A split has emerged in the Green Party over whether it should enter into an electoral pact with Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana.
A leadership election is currently underway in the Greens, where the issue of an alliance with Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana’s new party, announced last week, is proving to be a key issue.
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Zack Polanski, the current deputy who is looking to replace Bristol MP Carla Denyer as leader, has indicated he is open to co-operation with the two former Labour MPs – a demand of some left-wing campaign groups, including We Deserve Better.
Mr Corbyn and Ms Sultana have also both signalled they are open to “co-operating” with the Greens.
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However, Green MPs Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns, who are also running on a joint ticket for the leadership, have issued a fresh statement alongside former Green MP Caroline Lucas, in which they reject calls for a pact and urge the party to keep its “distinctive identity”.
Ms Chowns, the MP for North Herefordshire, said: “As the current Labour government balances the books on the backs of the poorest and backslides on its commitments to counter climate breakdown, it’s crucially important that the Green Party keeps its distinctive identity as the only party in British politics with climate and environment front and centre.
“To win under first-past-the-post, we have to connect with a wide range of voters. We do that not through polarising language that appeals only to a narrow segment, but with the language of fairness, compassion and hope for a thriving, sustainable future.”
She added: “Polling by YouGov shows that people who voted for all the other parties in 2024 are much more likely to consider voting Green next time than for a Corbyn-led party, and our ability to keep winning over voters from every other party is a huge strength in an increasingly crowded political landscape.”
Last week, Mr Corbyn, the independent MP for Islington North, ended speculation about whether he would lead a new left-wing party when he announced he would join forces with Ms Sultana, who was suspended from Labour last year for voting to scrap the two-child benefit cap.
The former Labour leader – who earlier this month appeared to have been blindsided by the announcement of a new outfit by Ms Sultana – said it was “time for a new political party”.
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It has been given the interim name of “Your Party” but members will decide a formal name in due course.
Hilary Schan, chair of We Deserve Better, which is campaigning for a left-wing electoral alliance, told Sky News the Greens should entertain the prospect of an alliance with the new left-wing party “to win big”.
“This is an exciting time for the left in Britain,” he said.
“If the new left party and the Greens unite, we can turn the page on Labour-Tory decline and win big across the country.
“We will work with the next Green party leadership to make this winning electoral alliance of the left a reality.”
Divisions over whether to join forces with Mr Corbyn and Ms Sultana largely reflect the geographic spread of the Green MPs, with two representing city seats and two rural seats.
Mr Ramsay and Ms Chowns both represent rural seats, where they beat Tory incumbents – meaning the prospect of a pact with Mr Corbyn and Ms Sultana will be unlikely to appeal to their constituents.
Ms Lucas, who stood down as the MP for Brighton Pavilion at last year’s general election and is backing Mr Ramsay and Ms Chowns, said the Green Party was a “serious political party winning power at every level, as well as being part of the wider environmental and social justice movement”.
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In an interview with The Guardian, Mr Polanski, who is also a member of the London Assembly, said he was “open to working with anyone who’s up for challenging the far-right threat of Reform and this unpopular Labour government”.
“Exactly what this might possibly look like with regard to any sort of arrangement is a bridge I’ll cross further down the line and will be in the hands of Green Party members,” he added.
“The new party doesn’t exist yet, and 2029 is some way off.”
Under the Green Party rulebook, internal leadership elections are held every two years.
However, in 2021, Mr Ramsay and Ms Denyer were elected for a three-year term instead because of the disruption caused by the COVID pandemic.
The Green Party membership then voted not to hold an election in 2024 to avoid an overlap with the general election.
Nominations for the leadership opened on 2 June and closed on 30 June.
Ballots open on 1 August and close on 30 August, with the results announced on 2 September.
Sky News has approached Mr Polanski for comment.
