‘Defeat would be a big blow’: Labour faces double

Jeremy Corbyn’s old constituency reacts to his decision to stand as independent, while decision looms on allowing Diane Abbott to rejoin the party

Ever since the Labour party withdrew the whip from Jeremy Corbyn in 2020 after he claimed that antisemitism in the party had been overstated, there has been much speculation about whether the former Labour leader would run as an independent.

Last week that question was finally answered when Corbyn announced that he would stand independently in Islington North, the constituency he has represented for 41 years, on a platform of “social justice, human rights and peace”.