Allies of Jeremy Corbyn fear Zarah Sultana is encouraging members of far-left splinter groups to disrupt Your Party’s inaugural conference.
In recent weeks, Ms Sultana has appeared alongside representatives of groups who are not permitted to be members of Your Party or attend its conference under party rules – fuelling suspicion she is targeting them for support.
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They include the Revolutionary Communist Group, the Socialist Workers’ Party and the Socialist Party.
Although such groups are officially banned from the conference, there are still concerns they could infiltrate the gathering, “storm the stage” and seize the weekend’s agenda to disrupt proceedings.
The Coventry South MP is also holding her own separate rally on the eve of the conference on Friday 28 November, which her critics believe is an attempt to create a “false narrative” around being “frozen out” that could endear her to fringe groups.
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One Your Party source told Sky News: “This is an important moment for the party – we want open, democratic debate, but let’s work through it properly in an ordered fashion, especially when we will be in the national spotlight.”
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Speaking to Sky News, a spokesperson for Ms Sultana said the purpose of Your Party was “to unite the entire left”.
“That is why Zarah publicly supports dual membership. There can be no Labour right-style witch hunt in the run-up to conference.”
“Zarah’s role is to defend member democracy and advocate for a party that is led by Your Party members, not MPs – without coronations or a ‘jobs for mates’ approach. She is demanding an internal party audit of funds spent.
“Zarah is emphatic that the smears against her and other socialists must stop. Acts of sabotage, as we saw last Thursday before her appearance on BBC Question Time, will not be tolerated by the movement. These are tactics straight from the playbook of the Labour right.”
A key demand of some left-wing groups is that all left groups, regardless of size, “should be positively welcomed into the party”.
Under its draft constitution, which will be debated at the conference, members are currently not allowed to hold membership of any other national political party – in line with mainstream parties.
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Ms Sultana has stated that she does not agree with this point and has instead argued for “maximum member democracy” with its leadership structure decided by “members, not MPs”.
But a separate source close to Your Party said Ms Sultana’s approach was “creating an ultra-left cocoon – the opposite of a mass party”.
“Much of her original base is actually pro Zack Polanski, but the members she is trying to win over are ultra leftists,” they added. “She is alienating lots of prospective supporters, who are joining the Greens.”
The party’s inaugural conference is being held in Liverpool on 29-30 November.
Members are expected to vote on whether to adopt a co-leadership model, favoured by Ms Sultana, or a single leader, as is currently specified in the draft constitution.
The lead-up to the event, which is expected to be attended by several thousand members, has been marred by internal briefings that point to the breakdown of trust between the two sides.
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Earlier this week, The Times reported that Ms Sultana risked being banned from speaking at the conference – something that was denied by both Your Party and a spokesperson for Ms Sultana.
A Your Party source said the timetable for the conference had not yet been drawn up, with Mr Corbyn himself not yet having been allocated a speaking slot – although he will be addressing delegates.
Ms Sultana has also dismissed the suggestions she will not speak, with her spokesperson telling Sky News she will be “addressing the founding conference as members expect”.
The launch of Your Party – the formal name of which is yet to be decided – has been dominated by factional infighting and rifts between those who support Ms Sultana – and those loyal to Mr Corbyn.
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The problems began when Ms Sultana, who quit Labour after having the party whip removed for voting against the two-child benefit cap, announced the new left-wing party in July by herself on social media, in a move that appeared to blindside Mr Corbyn.
The tensions then deepened when Ms Sultana launched an “unauthorised” membership portal on 18 September without Mr Corbyn’s consent, claiming she was acting out of frustration at being sidelined by a “sexist boys club”.
Mr Corbyn supports the role played by the Independent Alliance MPs – who are responsible for overseeing the “steering process” for the new party and its conference – on the grounds that they are elected members of parliament.
One of those MPs, Adnan Hussain, resigned from the founding process last week and hit out at a culture of “persistent infighting, factionalism and a struggle for power”.
He also raised concerns about the treatment of Muslim men involved in Your Party, saying the rhetoric towards them – for example, over issues such as transgender rights, which Ms Sultana supports – “has been disturbingly similar to the forces the left claims to oppose”.
A Your Party spokesperson said: “We look forward to welcoming thousands of members to our historic founding conference to democratically decide Your Party’s structures and programme.”
