Jeremy Corbyn's victory in Islington North follows a brief but intense campaigning effort in the constituency, which saw thousands of volunteers descend upon North London to persuade the electorate to vote for a platform of hope, peace and social justice instead of Labour's stagnant austerity politics.
The space of just 5 weeks, the Corbyn campaign had knocked on over 30,000 doors and saw off the Labour Party's private healthcare profiteer candidate and many so-called party grandees who came to Islington North to campaign. In the end, Jeremy Corbyn overturned his own 26,188 majority and went on to win by 7,247 votes in what is one of the great upsets in modern politics.
Speaking on his way home from the count at a packed Bedford Tavern where his campaign team had gathered to watch the election returns, Jeremy Corbyn said: "This result is a glimpse of a different future, which puts the interests of many ahead of those of the few. It is also a warning – a warning to the incoming government that dissent cannot be crushed without consequences."
Corbyn's victory as an independent comes as part of a wave of independent and genuine progressive successes at the 2024 general election, with independent candidates also winning in Blackburn, Leicester South, Birmingham Perry Bar and Dewsbury & Batley, and the Green Party going from 1 to 4 MPs including its leader Carla Denyer who defeated Labour's Shadow Culture Secretary Thangam Debbonaire in Bristol Central.
Numerous Collective electoral coalition-backed candidates came within a few hundred votes of victory, including Leanne Mohamad who finished just 528 votes behind Labour's new Health Secretary Wes Streeting.
Peace & Justice Project co-director Pamela Fitzpatrick took close to 10% off of Gareth Thomas' majority in the safe Labour seat of Harrow West and former South African MP Andrew Feinstein secured nearly 20% of the vote in Holborn & St Pancras where new Prime Minister Keir Starmer has served in Parliament since 2015, meaning Starmer becomes the first Prime Minister in generations to suffer a decrease in vote share en route to 10 Downing Street.
Jeremy Corbyn's result, as well as other wins and significant vote shares, show that people have grown tired and disillusioned with the political status quo. From austerity politics to complicity in the destruction of Gaza, our communities are rising up against the failures of the two-party system that continues to drive millions in poverty and funds wars around the world. The Peace & Justice Project, alongside the Collective, will continue to play its part in the united political force to bring about world of peace, social justice and democracy.
Whilst it is very early days and there is much to be discussed about the impact of this election, it is clear that we have changed the shape of the left and British politics forever.