FIFTY thousand people have joined Your Party, the new socialist organisation launched by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana has announced.

This makes it “by far the largest socialist party in Britain for generations,” Your Party claimed accurately – the only such party with more members was the Communist Party, briefly, during the second world war.

The membership figure is only 10,000 or so behind the Liberal Democrats.

Mr Corbyn said: “This major milestone reflects what Your Party is all about: a mass, democratic movement for change.

“From local rallies to mass regional assemblies, people up and down the country are coming together to build this party from the ground up. This is just the beginning.”

The number is, as yet, well down on the 800,000 who signed up as supporters after the organisation’s initial launch, suggesting that the subsequent rows over leadership, membership systems and money have dampened recruitment.

The surge in Green Party membership to around 150,000 under the new left-wing leadership of Zack Polanski may also have had an impact.

Nevertheless, Your Party has been holding large and enthusiastic regional assemblies across the country, discussing documents on its political basis, its rules and immediate organising strategy.

These will then be finalised at the party’s first conference, to be held in Liverpool at the end of the month. Delegates are to be chosen by lottery from within the membership.