Jeremy Corbyn addresses packed Southall meeting
Wed 15 Oct 2025
The event, held at The Centre on Merrick Road, was organised by Ealing Community Independents in partnership with the Indian Workers Association (GB) and the Southall Monitoring Group. Organisers described it as a grassroots community meeting focused on shaping a new kind of people-led politics.
Around 200 people attended, with Suresh Grover of the Monitoring Group chairing the evening. He opened by reflecting on Southall’s activist legacy, including the 1979 killing of Blair Peach and the long struggle against racism and police violence.
Speakers included Claudia Webbe, former MP for Leicester East; Imam Junaid Dar of West London Mosque; and Craig Smith of Ealing Community Independents. Imam Dar’s address drew attention to the lack of media coverage following a recent arson attack on a local mosque.
Corbyn told the audience that both he and Sultana were holding meetings nationwide to build support for Your Party. He emphasised that the group’s MPs were “temporary custodians” until a November conference in Liverpool, where members would start shaping the movement’s democratic structures and policy direction.
He outlined issues Your Party hopes to champion, including ending NHS privatisation, creating a national care service, and defending public services from austerity and corporate influence.
Local Ealing Community Independents candidates standing in the May 2026 local elections also pledged to work in alignment with Your Party’s principles.
Representatives from several socialist organisations — including the Socialist Party, Socialist Workers Party, and Revolutionary Communist Party — were present distributing literature and joining the debate.
During the question-and-answer session, Corbyn reassured attendees that data from the initial Your Party sign-up drive would be retained and that those members would remain part of the movement.
Discussions also touched on democratic participation, with calls for future conferences to include elected local delegates rather than lottery-selected attendees. The meeting also featured conversations about the ongoing crisis in Gaza and concerns about heavy-handed policing of pro-Palestine activists.
Although many noted the relatively older age profile of attendees, the event was described as positive and energetic, with lively exchanges and optimism about a new political direction.
The Indian Workers Association, celebrating 90 years of activism, provided free tea, coffee, and samosas for everyone present — a gesture warmly received by the crowd.
Content contribution: Graham Maximilian Durham
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