After asserting that the scale of antisemitism had been overstated for political reasons, Corbyn was suspended from the party in 2020. In May 2024, after the2024 general election had been called, Corbyn was not allowed to stand as a Labour candidate for his constituency, and subsequently announced he wouldstand as an independent candidate for Islington North; he was then expelled from Labour.[7] He won re-election with a majority of 7,247.[8] In July 2025, Corbyn and fellow independent MPZarah Sultana announced the formation ofa new political party.
After school, Corbyn worked briefly as a reporter for the localNewport and Market Drayton Advertiser newspaper.[30][31] Around the age of 19, he spent two years doingVoluntary Service Overseas in Jamaica as ayouth worker and geography teacher.[27][32][33] He subsequently visited Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay throughout 1969 and 1970. While in Brazil, he participated in a student demonstration inSão Paulo against theBrazilian military government. He also attended aMay Day march inSantiago, where the atmosphere aroundSalvador Allende'sPopular Unity alliance which swept to power inthe Chilean elections of 1970 made an impression on him: "[I] noticed something very different from anything I had experienced... what Popular Unity and Allende had done was weld together the folk tradition, the song tradition, the artistic tradition and the intellectual tradition".[34][35]
Around this time, he became involved with theLondon Labour Briefing, where he was a contributor. Described byThe Times in 1981 as "Briefing's founder",[44]The Economist in a 1982 article named Corbyn as "Briefing's general secretary figure",[45] as did a profile on Corbyn compiled by parliamentary biographerAndrew Roth in 2004,[46][47] which states that he joined the editorial board as General Secretary in 1979.[23]Michael Crick, in the 2016 edition of his bookMilitant, says that Corbyn was "a member of the editorial board",[48] as does Lansley, Goss andWolmar's 1989 workThe Rise and Fall of the Municipal Left.[49] Corbyn said in 2017 that these reports were inaccurate, tellingSophy Ridge: "I read the magazine. I wrote for the magazine. I was not a member of the editorial board. I didn't agree with it."[46][47]
He worked on Tony Benn'sunsuccessful deputy leadership campaign in 1981. Corbyn was keen to allow formerInternational Marxist Group memberTariq Ali to join the party, despite Labour's National Executive having declared him unacceptable, and declared that "so far as we are concerned ... he's a member of the party and he'll be issued with a card."[50] In May 1982, when Corbyn was chairman of the Constituency Labour Party, Ali was given a party card signed by Corbyn;[51] in November, the local party voted by 17 to 14 to insist on Ali's membership "up to and including the point of disbandment of the party".[52]
In the July 1982 edition ofBriefing, Corbyn opposed expulsions of theTrotskyist andentryist groupMilitant, saying that "If expulsions are in order for Militant, they should apply to us too." In the same year, he was the "provisional convener" of "Defeat the Witch-Hunt Campaign", based at Corbyn's then address.[53] TheMetropolitan Police'sSpecial Branch monitored Corbyn for two decades, until the early 2000s, as he was "deemed to be a subversive". According to the Labour Party, "The Security Services kept files on many peace and Labour movement campaigners at the time, including anti-Apartheid activists and trade unionists".[54]
Shortly after being elected to Parliament, he began writing a weekly column for the left-wingMorning Star newspaper.[58] In May 2015, he said that "theStar is the most precious and only voice we have in the daily media".[59] In February 2017, theMorning Star said of Corbyn: "He has been bullied, betrayed and ridiculed, and yet he carries on with the same grace and care he always shows to others – however objectionable their behaviour and treatment of him might be."[60]
In 1983, Corbyn spoke on a "no socialism withoutgay liberation" platform and continued to campaign forLGBT rights.[61]
He was a campaigner againstapartheid in South Africa, serving on the National Executive of theAnti-Apartheid Movement,[62] and was arrested in 1984 while demonstrating outsideSouth Africa House, leading, decades later, to a viral image of Corbyn being arrested circulated by supporters on social media.[63][64] This was as a member of the City of London Anti-Apartheid Group (CLAAG) who carried out a "non-stop picket" for 1,408 days to campaign forNelson Mandela's release from prison. The Anti-Apartheid Movement did not support this protest, as they had agreed not to demonstrate within 30 feet of the embassy, and the picket failed to gain support from the LondonANC; Mandela's failure to respond to CLAAG following his release from prison in 1990 is frequently described as a 'snub'.[65][66]
He supported the1984–85 miners' strike.[67] In 1985, he invited striking miners into the gallery of the House of Commons; they were expelled for shouting: "Coal not dole".[61] At the end of the strike Corbyn was given a medallion by the miners in recognition of his help.[67]
During the BBC'sNewsnight in 1984, Conservative MPTerry Dicks said that so-called Labour "scruffs" (such as Corbyn, who at this time was known for wearing an old polo-necked sweater to the Commons[69]) should be banned from addressing the House of Commons unless they maintained higher standards. Corbyn responded, saying that: "It's not a fashion parade, it's not a gentleman's club, it's not a bankers' institute, it's a place where the people are represented."[70]
