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Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has announced he will stand as an independent candidate in Islington North in the general election.
Mr Corbyn, who has held the seat for more than 40 years, was suspended from the parliamentary Labour party in 2020 following a row over antisemitism.
In an interview with his local Islington Tribune newspaper, he said he would be “a voice for equality, democracy and peace”.
He added: “I am here to represent the people of Islington North on exactly the same principles that I’ve stood by my whole life: social justice, human rights and peace”.
Labour is yet to announce its candidate for the seat, which will be contested in the general election on 4 July, announced by Rishi Sunak earlier this week.
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At the last general election in 2019, Mr Corbyn won the seat for Labour with a share of the vote of more than 64 per cent. The Lib Dems, who have named Vikas Aggarwal as their candidate for the seat, came second.
Earlier this week, Labour MP John McDonnell said Mr Corbyn would still have “a lot of very personal support” if he stood as an independent – he also said he hoped Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer would allow him to return as a Labour candidate.
It’s also believed that discontent over Labour leader Sir Keir’s stance on the war in Gaza could boost his vote.
Mr Corbyn was suspended by Labour after he refused to fully accept the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s findings that the party broke equality law when he was in charge.
The 74-year-old, who was leader of the party from 2015 to 2020, also said antisemitism had been “dramatically overstated for political reasons”.
However, his individual party membership, which was also suspended, was restored in November 2020, meaning Mr Corbyn remained a member of the Labour Party.
More to follow on this breaking story….
