Jeremy Corbyn Confirms He Is Standing As Independent In Islington North
Jeremy Corbyn pictured in February 2024 (Alamy)
3 min read
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has confirmed that he will stand as an independent candidate in the general election in Islington North.
Corbyn has been sitting as an independent MP in the London constituency since he had the Labour whip suspended in 2020.
He has now said that he will be on the ballot paper on 4 July.
Writing for his local paper The Islington Tribune, he stated: "The issues facing people in Islington North – child poverty, sky-high rents, crumbling schools, pollution an NHS under attack – are part a much wider, national set of crises."
On Friday afternoon, Labour confirmed that they have selected councillor Praful Nargund to contest the seat.
In a statement following his selection, Nargund said that "it’s an honour to have been chosen as Labour’s candidate for Islington North and I look forward to the campaign ahead. I promise to be a truly local MP, that represents all families and businesses that call this special place their home.
“Only Labour can change the country and fix 14 years of Tory failure," he added.
Corbyn was suspended for comments he made following the equalities watchdog report into antisemitism in the party, and has been barred from standing again as a Labour candidate.
The Labour Party has already written to Corbyn confirming that he has now been expelled from the party, PoliticsHome understands.
He has been the MP for the north London seat for four decades and his decision to seek re-election sets up an intriguing contest with whoever is chosen as Labour's candidate.
Mike Katz, the national chair of the Jewish Labour Movement (JLM), has said that the party "became an unsafe space for Jews under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership."
"He refused to acknowledge the scale of antisemitism in Labour, even when the Equality & Human Rights Commission found the party guilty of breaking the law."
Katz said that Labour was now "unrecognisable from what it had become under Corbyn, thanks to the leadership of Keir Starmer" and they will be campaigning to "make sure" voters in Islington North get a Labour MP.
Kate Dove, the chair of Momentum Kate Dove, described the situation as an "almighty mess for Labour" and accused party leader Keir Starmer of treating "the people of Islington with contempt".
She added: "We urge the Labour Leadership not to repeat this damaging debacle in Hackney with Diane Abbott. Britain’s first black woman MP, who Keir Starmer rightly called a ‘trailblazer’, deserves to run as the Labour candidate, as local members voted."
Additional reporting by Sienna Rodgers
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