In 1990, Corbyn opposed thepoll tax (formally known as the Community Charge)[71] and nearly went to jail for not paying the tax.[63] He appeared in court the following year as a result.[72]
Corbyn supported the campaign to overturn the convictions of Jawad Botmeh and Samar Alami for the1994 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in London which argued that there was insufficient evidence to tie them to the act, along withAmnesty International,Unison and a number of journalists and other MPs. Botmeh and Alami had admitted possessing explosives and guns but denied they were for use in Britain. The convictions were upheld by theHigh Court of Justice in 2001 and by theEuropean Court of Human Rights in 2007.[73]
A longstanding supporter of aunited Ireland, in the 1980s Corbyn metSinn Féin leaderGerry Adams a number of times.[47] Corbyn consistently stated that he maintained links with Sinn Fein in order to work for a resolution to the armed conflict.[47] According toThe Sunday Times, Corbyn was involved in over 72 events connected with Sinn Féin or other pro-republican groups during the period of the IRA's paramilitary campaign.[75]
Corbyn met Adams at the 1983 and 1989 Labour conferences (facilitated by pro-IRARed Action)[76] and in 1983 at Westminster, along with a number of other Labour MPs.[77] In 1984, Corbyn and Ken Livingstone invited Adams, two convicted IRA volunteers and other members of Sinn Féin to Westminster.[47] He was criticised by the Labour Party leadership for the meeting, which took place two weeks after the IRA'sbombing of the Conservative Party leadership that killed five people.[78][61]
During the 1980s he campaigned on behalf of theGuildford Four andBirmingham Six, who were wrongly convicted of responsibility for IRA bombings in England in the mid-1970s.[79][80][81][82][83] In 1986, Corbyn was arrested with 15 demonstrators protesting against what they saw as weak evidence and poor treatment during the trial of a group of IRA members includingPatrick Magee, who was convicted of the Brighton hotel bombing and other attacks. After refusing police requests to move from outside the court, Corbyn and the other protesters were arrested for obstruction and held for five hours before being released on bail, but were not charged.[84]
In 1987, Corbyn attended a commemoration by theWolfe Tone Society in London'sConway Hall for eight IRA members who were killed bySpecial Air Service soldierswhile attacking aRoyal Ulster Constabulary station inLoughgall,County Armagh. At the commemoration, he told his fellow attendees that "I'm happy to commemorate all those who died fighting for an independent Ireland" and criticised the British government's policies in Northern Ireland along with calling for all British troops to be withdrawn from the region.[85][86] Corbyn subsequently said that he had attended the event, which included aminute of silence for the eight IRA members, to "call for a peace and dialogue process".[87]
He voted against the 1985Anglo-Irish Agreement, saying "We believe that the agreement strengthens rather than weakens the border between the six and the 26 counties, and those of us who wish to see a United Ireland oppose the agreement for that reason."[47]
In the early 1990s,MI5 opened a file on Corbyn to monitor his links to the IRA.[86][88][89]
In 1994, Corbyn signed a Commons motion condemning the 1974Birmingham pub bombings, which killed 21 people.[87]
A short time after IRA plans to bomb London were foiled in 1996, Corbyn invited Adams to the House of Commons for a press conference to promote Adams' autobiography,Before the Dawn. Shadow Northern Ireland SecretaryMo Mowlam and Labour leaderTony Blair condemned the invitation, with Mowlam arguing that it was detrimental to the peace process, and Blair threatening disciplinary action.[90] Adams cancelled the event, to save further embarrassment to Corbyn and to avoid negative publicity.[91]
In 1998, he voted for theGood Friday Agreement, saying he looked forward to "peace, hope and reconciliation in Ireland in the future."[47]
In 2017, Corbyn said that he had "never met the IRA", although Shadow Home SecretaryDiane Abbott later clarified that although he had met members of the IRA, "he met with them in their capacity as activists in Sinn Fein".[92][93]
Labour in government (1997–2010)
Corbyn in the House of Commons in 2006
Between 1997 and 2010, during theNew Labour governments, Corbyn was the Labour MP who voted most often against the party whip, includingthree-line whip votes. In 2005 he was identified as the second most rebellious Labour MP of all time during the New Labour governments, behindDennis Skinner.[94] He was the most rebellious Labour MP in the 1997–2001 Parliament,[95] the 2001–2005 Parliament[96] and the 2005–2010 Parliament, defying the whip 428 times while Labour was in power.[97]Jacobin described him as "a figure who for decades challenged them [Labour Party elites] from the backbench as one of the most rebellious left-wing members of parliament".[98]
Corbyn has called forTony Blair to be investigated for allegedwar crimes during the Iraq War.[99] In July 2016, theChilcot Report of theIraq Inquiry was issued, criticising Blair for joining the United States in the war against Iraq. Subsequently, Corbyn – who had voted against military action against Iraq – gave a speech in Westminster commenting: "I now apologise sincerely on behalf of my party for the disastrous decision to go to war in Iraq in March 2003" which he called an "act of military aggression launched on a false pretext" something that has "long been regarded as illegal by the overwhelming weight of international opinion".[100] Corbyn specifically apologised to "the people of Iraq"; to the families of British soldiers who died in Iraq or returned injured; and to "the millions of British citizens who feel our democracy was traduced and undermined by the way in which the decision to go to war was taken on."[101]
