PROGRESSIVE independent MPs today formally constituted themselves as a new parliamentary group to fight for peace, equality and democracy “in a Parliament of despair.”

The five MPs formed the Independent Alliance, which will be the joint fifth-largest group in the house, alongside Reform UK and the Democratic Unionist Party.

The group, which includes former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, will now have greater opportunities to ask Commons questions and intervene.

They say they will press for a progressive alternative to Labour government policies.

In a statement, the group said: “We were elected by our constituents to provide hope in a Parliament of despair.

“Already, this government has scrapped the winter fuel allowance for around 10 million pensioners, voted to keep the two-child benefits cap, and ignored calls to end arms sales to Israel.

“Millions of people are crying out for a real alternative to austerity, inequality and war — and their voices deserve to be heard.

“As individuals, we were voted by our constituents to represent their concerns in Parliament on these matters and more, and we believe that as a collective group, we can carry on doing this with greater effect.”

The other group members are Shockat Adam in Leicester South, Ayoub Khan in Birmingham Perry Barr, Adnan Hussain in Blackburn and Iqbal Mohamed in Batley and Dewsbury.

While the MPs are not constituting a new party at this stage, sources involved in the process emphasised that “nothing is ruled out.”

The source stressed that the MPs are all newly elected in the last general election, other than Mr Corbyn, and are still finding their feet.

Events may force the pace, with seven MPs suspended from the Labour whip for voting to lift the cruel two-child benefit cap.

“The more MPs who are prepared to stand up for these principles, the better,” the five said.

“Our door is always open to other MPs who believe in a more equal and peaceful world.” 

Mr Corbyn told the Star: “We were elected to Parliament to represent our communities — and today’s announcement is about making sure their voices are properly represented and heard.

“We are a movement for equality, democracy and peace.”

And in a sign of how they will be treated by the political establishment, Tory leadership hopeful Kemi Badenoch today attacked the five as "sectarian Islamists" and warned that they were more worrying than Reform.