Adnan Hussain’s Exit Deepens Crisis in Your Party and Shakes British Left

Adnan Hussain’s Resignation: A Shock to the British Left

Adnan Hussain, the independent MP for Blackburn and a founding member of Your Party’s steering group, announced his departure just weeks before the party’s inaugural conference. This move has sent ripples across Britain’s progressive political landscape, laying bare the deep and persistent fractures within the new movement. Hussain’s decision, made public on Friday afternoon, was not merely a personal choice but a statement about the party’s culture and direction.

Hussain, elected in the July 2024 general election, had joined the steering group with a vision: a pluralistic, inclusive political space capable of representing those left behind by mainstream parties. He advocated for a “broad church” approach—one that welcomed working-class communities, people of faith, and those holding socially conservative but economically left-leaning views, all under a commitment to equality, justice, and anti-racism.

However, as Hussain explained in his resignation statement, the reality inside Your Party diverged sharply from these ideals. He described a “toxic, exclusionary and deeply disheartening” environment, dominated by persistent infighting and factional competition. According to Hussain, the culture had become more about power struggles than genuine cooperation or shared purpose. This sentiment was echoed in his remarks to The Guardian, where he condemned “veiled prejudice” and “generalised accusations and offensive slurs” against Muslim MPs—an accusation that casts a troubling light on the party’s internal dynamics.

Infighting, Accusations, and the Struggle for Identity

Your Party, led by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, emerged in the summer of 2024 as a beacon for disaffected progressives. Its launch drew significant attention, with hundreds of thousands signing up and early polls suggesting a potential 10 percent vote share nationally. But the promise of unity soon gave way to discord. The party’s lack of a formal structure and bank account at launch led to membership levies and donations being routed through a new company, MOU Operations Ltd, with Sultana as sole director. This arrangement would soon become a flashpoint.

By autumn, tensions reached a new high. Sultana and Corbyn clashed over the handover of nearly £850,000 in donations, a dispute that spilled into public statements and social media. Hussain, as secretary of the limited company behind Your Party, joined three other independent MPs and Corbyn in accusing Sultana of unnecessary delay in transferring the funds. Allies of Sultana countered that legal constraints prevented immediate transfer, and accused her detractors of undermining her leadership—timing their demands to coincide with her appearance on BBC One’s Question Time.

The money dispute was only the latest in a series of public rows. Earlier in September, Hussain’s comments on women’s rights and trans issues ignited fierce debate within the party. He asserted that “women’s rights and safe spaces should not be encroached upon,” and described trans women as “not biologically women,” referencing a recent Supreme Court ruling. These views garnered both support and condemnation, with Sultana responding pointedly: “There is no room for socially conservative views in a left-wing socialist party. Period.” The ideological divide over inclusivity and the boundaries of leftist politics became increasingly pronounced.

Leadership, Representation, and the Challenge of Coalition

For Your Party to succeed, it must bridge the divides between diverse communities—working-class, faith-based, socially conservative, and progressive activists. Hussain’s exit signals deep uncertainty about whether this is possible. The party’s organisers have hinted at strategic alliances with the Green Party, which has surged in polls and may soon rival Labour as the main left-wing force in Britain. But Your Party’s ability to mobilise voters from Muslim and working-class constituencies now hangs in the balance.

Hussain will continue as part of the Independent Alliance, alongside Shockat Adam, Ayoub Khan, Iqbal Mohamed, and Jeremy Corbyn. This group, elected in 2024, has already reshaped parliamentary dynamics, challenging Labour’s dominance and bringing new voices to Westminster. Yet Hussain’s critique—that liberal absolutism risks alienating the very communities the left needs to survive—raises a critical question: can the British left build a truly broad coalition without sacrificing its core principles?

Meanwhile, Sultana has alleged a “sexist boys’ club” atmosphere, claiming exclusion and mistreatment by her colleagues. The transfer of funds, the leadership contest, and the party’s founding conference are all now shadowed by these personal and political disputes. Corbyn’s silence on the most divisive issues has left observers wondering whether Your Party can move beyond factionalism to forge a credible alternative to Labour and the Greens.

What Next for Your Party—and the British Left?

The fate of Your Party remains uncertain. With its founding conference imminent and the question of leadership unresolved, the possibility of a durable left-wing coalition is at risk. If Hussain’s departure signals a narrowing of the party’s umbrella, large swathes of working-class and Muslim voters may turn elsewhere—potentially boosting the Greens or fragmenting the left even further.

Observers from Middle East Eye and The Guardian agree: the British left stands at a crossroads. The promise of pluralism and solidarity is threatened by power struggles and ideological purity tests. Whether Your Party can recover, redefine itself, and rally a divided base will shape not only its own future, but the broader trajectory of progressive politics in Britain.

Adnan Hussain’s resignation exposes a fundamental dilemma for the British left: the tension between inclusivity and ideological discipline. As Your Party wrestles with its identity, its ability to build bridges rather than walls will determine whether it can truly represent the diverse communities it claims to champion—or whether it will become another casualty of the very divisions it sought to heal.