A former MP has been tipped for one of the top spots on the board of a new national party.
Coun Laura Smith, who sits on Cheshire East Council for Crewe South ward, received the fourth-highest number of endorsements – not far behind Your Party leaders Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana.
In a video posted on social media, Coun Smith said she was looking forward to “healthy debates” over the coming weeks as members wrangled for a place on the party’s chief executive committee in a series of hustings.
Coun Smith served as MP for Crewe and Nantwich constituency, which includes a portion of Radway Green on the outskirts of Alsager, Oakhanger, Barthomley and Winterley, between June 2017 and November 2019, as a member of the Labour Party under Mr Corbyn’s leadership.
In her candidate statement, uploaded to the party’s website, she said: “I know how the Westminster bubble works – and how out of touch it can be with the struggles of everyday people.
“I’ve seen how families are squeezed by rising bills, insecure work and underfunded public services – all while corporations and elites profit.
“I’m determined to reconnect with those who have lost hope and strengthen a movement that reminds them of their power and voice.”
Coun Smith resigned from the Labour Party citing a culture of “bullying, belittling, fear and lack of respect” in March 2024.
It came days after she was suspended from the Cheshire East Labour group for refusing to vote with the whip for the proposed 2024/25 budget.
In her candidate statement, she said: “I’ve spent my life standing with ordinary people in classrooms, workplaces, council chambers and Parliament, fighting for fairness, opportunity, hope and standing against oppression.
“I want to help build a democratic, inclusive party that listens to communities and acts on their needs.
“Together we can push for a new economic model that works for local people, not global profits – a model that invests in jobs, public services and the environment, and strengthens the communities we live in.”
Mr Corbyn received the highest number of endorsements for the Your Party executive committee, at 6,740, with Ms Sultana in second place with 5,124.
In third place was 21-year-old Coventry Coun Grace Lewis with 3,506, followed closely by Coun Smith with 3,396.
She earned 367 more endorsements than Leicester South MP Adam Shockat, who came in fifth.
Your Party members will now register their votes to decide who will take up the top leadership positions on the party’s board.
The party’s brief history has been newsworthy. Mr Corbyn said that more than 80,000 people signed up to the party’s mailing list in the first five hours, and in less than a week, the party had 600,000 sign-ups.
In August 2025, the “New Statesman“ reported that senior figures within the party were splitting into factions due to disagreements over visions for its future.
In September 2025, Ms Sultana and her team sent out a formal membership invitation by email to those who had expressed interest in the new party and saw more than 22,000 sign up. Within hours, other members released a joint statement that urged supporters to ignore the “unauthorised email” and cancel any direct debits, and declared that legal advice was being taken.
Another statement posted on the official Your Party X account said that the data controller had reported the matter to the Information Commissioner’s Office, although it said action was not required. Ms Sultana said that she had acted “in line with the roadmap set out to members”.
Mr Corbyn then announced the launch of the official membership portal for the party via a video on social media, based on the same domain as the party’s original website, saying that members who had signed up using the previous membership system would be carried over automatically, Ms Sultana reaffirming that she was a member of the party.
The party’s inaugural conference was held in late November, and voted against having any single leader, instead opting for the party to have a collective leadership consisting of a central committee with a chair who was required not to be an MP, and adopting the then-temporary name Your Party, rejecting the alternate names of Our Party, Popular Alliance and For The Many.
