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Collective (organisation)

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Collective
Secretary-GeneralPamela Fitzpatrick
FoundersKarie Murphy
Pam Fitzgerald
Justin Schlosberg
Founded2023
Membership4,000+
IdeologyDemocratic socialism
Ecosocialism
Labourism
Left-wing populism
Progressivism
Social democracy
Political positionLeft-wing[1]
Regional affiliationCollective Scotland
Colours  Grey
Website
we-are-collective.org

The Collective is a left-wing political organisation and future political party in United Kingdom that was founded in 2023 by Karie Murphy, British trade unionist and former executive director of the leader of the opposition under Jeremy Corbyn.[2][3] Pamela Fitzpatrick is the director of the Collective.[4]

Collective reportedly aims to counter "rightward drift" in the Labour Party and the rise of politicians like Nigel Farage of the Reform UK, it also wants to establish a significant "left-wing presence" in UK politics. Collective is planning to eventually transform itself into a political party once its membership grows and reaches atleast 100,000 people.[5] The Collective said that it have over 4,000 members.[6]

The Morning Star reported that Collective has merged itself with smaller political groups in 2025 and plans to become a major leftist party with Jeremy Corbyn becoming its intermin leader. Discussion about the founding of a new party have been largely organized by the organisation.[7][8] Collective also plans to have seats in the next UK general election, specifically about a dozen MPs.[9][10]

History

[edit]

Collective was created in late 2023 as a political group. The main founders of the group included Karie Murphy, director of the leader of the opposition under Jeremy Corbyn, Pam Fitzgerald, leader of the Peace & Justice Project and academic Justin Schlosberg. The goal of the Collective was to unite all left-wing independents in the future general elections, with Corbyn being their leader. The Collective was a low-profile organisation, and reportedly had failed to achieve its stated goals. It took part in the 2024 UK general election and endorsed Green Party. It also posted memes on the internet in support of some candidates of Socialist Party and Fiona Lali of RCI. Collective was initially created as a loose alliance of independent candidates in the 2024 election, it was not registered as a political party and was not visible in the ballot papers. Collective's website, which was launched in February 2024, invited people to join as members, offering them the organisation's newsletter. It claims to have about 4,000 members who pay £2 to have access to the newsletter.[3][6][11]

Jeremy Corbyn's involvement and discussions about a wider left-wing party

[edit]

Collective held invitation only meetings in 2024, with one having around 40 attendees. Jeremy Corbyn had attended them as an interested observer.[12] On 15 September 2024,[13] days after Independent Alliance was formed, Jeremy Corbyn attended another private meeting held by Collective. The attendees of the event included Len McCluskey, Karie Murphy and Jamie Driscoll. Corbyn gave an opening speech at the event, with founders of the party saying that they are going to begin "drawing up democratic structures" for a new party to launch. An unnamed source said that Corbyn's attendance was not official endorsement of Collective and that he was there only to "listen and share a variety of views about the way forward for the left".[14][15] Other people who attended the meeting included former Tower Hamlets mayor Lutfur Rahman, film director Ken Loach and South African politician Andrew Feinstein.[16][17]

Collective also held a meeting on September 2024 with Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), discussing future local elections in Coventry and Dundee. TUSC had released a briefing document written by Clive Heemskerk that detailed all discussions between them and Collective's plans to become a party.[10][18]

Corbyn's former adviser, Andrew Murray, speaking in a podcast by GB News, said that that discussions about a new party had started since Corbyn was kicked out of the Labour Party. He said that the name of the new party would be choosen by its members and that "Collective" or "Arise" could be possible choices.[19] The Morning Star said that two plans for the establishment of the new party were being considered: the first plan would involve Corbyn joining Collective as interim leader; in the second plan, he would join a new unnamed party with Zarah Sultana as co-leader.[2] The Collective is split into two factions in discussions about the creation of the party. First faction is led by McCluskey, Murphy and Fitzpatrick who want to create the new party immediately, the second faction is led by Corbyn, Feinstein and Driscoll who want to develop Collective before turning it into a party.[20]

Platform

[edit]

Collective said that it was created to "drive the formation of a new, mass-membership political party of the left". Pamela Fitzpatrick, director of the Collective, said that they have "seen the rise of the far right" and are feeling "politically homeless" and that they need a "real movement that can fill that gap”. Its promotional video encouraged people to "take on both the Labour-Tory establishment" and "rigged political system".[14][15] Collective also aims to "challenge" the "centrist turn" of the Labour Party under Keir Starmer.[21] Collective's website said that they are working with various left-wing organisation and parties that include Liverpool Community Independents, Transform, Just Stop Oil, The Muslim Vote and TUSC.[12]

