Jeremy Corbyn held an event in Wes Streeting’s constituency hours after the former Labour leader announced he would launch a new Left-wing party. Mr Corbyn spoke in Ilford North alongside Leanne Mohamad, the pro-Palestinian candidate who almost defeated the Health Secretary at last year’s General Election.

Mr Streeting, who is a favourite to succeed Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister, is battling to hold on to his London seat, which he won with a wafer-thin majority of 528. The Islington North MP spoke to a 300-strong crowd at the event at the City Gates Conference Centre at 6.30pm on Friday.

A source told The Telegraph that the veteran Left-winger criticised the Labour Government’s record on child poverty and stance over the Israel-Gaza conflict.

The event, called Breaking the Two-Party Nightmare, had been planned before the new party announcement and was to mark one year since the election in July 2024.

Earlier that day, Mr Corbyn promised that the “foundations of a new kind” of party will “take shape” soon, adding that “discussions are ongoing”.

Coventry South MP Zarah Sultana, who has been an independent since last year, said on Thursday that she was resigning from Labour to lead the establishment of a new party with Mr Corbyn, alongside other independent MPs and campaigners.

It is understood that questions over the leadership and the timing of an announcement had not been settled before Ms Sultana’s statement.

In a statement more than 17 hours after Ms Sultana’s, Mr Corbyn said: “The democratic foundations of a new kind of political party will soon take shape.

“Discussions are ongoing – and I am excited to work alongside all communities to fight for the future people deserve.”

He also said that Ms Sultana will “help us build a real alternative”.

Mr Corbyn led Labour from 2015 to April 2020, stepping down after the party lost the 2019 General Election.

He was suspended from Labour in 2020 in an antisemitism row and blocked from standing for the party at the last election.

He was expelled in the spring of 2024 after saying he would stand as an independent candidate in his Islington North constituency, which he won with a majority of more than 7,000.