Jeremy Corbyn to woo independent Lancashire councillors on 'sold out' county visit to promote 'Your Party'

The former Labour leader will be in Blackburn and Preston on Saturday afternoon for the first events on a nationwide tour heralding the launch of his new left-wing ‘Your Party’, as it has provisionally been titled.

Both of the public gatherings are fully booked, with hundreds expected to attend each.

The Lancashire Post understands Mr. Corbyn will also hold private discussions with independent politicians from Central and East Lancashire – at county, unitary and borough council levels – some of whom have signed up to join his new movement and some who, so far, have not.

Three of Lancashire County Council’s independent members – all representing parts of Preston – have already publicly declared that they will be joining Your Party when it is formally established.

They are amongst seven indies at County Hall who sit with the Green Party to form the official opposition on the authority, known as Progressive Lancashire.

The leader of that alliance, Azhar Ali – himself a former Labour county councillor – told the Post earlier this month he had no immediate plans to become part of Mr. Corbyn’s new party, but it is understood he is expected to speak at one of the rallies.

Pendle independent county councillor Mohammed Iqbal said he would “consider” joining once more details were known.

Just last week, Carol Henshaw – a former cabinet member on Preston City Council – said she had signed up to Your Party after quitting Labour, having been suspended and put under investigation over claims she made an antisemitic comment in a WhatsApp chat.

County Cllr Michael Lavalette – one of the three Preston Independents committed to the new entity – said it was “a feather in Lancashire’s cap” that the Your Party road trip should start here.

He told the Post it reflected the level of support expressed for the venture – to be jointly led by Jeremy Corbyn and ex-Labour MP Zarah Sultana – since it was announced last month.

“The voting intentions for the youngest age groups, in particular, are very strongly in favour of ‘Your Party’. Some of the polls are putting us at 32-34 percent in that age category,” said County Cllr Lavalette.

“I’ve never known such interest and such demand for tickets for a political rally. I think this shows the huge pent-up demand for a political party that is determined to put people before profit, invest in housing and public services, deal with the cost of living crisis and tackle the inequality problem that completely distorts life in Britain.”

Ms. Sultana plans to visit Preston in October – when university students will be back in the city – to capitalise on the claimed traction amongst younger voters.

Saturday’s events will see Mr. Corbyn – who led the Labour Party between 2015 and 2020 – join Blackburn’s independent MP Adnam Hussain at a rally at the Grand Venue in Harrison Street in the town from 1pm.

He will then travel to Preston to address an audience in the sports Hall at Cardinal Newman College, in St Augustine’s Place, from 3.30pm.

Although the free tickets for both rallies have all been reserved, people may be admitted on the day if any of those who have pre-booked do not attend.