Independent Alliance: What you need to know about Jeremy Corbyn’s new political group

By Michael Baggs (with Emily Maitlis & Lewis Goodall)

Jeremy Corbyn, and four additional independent MPs, have formed a political group to stand against austerity and arms sales to Israel, amongst other things.

Read time: 4 minutes

In brief…

• The Independent Alliance says it will challenge government policy on winter fuel payments, the two-child benefit cap and weapon sales.
• Tory leadership hopeful Kemi Badenoch has said that its members represent “sectarian Islamist politics,” which the group strongly denies.
• The News Agents say the group could pose a “challenge” to the Labour government, and Corbyn may attract other MPs to join.

What's the story?

"Millions of people are crying out for a real alternative to austerity, inequality and war – and their voices deserve to be heard."

This is the mission statement from the Independent Alliance, a new coalition of independent UK MPs, united behind common goals.

At the July election, six independent MPS won seats in Parliament – the most in UK history – and this new group is made up of five of those. They are Jeremy Corbyn, Shockat Adam, Adnan Hussain, Ayoub Khan and Iqbal Mohamed.

All of these MPs won their seats over Labour rivals, and all stood on a pro-Gaza stance in the election.

"Already, this government has scrapped the winter fuel allowance for around 10 million pensioners, voted to keep the two-child benefits cap, and ignored calls to end arms sales to Israel," the group says in its announcement statement.

"As individuals we were voted by our constituents to represent their concerns in Parliament on these matters, and more, and we believe that as a collective group we can carry on doing this with greater effect."

Emily Maitlis says the group's anti-austerity message has been "at the heart of Corbyn's policies for decades."

The group says its door is "always open" to other MPs who may want to join, and has reportedly contacted seven Labour MPs who were recently suspended for voting against the government, in favour of scrapping the two-child benefit cap.

All seven were former allies of Jeremy Corbyn during his time as a Labour politician and leader.

It is not a political party, but with five members it already has more MPs in the House of Commons than the Green Party, and equals the number of Reform UK MPs.

The group has formed in the hope of getting more time in Parliament to ask questions on its key issues, but a spokesperson for the House speaker has not confirmed whether this will happen.

What has the Independent Alliance done so far?

The five MPs have already worked together alongside Green and Scottish National Party (SNP) MPs in calling for the benefit cap to be axed by the government.

On the day the group was publicly announced, it issued a statement condemning Conservative MP Kemi Badenoch and some of the language used as she launched her bid to become the next Tory leader.

During a press conference to launch her bid, Badenoch said she was "more worried" about the five pro-Gaza MPs than the seats gained by Reform UK, referring to them as advocating for "sectarian Islamist politics", and saying they support "alien ideas that have no place here."

An open letter from the Independent Alliance calls her comments an "outrageous slur", adding her comment "maligns thousands of voters and peace campaigners".

“It'll be interesting to see how this plays into the Conservative leadership race," says Lewis Goodall.

"They've been warning and talking about the rise of a sectarian party, a party which basically represents Muslim voters in particular."

On the day the group was announced, the UK government suspended 30 arms export licences to Israel, following a Foreign Office review raising concerns over Israel's actions in Gaza.

Independent Alliance has since called for an “immediate and full suspension”.

What's The News Agents take?

It's not Kemi Badenoch or the Conservatives who should be concerned about the influence of the Independent Alliance, Emily Maitlis says, but instead the Labour government.

"I wonder whether there is a kind of implicit attraction – or threat, if you like – to the Labour Party, which is if you don't like what you're seeing Keir Starmer doing, whether it's on winter fuel, whether it's on the cuts that are going to come in, then know that there is a grouping here for you," she says.

Lewis says the new group could pose an "interesting challenge" for Labour.

"They struggle with a particular type of voter, particularly Muslim voters in lots of constituencies, and indeed they could have lost more still," he says.

Lewis adds that if the group does not get more time to speak in the Commons, it may find "incentive" to create an official party.

“It isn't guaranteed just because they group together, the speaker will give them those rights that they're calling for because they're not a formal political party," he says.

"Jeremy Corbyn, although he's a maligned figure in lots of ways, there is no doubt that he could still attract, through his name recognition a not-insubstantial following of activists in the country, real attention.”

Listen in full on The News Agents.

---