In October 2001, Corbyn was elected to the steering committee of theStop the War Coalition, which was formed to oppose theWar in Afghanistan which started later that year. In 2002, Corbyn reported unrest : "there is disquiet...about issues of foreign policy" among some members of the Labour party. He cited "the deployment of troops to Afghanistan and the threat of bombing Iraq" as examples.[102] He was vehemently opposed to Britain's involvement in theIraq War in 2003, and spoke at dozens of anti-war rallies in Britain and overseas. He spoke at theFebruary anti-Iraq War protest which was said to be the largest such protest in British political history.[103] At the same time, he expressed support for the Iraqi insurgency and the Palestinian intifada when he signed the second Cairo Declaration in December 2003, which said "The Iraqis themselves are now engaged in a titanic struggle to rid their country of occupying forces. The Palestinian intifada continues under the most difficult circumstances. The US administration threatens Iran and other countries on a daily basis. Now is the time to draw together the forces of resistance in the Arab world and from around the globe."[104]
In 2004, Corbyn travelled to Israel with anti-war activistBetty Papworth to witness the release of the Israeli peace activist and whistle-blowerMordechai Vanunu from prison.[105]
Corbyn addressing London'sPeople's Assembly Demonstration in June 2014
Corbyn appeared on a call-in show onPress TV, an Iranian government television channel, several times between 2009 and 2012. He was criticised for appearing on the channel in light of Iranexecuting and imprisoning homosexuals, as well as Corbyn not questioning contributors who called the BBC "Zionist liars" and described Israel as a "disease".[109] Corbyn said in response that he used the programme to address "human rights issues" and that his appearance fee was "not an enormous amount" and was used to help meet constituency office costs.[110][109] Corbyn's final appearance was six months after the network was fined byOfcom for its part in filming an interview withMaziar Bahari, an Iranian journalist, saying the interview had been held under duress and after torture.[110]
Corbyn sat on theJustice Select Committee from 2010 to 2015.[74] Before becoming party leader Corbyn had been returned as member of Parliament for Islington North seven times, gaining 60.24% of the vote and a majority of 21,194 in the2015 general election.[74]
Following the Labour Party's defeat at the general election on 7 May 2015,Ed Miliband resigned as its party leader, triggering aleadership election. Corbyn decided to stand as a candidate, having been disillusioned by the lack of a left-wing voice, and said to his local newspaper,TheIslington Tribune, that he would have a "clear anti-austerity platform". He also said he would vote to scrap the Trident nuclear weapons system and would "seek to withdraw from NATO". He suggested that Britain should establish a national investment bank to boost house-building and improve economic growth and lift wages in areas that had less investment in infrastructure. He would also aim to eliminate the current budget deficit over time and restore the 50p top rate of income tax.[114] He added: "This decision is in response to an overwhelming call by Labour Party members who want to see a broader range of candidates and a thorough debate about the future of the party. I am standing to give Labour Party members a voice in this debate".[115] He indicated that, if he were elected, policies that he put forward would need to be approved by party members before being adopted and that he wanted to "implement the democratic will of our party".[116] The other candidates were Shadow Home SecretaryYvette Cooper, Shadow Health SecretaryAndy Burnham and Shadow Care MinisterLiz Kendall.[117][118] Several who nominated Corbyn later said they had ensured he had enough votes to stand, more to widen the political debate within the party than because of a desire or expectation that he would win.[119][120]
At the Second Reading of theWelfare Reform and Work Bill in July 2015, Corbyn joined 47 Labour MPs to oppose the Bill, describing it as "rotten and indefensible", whilst the other three leadership candidates abstained under direction from interim leader Harriet Harman.[121] In August 2015, he called onIain Duncan Smith to resign asSecretary of State for Work and Pensions after it was reported that thousands of disabled people had died after being found fit to work byWork Capability Assessments (instituted in 2008) between 2011 and 2014, although this was challenged by the government and by FullFact who said that the figure included those who had died and therefore their claim had ended, rather than being found fit for work.[122][123]
Corbyn rapidly became the frontrunner among the candidates and was perceived to benefit from a large influx of new members. Hundreds of supporters turned out to hear him speak at thehustings across the nation and their enthusiastic reception and support for him was dubbed "Corbynmania" by the press.[124] Membership numbers continued to climb after the start of his leadership.[3][125] In addition, following a rule change under Miliband, members of the public who supported Labour's aims and values could join the party as "registered supporters" for £3 and be entitled to vote in the election.[126] There was speculation that the rule change would lead to Corbyn being elected by registered supporters without majority support from ordinary members.[127] He was elected party leader in a landslide victory on 12 September 2015 with 59.5% of first-preference votes in the first round of voting.[128] He would have won in the first round with 51% of votes, even without "£3 registered supporters", having gained the support of 49.6% of full members and 57.6% of affiliated supporters.[127][129] His 40.5% majority was a larger proportional majority than that attained by Tony Blair in1994.[130][128] His margin of victory was said to be "the largest mandate ever won by a party leader".[131]
