on 23 February.

Your Party – a tale of two ‘slates’

In the ‘endorsements’ phase, during which Your Party members could endorse candidates they wished to see on the ballot, Jeremy Corbyn’s ‘The Many’ was leading in 12 seats, while Zarah Sultana’s ‘Grassroots Left’ led in another 10, alongside two Independent candidates.

The Canary previously spoke to a number of the candidates.

There are 24 seats up for grabs on Your Party’s Central Executive Committee. This will serve as the Party’s collective leadership following a narrow vote at the start-up party’s founding conference. Candidates from ‘The Many’ slate have announced they will elect Corbyn as the party’s parliamentary leader if they win. Sultana has also expressed interest in taking this role [in an interview with Laura Kuenssberg – transcript here].

In the ‘Public Office Holder’ section, Corbyn topped the poll with 6,740 endorsements, and Sultana placed second with 5,124. Fellow MPs Shockat Adam and Ayoub Khan are standing with Corbyn as part of ‘The Many’.

The ‘Grassroots Left’ slate has focused on the need for “maximum member democracy”, as well as opposition to NATO and the monarchy. ‘The Many’ has emphasised the need for Your Party to face outwards and “campaign on the big issues” such as the cost-of-living and public ownership.

Over 350 candidates

Candidates in the English regions and Scotland and Wales had to gather 75 endorsements from fellow members in their area to pass to the ballot. Those in the public office holders’ section such as MPs required 150.

In line with the Party’s constitution, there are two seats for each of the nine English regions, alongside one each for Scotland and Wales (in addition to their own national structures). Members in the relevant region or nation may vote for candidates in that region / nation.

There are also four places for public office holders (Councillors, MPs etc), open to voting by all members. There are a total of 24 seats up for election.

11,414 members took part. Over 350 members put themselves forward as candidates. More than 80 progressed to the next stage, the majority of which are Independents.

The endorsements won’t, however, be a straightforward guide to voting patterns. Members were able to cast endorsements in a different process to votes in the election.

Hustings for most membership positions took place on the weekend of the 7-8 February. You can see them on the party’s YouTube channel. Details of the public office holder hustings, including the Party’s four MPs, will appear here.

The elections come after a founding conference for Scotland Your Party, in which members voted to support Independence and stand candidates in the 2026 Holyrood elections.

A Your Party spokesperson said:

Labour have failed the country. To get Britain back on its feet and prevent the threat of a far-right government requires more than just a new face – it requires a new politics. That’s what Your Party’s leadership elections are all about.

Members from all walks of life have put themselves forward, a testament to the depth and diversity of our mass movement. From today, our members will vote on who leads Your Party into its next phase.

Featured image via the Canary