Your Party conference thrown into chaos as Zarah Sultana boycotts first day
Zarah Sultana has boycotted the first day of Your Party’s inaugural conference, throwing the party’s first official gathering into chaos amid disagreements with co-founder Jeremy Corbyn over how the party should be run.Corbyn confirmed to journalists on Saturday that he preferred a single leader and is likely to stand for the role but Sultana said she would vote for collective leadership and that she did not believe parties should be run by “sole personalities”.In a sign of further division within the fledgling movement, a spokesperson for Sultana said she would not be entering the conference hall on Saturday in solidarity with delegates who were expelled over links to other leftwing parties, describing the process as a “witch-hunt”.The Guardian understands Sultana will run against Corbyn if members decide to elect one leader.Delegates in Liverpool will choose between electing a sole leader or a collective of lay members – those not already serving as MPs or councillors.
The party has been beset by infighting since plans for it were first announced in July after Sultana announced her defection from Labour, saying she and Corbyn would co-lead a new political organisation,Allies of Corbyn were quick to brief that a final decision had not been made,The pair appeared to strike a fragile peace, with Sultana likening their relationship to that of Noel and Liam Gallagher,Corbyn said on Saturday that he would “probably favour the single leadership model” but would “live with whatever [members] decide on”,However, her decision to skip the first day of proceedings is likely to go down badly with Corbyn and his aides.
It is understood that one of her supporters, James Giles, a councillor in Kingston, was barred from entering the conference centre.Other members were expelled on Friday over alleged membership of the Socialist Workers party.Corbyn told journalists on Saturday that entry to Your Party was granted on the condition members were not aligned with other parties registered with the Electoral Commission.He added: “The Socialist Workers party is registered with the Electoral Commission, therefore it is another party.I think to call it a purge is a bit of exaggeration quite honestly.
”It was later clarified that the Socialist Workers party is not registered with the Electoral Commission.A spokesperson for Sultana said: “Zarah met members outside conference and condemned the recent expulsions.This witch-hunt is indefensible.We must build a party that welcomes all socialists.“She will not be entering the conference hall today.
” It is understood Sultana will attend the conference on Sunday to deliver a planned speech,A Your Party spokesperson said: “These claims are false,Members of another national political party signed up to Your Party in contravention of clearly stated membership rules – and these rules were enforced,”Speaking before Sultana announced her boycott, Corbyn had hinted to journalists that he was ready to stand as leader in a contest,“I’m very happy to serve the party in whatever capacity they decide they want me to serve,”he said.
Sultana said she supported collective leadership in the absence of the option for two co-leaders,She said: “I’ve publicly supported a co-leadership model,The fact it hasn’t been given to members as an option to vote on is regrettable, and the fact that has been decided by a faceless, nameless bureaucrat is quite concerning,”She said she was “championing collective leadership” because she felt it offered “maximum member democracy”,“I don’t think movements should be led by sole personalities.
I think you have to represent the broad mass movement,” she said,“That allows responsibility to be shared and more people’s ideas to be listened to,It strengthens the movement,With that, comes a structure which has a parliamentary convener,They are also elected by the membership.
“Should the members choose sole leadership, I would consider throwing my hat in the ring.I will then respect whatever the members decide and completely ride in behind that.”Corbyn and Sultana said they would consider electoral pacts with other leftwing parties, including the Greens.Sign up to First EditionOur morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it mattersafter newsletter promotionSultana said: “I think we have to work with the Greens and other parties so we can stop Nigel Farage getting into Number 10.That has to be the guiding principle for all of us who want to stop fascism.
”Corbyn said it “would essentially be a decision for the local branches of Your Party” to judge what was best in their area, but he that he would not rule out cooperating with the Green party, which has enjoyed a rise in popularity under its new leader, Zack Polanski.Tensions between Corbyn, the former Labour leader who is now an independent MP for Islington North, and Sultana, who represents Coventry South, escalated when Sultana launched a membership portal, collecting about £800,000 in donations and reams of members’ data.Sultana said on Saturday that £600,000 had already been transferred from a holding company to Your Party and that the remainder of the money would be sent when liabilities had been processed.She said she was now getting on “really well” with Corbyn and that the pair had been communicating about the conference, which she said they wanted to be “a positive, joyful experience where members feel empowered”.However, tensions between Sultana and key allies of Corbyn persist.
Relations with his former chief of staff Karie Murphy are believed to be particularly strained.Sultana admitted there was still a “toxic culture” in Your Party, which had led to “bullying, intimidation and smears” and “acts of deliberate sabotage”.She said: “I can definitely say that toxic culture I’ve experienced needs to be rooted out.I would say that is directly from the handbook of the Labour right.It’s shocking to experience in a new leftwing, socialist party.