An internal Labour Party report, entitledThe work of the Labour Party's Governance and Legal Unit in relation to antisemitism, 2014–2019, was leaked to the media in April 2020. The report stated that during the 2015 and 2016 leadership contests, staff members at Labour party headquarters looked for ways to exclude from voting members who they believed would vote for Corbyn. The staff members referred to this activity as "trot busting", "bashing trots" and "trot spotting".[132]
Corbynmania
A rally inBristol during Corbyn'sleadership campaign in 2016. Corbyn returned to College Green in 2019 for an election rally but his reception was then less enthusiastic.[133]
Corbyn was initially viewed as atoken candidate for the left wing of the party and not expected to win. However, many new, young party members, who had joined after the membership fee had been reduced to £3, were attracted by what they saw as Corbyn'sauthentic, informal style and radical policies.[134] Hundreds of supporters turned out to hear him speak at thehustings across the nation and their enthusiastic reception and support for him was dubbed "Corbynmania" by the press.[124]
Jonathan Dean characterised Corbynmania as a politicalfandom, comparable with the enthusiastic followings of popular media stars and other modern politicians such asBernie Sanders andJustin Trudeau. Specific features included use of the #jezwecanhashtag, attendance at rallies and the posting of pictures such asselfies on social media. Artistic, merchandising and other activity consolidated and spread this fannish enthusiasm. This included a "Jeremy Corbyn for Prime Minister" (JC4PM) tour by celebrities such asCharlotte Church,Jeremy Hardy andMaxine Peake; a Corbyn superhero comic book; mash-ups and videos. Many of Corbyn's supporters felt he possessed personal qualities such as earnestness and modesty leading them to develop a sense of emotional attachment to him as individual. These were seen as cultish by critics such asMargaret Beckett who said in 2016 that the Labour Party had been turned into the "Jeremy Corbyn Fan Club".[135]
First term as Leader of the Opposition (2015–2017)
Corbyn speaking at the #StopTrident rally atTrafalgar Square on 27 February 2016
After being elected leader, Corbyn becameLeader of the Official Opposition and shortly thereafter his appointment to thePrivy Council was announced.[141][142] In Corbyn's firstPrime Minister's Questions session as leader, he broke with the traditional format by asking the Prime Minister six questions he had received from members of the public, the result of his invitation to Labour Party members to send suggestions, for which he received around 40,000 emails.[143] Corbyn stressed his desire to reduce the "theatrical" nature of the House of Commons, and his début was described in aGuardian editorial as "a good start" and a "long overdue" change to the tone of PMQs.[144] He delivered his first Labour Party Conference address as leader on 29 September 2015.[145] Party membership nearly doubled between the May 2015 election and October 2015, attributed largely to the election as leader of Corbyn.[3]
In September 2015 an unnamed senior serving general in the British Army stated that a mutiny by the Army could occur if a future Corbyn government moved to scrap Trident, pull out of Nato or reduce the size of the armed forces. The general said "the Army just wouldn't stand for it. The general staff would not allow a prime minister to jeopardise the security of this country and I think people would use whatever means possible, fair or foul to prevent that. You can't put a maverick in charge of a country's security".[146]
In July 2016, a study and analysis by academics from theLondon School of Economics of national newspaper articles about Corbyn in the first months of his leadership of Labour showed that 75% of them either distorted or failed to represent his actual views on subjects.[147][148]
2017 general election
Corbyn with members of hisShadow Cabinet inEventCity, Greater Manchester, at the Labour Party 2017 General Election Launch
The Labour campaign in the2017 general election focused on social issues such as health care, education and ending austerity.[149] Corbyn's election campaign was run under the slogan "For the Many, Not the Few"[150] and featured rallies with a large audience and connected with agrassroots following for the party, including appearing on stage in front of a crowd of 20,000 at the Wirral Live Festival inPrenton Park.[151][152]
Although Labour started the campaign as far as 20 points behind, and again finished as the second largest party in parliament, it increased its share of the popular vote to 40%, resulting in a net gain of 30 seats and a hung parliament. This was its greatest vote share since2001. It was the first time Labour had made a net gain of seats since 1997, and the party's 9.6% increase in vote share was its largest in a single general election since 1945.[153][154] This was partly attributed to the popularity of its 2017 Manifesto that promised to scrap tuition fees, address public sector pay, make housing more affordable, end austerity, nationalise the railways and provide school students with free lunches.[155][156][157]