Collective said that its objective is to gain parliamentary, regional and local government seats to serve the labour movement. Reportedly, Collective's plan was to register at least 100,000 party members by 2025 and establish a political programme that is different from Labour, Greens and Workers Party. It also said that they are going to support electoral alliances with other "alternative left" parties and organisations which "share" ther "core values". Collective planned to be registered as a party in Electoral Commission by early 2025, with a public launch in 2025. It also wanted to have a minimum of 150 elected councillors in 2025 UK local elections and achieve a dozen MPs in the next United Kingdom general election.[10] Collective's introduction section on its website features 854 words. Policies like Green New Deal has only 27 words discussing them, 405 words are about Gaza War.[22]

Organisation

[edit]

Collective has a branch in Scotland, Jim Monaghan is an "Interim Scottish Secretariat" of the group. He said that he is going to build "a full-fledged electoral alliance of the Scottish left" to run in the 2026 Scottish parliament election.[23] An unnamed source told The National that Collective is "behind the new party" referenced by Zara Sultana but are "not a new party in its own right".[24]

References

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  1. ^ O'Grady, Sea (3 July 2025). "Could a new party led by Jeremy Corbyn reshape politics?". The Independent. Last September, Corbyn addressed a meeting aimed at founding a new left-wing party, Collective; his faithful ally...
  2. ^ a b Kenyon, Megan (4 July 2025). "Zarah Sultana's big messy surprise for Jeremy Corbyn". New Statesman.
  3. ^ a b Cooper, Matt (2 April 2025). "An engine that isn't driving". Worker' Liberty.
  4. ^ "The New Party, Beyond London". Novara Media. 27 May 2025.
  5. ^ "Jeremy Corbyn Explores Formation of New Left-Wing Party 'Collective'". iSideWith. 7 February 2024.
  6. ^ a b Roberts, Carla (9 January 2025). "New year, new left party?". Weekly Worker.
  7. ^ "Could a new left party change the political weather?". Morning Star. 26 June 2025.
  8. ^ Hames, Richard (8 July 2025). "What We Know About the New Left Party So Far". Novara Media.
  9. ^ Burke, Dave (16 September 2024). "Jeremy Corbyn 'attends talks over forming new Collective political party'". Daily Mirror.
  10. ^ a b c Heemskerk, Clive (4 September 2024). "Report from 'The Collective' discussions and the way forward" (PDF). TUSC.
  11. ^ Murray, Craig (18 September 2024). "A New Left Wing Party in the UK?". Craig Murray UK.
  12. ^ a b "Collective: An attempt at a new left party in the UK". Xekinima News. 10 December 2024. Archived from the original on 26 January 2025.
  13. ^ Sivier, Mike (16 September 2024). "At last the UK is to have a left-wing political party to challenge the right". Vox Political.
  14. ^ a b Elgot, Jessica (15 September 2024). "Jeremy Corbyn addresses meeting on formation of new leftwing party". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077.
  15. ^ a b Beckett, Andy (15 November 2024). "Meet the groups trying to create a new leftwing party – and channel the energy missing from Starmer's Labour". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077.
  16. ^ Peat, Jack (16 September 2024). "Corbyn at meeting to establish 'Reform UK of the left' called 'Collective'". The London Economic.
  17. ^ "Jeremy Corbyn Advocates for New Leftwing Party". London Daily News. 17 September 2024.
  18. ^ Best, Mark (11 September 2024). "TUSC discusses 'Collective' network plans for a new party". The Socialist.
  19. ^ Francis, Sam (4 July 2025). "Corbyn's new party - is it happening and could it damage Labour?". BBC News – via Yahoo News.
  20. ^ Roberts, Carla (26 September 2024). "Hidden divisions in Collective". Weekly Worker. Archived from the original on 9 November 2024.
  21. ^ "Jeremy Corbyn poised to form new political party in UK". Dawn Newspaper. 5 July 2025.
  22. ^ Aaronovitch, David (14 April 2025). "Coming really soon, the new party of the Left?". Notes from the Underground with David Aaronovitch – via Substack.
  23. ^ Jackson, Lucy (6 July 2025). "Details emerge of Scottish arm of new Corbyn project". The National.
  24. ^ Small, Mike (8 July 2025). "Party Fears Too". Bella Caledonia. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025.
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