We do need to dismantle that culture,“I think there are people who are around Jeremy – not Jeremy himself – who have learned the wrong lessons from their time in the Labour party, where they have been on the wrong end of smears, of sabotage, attacks in the rightwing press … they are now using the same tactics when really we should have a healthy climate of being able to debate and disagree,”In his speech on Saturday, Corbyn called for unity,“As a party, we’ve got to come together and be united, because division and disunity will not serve the interests of the people that we want to represent,” he said,He also called for “public, democratic ownership” of the water industry, led a chant of “free, free Palestine” and urged party members to “campaign forevermore for real socialism and real social justice”.
Benjamina Ebuehi’s coffee caramel and rum choux tower Christmas showstopper – recipe
Christmas is the perfect time for something a bit more extravagant and theatrical. And a very good way to achieve this is to bring a tower of puffy choux buns to the table and pour over a jugful of boozy chocolate sauce and coffee caramel while everyone looks on in awe. To help avoid any stress on the day, most of the elements can be made ahead: the chocolate sauce and caramel can be gently reheated before pouring, while the choux shells can be baked the day before and crisped up in the oven for 10 minutes before filling.Prep 10 min Cook 1 hr 15 min Serves 10-12120ml milk 120g butter ½ tbsp sugar A pinch of salt 160g strong white flour 4-5 large eggs, beatenDemerara sugar, for sprinkling400ml double cream ½ tsp vanilla bean paste ½ tbsp icing sugarFor the coffee caramel140ml double cream 2 tsp instant coffee or espresso powder110g sugar 50g unsalted butter A big pinch of flaky sea saltFor the chocolate sauce 150g dark chocolate 1½ tbsp brown sugar 2-3 tbsp rum A pinch of saltHeat the oven to 210C (190C fan)/410F/gas 6½ and line two large baking trays with baking paper. To make the choux, put the milk, 120ml water, butter, sugar and salt in a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil
Facing burnout, she chased her dream of making pie - and built an empire: ‘Pie brings us together’
Thanksgiving may be a holiday steeped in myth and controversy – but there’s still something Americans largely agree on: there’s nothing wrong with the holiday’s traditional dessert. So says Beth Howard, expert pie maker, cookbook author, memoirist, and now documentary film-maker.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more
Yes, there are reasons to be cynical about Thanksgiving. But there’s also turkey …
It’s easy to be cynical about Thanksgiving. The origin story that we’re all told – of a friendly exchange of food between the pilgrims and the Native Americans – is, at best, a whitewashed oversimplification. And then there’s Black Friday, an event that has hijacked one of our few non-commercialised holidays and used it as the impetus for a stressful, shameless, consumerist frenzy.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link
Wine magnums aren’t just for Christmas – or even champagne
There are many reasons you may want to buy a magnum, and those reasons multiply and proliferate around this time of the year. Your usual night in with your partner becomes a party for six. Dinner with the family becomes an enormous pre-Christmas do, with thirsty adults and kids in the way everywhere. And watering the masses can get expensive, not to mention cumbersome.The Guardian’s journalism is independent
Danish delight: Tim Anderson’s cherry marzipan kringle recipe for Thanksgiving
Kringles are a kind of pastry that’s synonymous with my home town of Racine, Wisconsin. Originally introduced by Danish immigrants in the late 19th century, they’re essentially a big ring of flaky Viennese pastry filled with fruit or nuts, then iced and served in little slices. Even bad kringles are pretty delicious, and when out-of-towners try them for the first time, their reaction is usually: ”Where has this been all my life?”We eat kringles year-round, but I mainly associate them with fall, perhaps because of their common autumnal fillings such as apple or cranberry, or perhaps because of the sense of hygge they provide. I also associate kringles with Thanksgiving – and with uncles. And I don’t think it’s just me; Racine’s biggest kringle baker, O&H Danish Bakery, operates a cafe/shop called “Danish Uncle”
How to turn the dregs of a jar of Marmite into a brilliant glaze for roast potatoes – recipe | Waste not
I never peel a roastie, because boiling potatoes with their skins on, then cracking them open, gives you the best of both worlds: fluffy insides and golden, craggy edges. Especially when you finish roasting them in a glaze made with butter (or, even better, saved chicken, pork, beef or goose fat) and the last scrapings from a Marmite jar.I’ve always been fanatical about Marmite, so much so that I refuse to waste a single scoop. I used to wrestle with a butter knife, scraping endlessly at the jar’s sticky bottom, until I learned that there’s a reason the rounded pot has a small flat spot on each side. When you get close to the end of the jar, store the pot on its side, so the last of that black gold inside pools neatly into the side for easy removal
Is gen Z’s love of fried chicken pushing Britain to ‘peak pizza’?
Net migration is plummeting. Why can’t Labour say so? | Heather Stewart
How big tech is creating its own friendly media bubble to ‘win the narrative battle online’
More than 1,000 Amazon workers warn rapid AI rollout threatens jobs and climate
Head ready to open again in second Ashes Test and says flexible batters will be key
Eli Katoa hopeful of NRL return as he pays tribute to partner and Storm after brain surgery