In May 2019,Theresa May announced her resignation and stood down as prime minister in July, following the election of her replacement, formerForeign SecretaryBoris Johnson.[158] Corbyn said that Labour was ready to fight an election against Johnson.[159]
The 2019 Labour Party Manifesto included policies to increase funding for health, negotiate a Brexit deal and hold a referendum giving a choice between the deal and remain, raise the minimum wage, stop the pension age increase, nationalise key industries, and replaceuniversal credit.[160] Due to the plans to nationalise the "big six" energy firms, the National Grid, the water industry, Royal Mail, the railways and the broadband arm of BT, the 2019 manifesto was widely considered as the most radical in several decades, more closely resembling Labour's politics of the 1970s than subsequent decades.[161]
The2019 general election was the worst defeat in seats for Labour since 1935, with Labour winning just 202 out of 650 seats, their fourth successive election defeat.[166][167] At 32.2%, Labour's share of the vote was down around eight points on the 2017 general election and is lower than that achieved by Neil Kinnock in 1992, although it was higher than in 2010 and 2015. In the aftermath, opinions differed to why the Labour Party was defeated to the extent it was. The Shadow ChancellorJohn McDonnell largely blamedBrexit and themedia representation of the party.[168]Tony Blair argued that the party's unclear position on Brexit and the economic policy pursued by the Corbyn leadership were to blame.[169][170]
Following the Labour Party's unsuccessful performance in the 2019 general election, Corbynconceded defeat and stated that he intended to step down as leader following the election of a successor and that he would not lead the party into the next election.[171][172] Corbyn himself was re-elected for Islington North with 64.3% of the vote share and a majority of 26,188 votes over the runner-up candidate representing the Liberal Democrats, with Labour's share of the vote falling by 8.7%.[173]The Guardian described the results as a "realignment" of UK politics as the Conservative landslide took many traditionally Labour seats in England and Wales.[174] Corbyn insisted that he had "pride in the manifesto" that Labour put forward and blamed the defeat on Brexit.[175] According to polling by the Conservative peerLord Ashcroft, Corbyn was himself a major contribution to the party's defeat.[176] Corbyn remained Labour leader for four months while theleadership election to replace him took place. His resignation as Labour leader formally took effect in April 2020 following the election ofKeir Starmer.
Independent MP (2020–2025)
EHRC report and suspension
On 29 October 2020, a report by theEqualities and Human Rights Commission intoantisemitism in the Labour Party was published, finding that the party was responsible for unlawful acts of harassment and discrimination.[177][178] In response to the report, Corbyn said that while antisemitism was "absolutely abhorrent" and that "one anti-Semite [in the Labour Party] is one too many", he said that "the scale of the problem was also dramatically overstated for political reasons by our opponents inside and outside the party, as well as by much of the media".[179] He further said that "the public perception in an opinion poll last year was that one third of all Labour party members were somehow or other under suspicion of antisemitism. The reality is, it was 0.3 per cent of party members had a case against them which had to be put through the process."[180] Afact check byChannel 4 News noted that Corbyn's "0.3 per cent" claim was likely based on an estimate provided by Labour General SecretaryJennie Formby during her investigation and first published in a 2019 study co-authored by media scholar Greg Philo.[180][181] Corbyn's claim that "one-third" of party members were believed to be involved in antisemitism complaints by the public likely originated in aSurvation poll of 1,009 people conducted in 2019, in which the average perception of respondents familiar with the issue was that 34% of party members were involved in antisemitism complaints; this number is over 300 times the estimate of antisemitism cases arrived at by Formby's actual investigation.[182][183]
In his press conference around half an hour after Corbyn's statement, Starmer said that anyone who thought the problems were "exaggerated" or were a "factional attack" were "part of the problem and... should be nowhere near the Labour Party". Corbyn defended his comments in a TV interview later that day; shortly after it aired, the Labour Party announced that it had suspended Corbyn pending an investigation.[184] Corbyn's suspension was welcomed by Labour figures includingMargaret Hodge,[185] andHarriet Harman,[186] as well as by theBoard of Deputies of British Jews.[187] Corbyn stated he would "strongly contest" his suspension.[188]John McDonnell, Unite leaderLen McCluskey, andMomentum expressed opposition to Corbyn's suspension.[188]
Stop the War Coalition statement on Ukraine crisis
Corbyn addresses the March Against Racism inParliament Square, March 2022
On 18 February 2022, in the week before theRussian invasion of Ukraine, Corbyn alongside 11 Labour MPs cosigned a statement from theStop the War Coalition opposing any war in Ukraine.[193] The statement said that "the crisis should be settled on a basis which recognises the right of the Ukrainian people to self-determination and addresses Russia's security concerns", that NATO "should call a halt to its eastward expansion", and that the British government's sending of arms to Ukraine and troops to eastern Europe served "no purpose other than inflaming tensions and indicating disdain for Russian concerns".[194] The statement's authors also said that they "refute the idea that NATO is a defensive alliance".[194]
