LONDON 

A former Labour Party leader and an independent British lawmaker on Friday confirmed that discussions are ongoing to create a "new kind of political party."

"One year on from the (July 4, 2024) election, this Labour government has refused to deliver the change people expected and deserved," Jeremy Corbyn said in a statement, adding that "real change is coming."

The 76-year-old politician said poverty, inequality, and war are "not inevitable," stressing that the country "needs to change direction, now."

Welcoming independent Zarah Sultana on her decision to leave the Labour Party, Corbyn added: "I am delighted that she will help us build a real alternative."

"The democratic foundations of a new kind of political party will soon take shape," he said, adding that "discussions are ongoing."

"Together, we can create something that is desperately missing from our broken political system: hope," Corbyn said.

Sultana, a suspended Labour MP, announced her departure from the party on Thursday.

"After 14 years, I’m resigning from the Labour Party. Jeremy Corbyn and I will co-lead the founding of a new party, with other Independent MPs, campaigners and activists across the country," she said in a statement.

Citing the Labour Party government's support for Israel's war on Gaza as a reason for her resignation, Sultana said: "This government is an active participant in genocide. And the British people oppose it."

In an interview with ITV earlier this week, Corbyn said discussions are taking place among members of the Independent Alliance group of MPs, which he co-founded last year, to create a new socialist party.

Corbyn himself was expelled from Labour last May.