Former leader of the British Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn has announced he is standing as an independent candidate in the upcoming General Election.
Mr Corbyn said he will stand in his constituency of Islington North, vowing to be “an independent voice for equality, democracy and peace”.
The former party leader has been suspended by Labour since 2020 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 and said antisemitism had been “dramatically overstated for political reasons”.
Mr Corbyn told the Islington Tribune that he would fight to retain a seat he has represented for 40 years, adding: “We have to stand up and defend our rights.”
Mr Corbyn appealed to lifelong Labour voters, saying that “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”.
He went on to say that “these principles are needed now more than ever before”, vowing to defend “a genuine alternative to the corrupt years of this Tory government”, including rent controls, public ownership of energy and water, the abolition of the two-child benefits cap, a Green New Deal, and an ethical foreign policy based on peace and human rights.
Mr Corbyn added: “When I was first elected, I made a promise to stand by my constituents no matter what. In Islington North, we keep our promises.”
His successor as Labour leader Keir Starmer said Mr Corbyn’s decision is a matter for himself.
He told BBC Breakfast: “Well, look, that’s a matter for Jeremy, he’s obviously made his mind up about that.
“We will have an excellent Labour candidate in Islington North, as we’ve got excellent Labour candidates across the country,” Mr Starmer said.
“But in the end, this election is about a choice, a choice of five more years of the chaos and division that we’ve seen over the last 14 years or turning the page and rebuilding our country with Labour.
“That is what’s on the ballot paper, whether it’s in Islington North or anywhere else across the country.”
The UK general election is due to take place on Thursday 4 July, following a surprise announcement by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak earlier this week.
