Jennie Formby Joins Green Party Amid Corbyn Allies’ Shift
Jennie Formby, former general secretary of the Labour Party and an ally of Jeremy Corbyn, has joined the Green Party, marking a significant move among Corbyn supporters towards Zack Polanski’s leadership. Formby, who led the Labour Party from 2018 to 2020, announced to that she had become a Green party member and plans to campaign for the party ahead of May’s local elections.
Her defection is the latest in a series of senior Corbyn allies, including former Labour adviser James Meadway and others, who have transitioned to the Greens. This shift occurs even as Jeremy Corbyn attempts to establish Your Party, a left-wing alternative to Labour. The influx of experienced figures like Formby provides the Greens with enhanced policy expertise and organisational strength, though it also raises questions about the party’s focus on its environmental origins.
Formby’s Critique of Labour and Support for Green Policies
Formby expressed her reasons for joining the Greens, highlighting their stance on economic justice and workers’ rights. She stated:
“Zack and the Greens are not scared to talk about economic justice and tax increases. I am increasingly concerned by seeing the extent to which Labour is in hock to corporate sponsors.”
“The Greens also have some important policies on workers’ rights, which is important to me – all these things made me want to join the Green party and I want to do everything I can to support them.”
Formby revealed she had been voting Green since 2022 but only formally joined the party four months ago. She intends to actively campaign for her local council candidate in the upcoming elections.
Formby’s Background and Departure from Labour
Before joining the Greens, Formby was political director of the Unite union and became Labour’s general secretary in 2018 with backing from Corbyn and then shadow chancellor John McDonnell. She resigned in 2020 shortly after Keir Starmer took over Labour leadership, citing the leadership change as the appropriate moment to step down.
Formby has since been openly critical of Starmer’s leadership, accusing him of breaking promises soon after his election:
“Keir was elected on a bunch of things he immediately reneged on,”
“He does not have a set of principles which he is willing to stick to.”
She also cited Labour’s treatment of MPs who criticized the war in Ukraine and advocated for a peace deal recognizing Ukrainian self-determination while addressing Russia’s security concerns as a factor in her departure.
Labour’s Response and Green Party’s New Direction
A Labour source responded to Formby’s defection, stating:
“The Green party has the wrong answers for Britain. Whether it’s opposing housing and clean energy schemes across the country, or their lack of serious and credible proposals on the challenges facing working people, Zack Polanski’s party are not the answer.”
Under Zack Polanski’s leadership, the Greens have shifted focus from primarily environmental issues to broader economic concerns, including taxation and the cost of living. Polanski has proposed moving away from GDP as the main economic success metric, emphasizing mental health, social cohesion, and community welfare instead. Recently, he called on ministers to allocate billions to support households facing rising energy bills due to the conflict in Iran.
This strategic pivot has resulted in the Greens’ polling increasing from 10% to 16% and winning the former Labour stronghold of Bristol West. Additionally, Green party membership has surged from 68,500 in September last year to 220,000 this month. The party’s economic focus has attracted many former Corbyn associates from Labour’s upper ranks.
Other Corbyn Allies Joining the Greens
Besides Formby and Meadway, other notable figures who have joined the Greens recently include former Labour MP Carla Denyer, Michael Chessum, and David Prescott, who worked with Momentum and advised Corbyn. Chessum told the Financial Times:
“[The Green party] is in the process of being re-founded. That doesn’t mean moving away from its environmental principles. It’s about becoming a mass party of the left.”
Formby rejected the notion that Corbyn supporters leaving Labour are simply recreating their movement within a new party, stating:
“I think this movement is new, and has a lot of energy,”
“I was very supportive of Jeremy, of course. But there is clearly an appetite for it – it’s something people are very excited about.”
