Islington North MP Jeremy Corbyn

WITH a new prime minister, the prospect of a general election looms on the horizon – but Islington North’s MP remains in limbo.

Liz Truss announced she expects to hold the next general election in 2024 last week. Against this backdrop, Jeremy Corbyn, who currently stands as an independent MP in parlia­ment, has renewed his calls for the Parliamentary Labour Party whip to be restored.

“The way I’ve been treated is extremely unfair, and there is no case for my current situation,” he told the Tribune.

“However, I will continue to work extremely hard as the MP for Islington North and obviously relate very well with the members of the Labour Party in Islington.”

Mr Corbyn had the whip removed in 2020, following the publication of the Equality and Human Rights Commission report, Investi­gation into anti­semitism in the Labour Party. At the time, he said he wanted the report’s recommendations to be implemented, adding that “the problem was also dramatically overstated for political reasons by our opponents inside and outside the party”.

The recently published Forde Report found that “some anti-Corbyn elements of the Party seized on anti-semitism as a way to attack Jeremy Corbyn, and his supporters saw it simply as an attack on the leader and his faction – with both ‘sides’ thus weaponising the issue”.

Sir Keir Starmer

Mr Corbyn, who plans to hold “an analysis of the Forde Report at [Labour] Conference”, has said previously that the report “completely vindicates the position that I took”.

Leader of Islington Council Cllr Kaya Comer-Schwartz also gave her public backing to Mr Corbyn.

While the choice of parliamentary candidate is “a decision for the NEC and hopefully for our local constituency Labour Party”, Cllr Comer-Schwartz told the Tribune: “I hope they will allow Jeremy to be a Labour candidate. He’s a Labour member and he’s been a fantastic local MP for over 30 years.”

“He has been right beside us in our recent local campaigns that mean so much to local residents: saving our local buses, the cost of living,” she said.

“He’s out all the time speaking to local residents, understanding what they’re going through and then taking that back into the work he does as an MP. I really hope that they do allow him to be the candidate.”

For leader of the Labour Party, Sir Keir Starmer, the Islington North constituency will present something of a headache in the run-up to the next general election.

Mr Starmer has repeatedly signalled that Mr Corbyn will not be allowed back into the party until he apologises for his comments.

Mr Corbyn has said this position is unfair, and that he will not apologise.

From here, Mr Starmer could decide to restore the whip to Mr Corbyn, or stand an alternative Labour candidate against Mr Corbyn when the time comes.