Zarah Sultana Welcomed by Students – But Your Party’s Internal Strife Emerges

Published on: 22 Feb, 2026
Updated on: 22 Feb, 2026

Zarah Sultana MP being interviewed by Amelie Abass.

By Cormac Crowley

UK’s left-wing politics came into focus at the University of Surrey last week when nearly 400 people, mainly students, attended an event at which the controversial former Labour and current Your Party MP, Zarah Sultana was interviewed.

Whilst the mood on stage and within the audience remained upbeat throughout the event, it faltered slightly when the fraught internal politics of Your Party emerged in the form of verbal challenges and heckling by Piers Corbyn, brother of Jeremy.

Sultana discussed student activism, fighting Reform UK and, her vision for Your Party.

She said that the turnout showed “young people are not the future, they are the present of politics, of organising, of mobilising against the far right, against the climate emergency, and building a better future.”

The student initiative saw Sultana sit down with second-year Politics student Amelie Abass to a predominately student, and supportive, crowd who were highly engaged throughout.

The audience frequently stopped to applaud Sultana’s answers, most notably in her critique of The Labour Party as being “dead electorally, dead morally” citing the government’s failure to lift the two-child benefit cap at an earlier date and the proscription of Palestine Action.

Reflecting on her own time at university, Sultana told the crowd of her fresher’s week, spent on a visit to the west bank, where she witnessed “the daily humiliation the Palestinians go through just trying to go through checkpoints.” The experience has been central to the moulding of her political beliefs and still, she said, impassions her today.

Many attendees said they were impressed with the 32-year-old MP who represents Coventry South. Markus Mesilane said: “She had a real sense of authenticity that I think is maybe lacking in the eyes of a lot of voters nowadays… Even if you disagree with what she has to say, you know that she at least believes in it.”

Piers Corbyn Wikipedia

Piers Corbyn, 78, interrupted the closing Q&A session to refute a claim made by a student that he had engaged in anti-immigrant comment and actions.

Corbyn interrupted a second time to demand Sultana answer for his suspension as a member preventing his candidature for the Your Party Central Executive Committee (CEC) elections, after receiving 102 endorsements for selection in the London division. Corbyn claimed it was part of a witch-hunt against him.

The Daily Express reported in August of 2025 that Corbyn had appeared at a protest outside a migrant hotel in Epping, Essex, which Sultana referenced in her rebuttal of Corbyn. This was the reason she gave for his suspension as a CEC candidate.

Although Piers Corbyn is still shown as a candidate on the Your Party website he has said on social media: “On 8 February 2026, I was informed that following a ‘preliminary investigation’ I had allegedly breached certain Membership and Election Rules and that my membership was suspended with immediate effect, resulting in my disqualification as a candidate.”

Corbyn continued to heckle Sultana, demanding a response to his questions on candidate selection processes.

Appreciative students gather around Zara Sultana at the end of the event.

But the interruption did not reflect the mood amongst attendees, who continued to applaud Sultana as the event closed and flock to her for further discussion. The popularity of the event will be deemed a great success for the University of Surrey and its Politics Department.

Professor Theofanis Exadaktylos, Head of Politics at the University of Surrey, concluded “It was great to have Zarah Sultana visit the university, more so because this was a student led initiative” adding that “the conversation had many messages for many different people and I hope that the students and the public that attended make the most out of it when they consider their political choices.”

You can watch the full interview on Stag TV’s YouTube channel by clicking here An Evening with Zarah Sultana MP at the University of Surrey.