On the evening of 24 February, the first day of the invasion, Labour chief whipAlan Campbell wrote to all 11 Labour MPs who had signed the statement, requesting that they withdraw their signatures.[193][195] All 11 agreed to do so the same evening.[193][195] Corbyn and fellow former Labour independent MPClaudia Webbe did not withdraw their signatures from the statement, thoughDavid Lammy urged Corbyn to do so.[196]
Expulsion from the Labour Party and 2024 general election
Corbyn responded to Keir Starmer's claim of knowing the party would lose the 2019 election by saying "Well, he never said that to me, at any time. And so I just think rewriting history is no help. It shows double standards, shall we say, that he now says he always thought that but he never said it at the time or anything about it. He was part of the campaign. He and I spoke together at events and I find it actually quite sad."[203]
Leading members of the Islington North CLP resigned in order to support Corbyn, while also criticising the manner in which Nargund was selected as Islington North's candidate.[204] Corbyn was comfortably re-elected as an independent, even as Labour won a landslide victory in the general election. His majority over Nargund was over 7,000.[205]
In September 2024, Corbyn formed a parliamentary group, theIndependent Alliance, with four independentMuslim MPs who were elected on pro-Gaza platforms. In December 2024,The Spectator said that the Independent Alliance was likely to form a political party in 2025.[206] According toThe Spectator, three of the members,Shockat Adam,Adnan Hussain andAyoub Khan, were in favour of the creation of a political party to build momentum, but Corbyn was more hesitant.[206]
Zarah Sultana, who was first elected as a Labour MP in 2019 and re-elected in 2024 but subsequently had had thewhip suspended, thereafter sitting as an independent, announced in July 2025 that she was leaving Labour and planned to create a new political party with Corbyn and other independents.[207] On 24 July 2025, initially via a post onX, Corbyn and Sultana launched a website called "Your Party", where people could sign up for information on the founding process and inviting supporters to an inaugural conference. The name of the party has not yet been decided; Sultana said her preference was to call the party "The Left" or "The Left Party".[208] In less than a week, the website's newsletter had received over 500,000 sign-ups.[209]
In 1997, the political scientistsDavid Butler andDennis Kavanagh described Corbyn's political stance as "far-left".[214] Corbyn has describedKarl Marx as a "great economist"[215][216] and said he has read some of the works ofAdam Smith, Marx andDavid Ricardo and has "looked at many, many others".[215] However, some have argued that Corbyn is less radical than previously described:[217] for example, the journalistGeorge Eaton has called him "Keynesian".[218] In 2023,The Daily Telegraph reported that most of the tax policies in Corbyn's 2019 general election manifesto had been implemented by the winning Conservative government, including a highercorporation tax, awindfall tax on oil companies, a reduction in annual tax allowances on dividend income, raising income tax on high earners, and introducing adigital services tax on online retailers.[219]
Corbyn namedJohn Smith as the former Labour leader whom he most admired, describing him as "a decent, nice, inclusive leader". He also said he was "very close and very good friends" withMichael Foot.[114]
Allegations of antisemitism within the party grew during Corbyn's leadership. Incidents involvingNaz Shah in 2014 andKen Livingstone in 2016 resulted in their suspension from party membership pending investigation. In response, Corbyn established theChakrabarti Inquiry, which concluded that while the party was not "overrun by anti-Semitism or other forms of racism," there was an "occasionally toxic atmosphere" and "clear evidence of ignorant attitudes."[220][221]
In 2017, Labour Party rules were amended to categorizehate speech, including antisemitism, as a disciplinary matter. In 2018, Corbyn faced scrutiny for his response in 2012 to the allegedly antisemitic muralFreedom for Humanity and for his association with Facebook groups, mainly pro-Palestinian, containing antisemitic posts. Labour'sNational Executive Committee (NEC) adopted a definition of antisemitism, for disciplinary purposes, in July of that year, aligning with theInternational Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)Working Definition, with modified examples related to criticism of Israel.[222][223]
In September 2018, the NEC incorporated all 11 IHRA examples, unamended, into the party's code of conduct.[224]
In May 2019, theEquality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) launched an inquiry into whether Labour had "unlawfully discriminated against, harassed or victimised people because they are Jewish." In October 2020, the EHRC published its report, determining that the party was "responsible for unlawful acts of harassment and discrimination." The EHRC found 23 instances of political interference and concluded that Labour breached the Equality Act in two cases.[225][226] Corbyn was subsequently suspended from the Labour Party and had the party whip removed on 29 October 2020 "for a failure to retract" his assertion that the scale of antisemitism within Labour had been overstated by opponents.[227]
Media coverage
