Walsall independents join Jeremy Corbyn’s Your Party

Two independent councillors at Walsall Council have joined Jeremy Corbyn’s 'Your Party', and hope to stand as candidates for the newly formed political group next year.

Leader of the independent group at the authority, Councillor Aftab Nawaz, confirmed the move after attending a Your Party launch in Birmingham on Monday October 6. 

Also in attendance at the event were Walsall councillors Khizar Hussain, Hajran Bashir, Sabina Ditta, Naheed Gultasib and Saiqa Nasreen, all of who left the Labour Party over its policies on Gaza. 

Your Party was launched in July 2025 by former Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn and Coventry South MP, Zarah Sultana. 

It is yet to choose a name and create a constitution, and Councillor Nawaz said all independents will remain as such until the formal processes at Your Party are finalised. 

Councillor Nawaz, the former labour leader at Walsall Council, said: “As councillors, we left the labour party because of their policies on Gaza, which, unfortunately, have continued and ensured that the British government is complicit in the genocide. 

“We left on principal and we’ve held our own at the council. As a group of councillors, we’ve decided to join Your Party as a movement, and we hope in the future, we will be standing as their candidates. 

“We share many aspirations with Your Party about public services, about bringing main utilities under public control, about fairness, and ensuring that there’s equity in the country where the super-rich pay their fair share. We see it as a natural progression for us.”

On May 7th 2026, Walsall will see the biggest election held since 2004 as every seat on the council is up for grabs. 

Councillor Aftab Nawaz added: “Your Party is a home for those people who are fed up with the status quo of Labour and Conservatives, both increasing inequalities, not dealing with the cost of living crisis and not promoting peace and justice across the world. 

“Reform says everything’s really bad in our world and blames immigrants, muslims and asylum seekers. Tories are nowhere to be seen, and the Labour Party is trying to do a pale version of Reform with all these stupid policies about banning protests.

“Your Party is the only one that’s offering a positive and hopeful vision for the future, one where all our communities respect each other and we don’t scapegoat our poor and most desperate just to make a political point.”