How a lifelong backbench rebel became the leader of the British Labour Party
Jeremy Corbyn spent decades as a defiant parliamentary outsider, consistently voting against his own party leadership. Yet, in 2015, this veteran socialist activist surged to the top of the Labour Party, fundamentally shifting its direction before his eventual expulsion and the launch of his own political movement in 2025.
Born in 1949, Jeremy Corbyn’s political identity was forged early through his parents’ activism and his own involvement in trade unions and social movements. After working as a union official and serving on the Haringey Council, he was elected as the Member of Parliament for Islington North in 1983. For over three decades, Corbyn established himself as a persistent rebel, frequently defying the Labour whip and championing causes ranging from anti-apartheid efforts and nuclear disarmament to Irish republicanism and Palestinian statehood.
Corbyn’s tenure as Labour leader from 2015 to 2020 marked a sharp turn toward the left. He advocated for renationalising public utilities, reversing austerity measures, and adopting a less interventionist military policy. His leadership was defined by significant volatility: he oversaw a surge in party membership and a strong performance in the 2017 general election, where Labour increased its vote share by 10 percentage points. However, his term was also marred by internal conflict, criticism regarding antisemitism, and a historic electoral defeat in 2019, which left the party with its fewest seats since 1935.
The trajectory of his career culminated in a total break from the party he had joined as a teenager. Following his suspension in 2020 and the refusal of the Labour Party to allow him to stand as a candidate in 2024, Corbyn successfully ran as an independent. By July 2025, he co-founded a new political entity, Your Party, with Zarah Sultana, eventually becoming its parliamentary leader in 2026. This transition from a lifelong Labour backbencher to the head of a new party reflects the enduring, albeit polarizing, influence of his socialist platform on British politics.
Source: Jeremy Corbyn