Analyses of domestic media coverage of Corbyn have found it to be critical or antagonistic.[228][229] In July 2016, academics from the London School of Economics published a study of 812 articles about Corbyn taken from eight national newspapers around the time of his Labour leadership election. The study found that 75 per cent of the articles either distorted or failed to represent his actual views on subjects. The study's director commented that "Our analysis shows that Corbyn was thoroughly delegitimised as a political actor from the moment he became a prominent candidate and even more so after he was elected as party leader".[147][148]
Another report by the Media Reform Coalition andBirkbeck College in July 2016, based on 10 days of coverage around the time of multiple shadow cabinet resignations, found "marked and persistent imbalance" in favour of sources critical to him; theInternational Business Times was the only outlet that gave him more favourable than critical coverage.[230]
In August 2016, aYouGov survey found that 97% of Corbyn supporters agreed that the "mainstream media as a whole has been deliberately biasing coverage to portray Jeremy Corbyn in a negative manner", as did 51% of the general "Labour selectorate" sample.[231][232]
In May 2017,Loughborough University's Centre for Research in Communication and Culture concluded that the media was attacking Corbyn far more than May during nine election campaign weekdays examined.[233] TheDaily Mail andDaily Express praised Theresa May for election pledges that were condemned when proposed by Labour in previous elections.[234]
In February 2018, Momentum reported that attacks on Corbyn in the press were associated with increases in their membership applications.[235] In September 2019, Labour leaders argued that traditional mainstream media outlets showed bias.[236]
In December 2019, a study by Loughborough University found that British press coverage was twice as hostile to Labour and half as critical of the Conservatives during the 2019 general election campaign as it had been during the 2017 campaign.[237]
In an interview withMiddle East Eye in June 2020, Corbyn described the media's treatment of himself while he was Labour leader as obsessive and "at one level laughable, but all designed to be undermining".[238] He said that the media coverage had diverted his media team from helping him pursue "a political agenda on homelessness, on poverty in Britain, on housing, on international issues" to "rebutting these crazy stories, abusive stories, about me the whole time".[238] He said he considered suing as a result of media treatment but was guided by advice from Tony Benn, who told him, "Libel is a rich man's game, and you're not a rich man [...] Go to a libel case – even if you win the case, you'll be destroyed financially in doing so".[238]
Personal life
Corbyn in 2007
Corbyn lives in theFinsbury Park area of London.[239][240] He has been married three times and divorced twice, and has three sons with his second wife.[241] In 1974, he married his first wife,Jane Chapman, a fellow Labour Councillor for Haringey and now a professor at theUniversity of Lincoln.[27] They divorced in 1979.[242] In the late 1970s, Corbyn had a brief relationship with Labour MPDiane Abbott.[243][244]
In 1987, Corbyn married Chilean exile Claudia Bracchitta, granddaughter of Ricardo Bracchitta (Consul-General of Spain in Santiago), with whom he has three sons. He missed his youngest son's birth as he was lecturing National Union of Public Employees members at the same hospital.[61] Following a difference of opinion about sending their son to agrammar school (Corbyn opposesselective education), they divorced in 1999 after two years of separation, although Corbyn said in June 2015 that he continues to "get on very well" with her.[72][37][245] His son subsequently attendedQueen Elizabeth's School, which had been his wife's first choice.[246] Their second son, Sebastian, worked on his leadership campaign and was later employed asJohn McDonnell's Chief of Staff.[247][248][249]
Corbyn's second-eldest brother, Andrew, who was a geologist, died of a brain haemorrhage while inPapua New Guinea in 2001. Corbyn escorted the body from Papua New Guinea to Australia, where his brother's widow and children lived.[250]
In 2012, Corbyn went to Mexico to marry his Mexican partner Laura Álvarez,[251] who runs afair trade coffee import business that has been the subject of some controversy.[252][253] A former human rights lawyer in Mexico, she first met Corbyn shortly after his divorce from Bracchitta, having come to London to support her sister Marcela following the abduction of her niece to America by her sister's estranged husband. They contacted fellow Labour MP Tony Benn for assistance, who introduced them to Corbyn, who met with the police on their behalf and spoke at fundraisers until the girl was located in 2003.[254] Álvarez then returned to Mexico, with the couple maintaining a long-distance relationship until she moved to London in 2011.[255][256] Álvarez has described Corbyn as "not very good at house work but he is a good politician".[257] They had a cat called El Gato ("The Cat" in Spanish).[258][259] Corbyn had previously owned a dog called Mango, described byThe Observer in 1984 as his "only constant companion" at the time.[16]
Personal beliefs and interests
