Peace & Justice Project

The Peace & Justice Project is a left-wing British organisation founded by the former leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn. In 2022, The Sunday Telegraph said that there were calls for the company to be established as a new political party in the United Kingdom.

Background

In April 2020, Keir Starmer became the leader of the Labour Party.{{cite news |last1=Mason |first1=Rowena |title=Keir Starmer wins Labour leadership election |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/apr/04/keir-starmer-wins-labour-leadership-election |access-date=11 January 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=4 April 2020}} Starmer was seen as a more centrist figure than his predecessor as Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn.{{cite news |last1=Castle |first1=Stephen |title=U.K. Labour Leader Makes a Firm Push to the Political Center |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/29/world/europe/britain-labour-keir-starmer.html |access-date=11 January 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=29 September 2021}}

In October 2020, Corbyn was suspended from the Labour Party for saying that allegations of antisemitism within the party were exaggerated by political opponents on the right-wing of the party.{{cite news |title=Jeremy Corbyn will no longer be a Labour MP |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/labour-readmits-fomer-leader-jeremy-corbyn-after-suspension/ |work=Politico |date=17 November 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Sott |first1=Jennifer |title=Why was Jeremy Corbyn suspended from the Labour Party? |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-54746452 |work=BBC News |date=30 October 2020}}

Project founding

On 13 December 2020, Jeremy Corbyn announced the project, and said that its areas of focus will include environmentalism, international peace cooperation, poverty, social inequality and corporate power. Corbyn launched the project on 17 January 2021, and its affiliates include Christine Blower, Len McCluskey and Zarah Sultana. Rafael Correa said that he "welcome[d] the creation" of the project.{{cite web |title=Jeremy Corbyn Has A New Project |date=13 December 2020 |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/jeremy-corbyn-has-a-new-project_uk_5fd6261ac5b62f31c1fe0b73 |publisher=Huffington Post |access-date=13 December 2020}}{{Cite web|last=Davis|first=Barney|date=13 December 2020|title=Corbyn announces launch of Peace and Justice Project|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/jeremy-corbyn-peace-and-justice-project-b293495.html|access-date=1 January 2021 |website=www.standard.co.uk}}{{Cite web|date=13 December 2020|title=Jeremy Corbyn to start global social justice project 'for the many' |url=http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/dec/13/jeremy-corbyn-to-start-global-social-justice-project-for-the-many|access-date=1 January 2021|website=The Guardian}}{{Cite web|title=Jeremy Corbyn: Why I'm Launching a Project for Peace and Justice|url=https://jacobinmag.com/2020/12/jeremy-corbyn-project-for-peace-and-justice-launch|access-date=1 January 2021|website=jacobinmag.com}}

Spoof site

On 15 December 2020, The Times of Israel reported that a satirical website claiming to be the Project for Peace and Justice had been set up "by critics of Corbyn, and they are using it to mock him for his strident criticism of Israel and alleged soft-pedaling of anti-Semitism in Labour's ranks".{{cite news|title=Spoof site set up after Corbyn apparently fails to register domain for new group|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/spoof-site-set-up-after-corbyn-apparently-fails-to-register-domain-for-new-group/|access-date=2022-02-02|work=The Times of Israel}}

Conversion into a new political party

In January 2022, The Sunday Telegraph said that Corbyn was urged to make the project a new political party that will position itself in elections as standing to the left of Labour. This urging has come from close political confidants, as well as his wife Laura.{{cite news |last1=Diver |first1=Tony |last2=Yorke |first2=Harry |title=Jeremy Corbyn could establish own party as hopes fade of being reinstated as Labour MP |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/01/09/jeremy-corbyn-could-establish-party-hopes-fade-reinstated-labour/ |access-date=11 January 2022 |work=The Telegraph |date=9 January 2022}}{{cite news |last1=Cohen |first1=Ben |title=Former UK Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn Reportedly Considering Launch of New Left-Wing Party |url=https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/01/10/former-uk-labour-leader-jeremy-corbyn-reportedly-considering-launch-of-new-left-wing-party/ |access-date=11 January 2022 |work=Algemeiner.com |date=10 January 2022}}