When interviewed byThe Huffington Post in December 2015, Corbyn refused to reveal his religious beliefs and called them a "private thing", but denied that he was anatheist.[260] He has said that he is "sceptical" of having agod in his life.[258] He compared his concerns about the environment to a sort of "spiritualism".[260] Corbyn has described himself asfrugal, tellingSimon Hattenstone ofThe Guardian: "I don't spend a lot of money, I lead a very normal life, I ride a bicycle and I don't have a car."[37] He has been a vegetarian for over 50 years, after having volunteered on a pig farm in Jamaica when he was 19, and stated in April 2018 that he was considering becoming avegan.[261] Although he has been described in the media asteetotal, he said in an interview with theDaily Mirror that he does drink alcohol but "very, very little".[27][262][263]
Corbyn co-edited with Len McCluskey the anthologyPoetry for the Many, published in November 2023 byOR Books.[270]
Interview under police caution
On 19 January 2025, Corbyn, alongside formerShadow Chancellor of the ExchequerJohn McDonnell, agreed to be interviewed under caution by police following a pro-Palestinian rally in central London. The Metropolitan Police said they witnessed a "deliberate effort, including by protest organisers" to breach conditions that had been imposed on the event. However, it is unclear as to the specific reasons as to why Corbyn was invited to an interview.[271]
Awards and recognition
In 2013, Corbyn was awarded theGandhi International Peace Award for his "consistent efforts over a 30-year parliamentary career to uphold theGandhian values of social justice and non‐violence".[272][273] In the same year, he was honoured by theGrassroot Diplomat Initiative for his "ongoing support for a number of non-government organisations and civil causes".[274] Corbyn has won the Parliamentary "Beard of the Year Award" a record six times, as well as being named as theBeard Liberation Front'sBeard of the Year, having previously described his beard as "a form of dissent" againstNew Labour.[275][276]
In 2016, Corbyn was the subject of a musical entitledCorbyn the Musical: The Motorcycle Diaries, written by journalists Rupert Myers and Bobby Friedman.[277]
In 2017 the American magazineForeign Policy named Corbyn in its Top 100 Global Thinkers list for that year "for inspiring a new generation to re-engage in politics".[278] In December 2017 he was one of three recipients awarded theSeán MacBride Peace Prize "for his sustained and powerful political work for disarmament and peace".[279] The award was announced the previous September.[280]
^ab"Confrontation looms large in life of a rebel with a cause".Shropshire Star. 22 August 2015. p. 20. Part of Special Report on Corbyn and Labour leadership campaign.
^"Night Corbyn devised Wrekin red flag plan".Shropshire Star. 13 October 2014. p. 14.Report by Toby Neal, refers to local Young Socialist activity unconnected with his journalistic work which was remembered by a former colleague quoted in the story.
^Walker, David (9 December 1981). "A briefing on 'Briefing': Left-wing activists unite in print".The Times. No. 61103. London. p. 2.ISSN0140-0460.OCLC6967919.Iits [sic] guiding spirit is Mr Jeremy Corbyn, aged 31,Briefing's founder, an official of the National Union of Public Employees.
^"Where Militant matters".The Economist. No. 7231. 3 April 1982. p. 28.... Briefing's general secretary figure, Mr Jeremy Corbyn, will be Labour's candidate in Islington North.
^"Hornsey Labour rebels back Tariq Ali's membership".The Guardian. 10 November 1982. p. 26.ProQuest186401227.
^Crick 2016, pp. xvii–xviii: "An article in the July 1982 edition ofLondon Labour Briefing illustrated Corbyn's public stance: 'If expulsions are in order for Militant,' he wrote, 'they should apply to us too.' And Corbyn, a year before he became an MP, announced himself as 'provisional convenor' of the new 'Defeat the Witch-Hunt Campaign'. It was based at an address in Lausanne Road in Hornsey, north London, Corbyn's own home at that time."
^PhD Thesis: 'Analysis of the Development of the British Labour Movement's Policies and Attitudes Towards the Northern Ireland Problem 1979–1997' M. O'Donnell. University of Surrey, 1997. p90.
^Cowley, Philip (2005).The Rebels: How Blair mislaid his majority. London: Politico's Publishing. p. 18.ISBN1-84275-127-1. The most rebellious was Dennis Skinner who, unlike Corbyn, was a member of Parliament during the Labour government of 1974–79.
^Cowley, Philip (2002).Revolts and Rebellions: Parliamentary voting under Blair. London: Politico's Publishing. p. 91.ISBN1-84275-029-1.
^Cowley, Philip (2005).The Rebels: How Blair mislaid his majority. London: Politico's Publishing. p. 53.ISBN1-84275-127-1.
^"Tony Blair says world is better as a result of Iraq War".BBC News. 7 July 2016.Archived from the original on 7 July 2016. Retrieved7 July 2016.He said the report proved the Iraq War had been an "act of military aggression launched on a false pretext", something he said which has "long been regarded as illegal by the overwhelming weight of international opinion"
^Eaton, George (12 September 2015)."The epic challenges facing Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader".New Statesman.Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved20 September 2015.Jeremy Corbyn's landslide victory – the largest mandate ever won by a party leader – will at least come as no surprise to him.
^Ehsaan, Rakib (17 May 2017)."How the Conservatives stole the British Indian vote from Labour".The Conversation.Corbyn's opposition to the caste system also puts him at odds with those British Hindus and Sikhs who object to politicians intervening on culturally sensitive issues.
^Philo, Greg & Berry, Mike & Schlosberg, Justin & Lerman, Antony & Miller, David. (2019).Bad News for Labour: Antisemitism, the Party and Public Belief. p. 52. 10.2307/j.ctvpbnn3r.
^Philo, Greg & Berry, Mike & Schlosberg, Justin & Lerman, Antony & Miller, David. (2019).Bad News for Labour: Antisemitism, the Party and Public Belief. 10.2307/j.ctvpbnn3r.
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