Jewish Labour activist seeks to stand for Party in Corbyn’s current seat

A Jewish Labour member is among those seeking to stand for Labour in Jeremy Corbyn’s current Islington North seat.

Harry Spencer, who grew up in north London and works in arboriculture, has confirmed his bid to be selected as the Labour candidate on his own website.

Another highly-rated potential candidate being encouraged to stand is Sem Moema, the GLA Rep for the region, and a councillor in Hackney for over eight years.

Get The Jewish News Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up

Labour opened applications for the Islington North seat last week, and a shortlist of candidates is due to be announced on Thursday.

Ex-leader Corbyn has yet to confirm he is standing as an independent candidate at the next election, after Keir Starmer said said the party had moved on from him and he was not part of the party’s future.

More in Jeremy Corbyn

May 28, 2026

As the country travels to political extremes, many Jews remain stuck in the middle

By Leo Pearlman

May 1, 2026

The Muslim antisemitism debate Britain keeps avoiding

By John Ware

April 16, 2026

VOICE OF THE JEWISH NEWS: Where Corbyn’s Labour led, Polanski’s Greens followed

By Voice of the Jewish News

Spencer, who friends say regards himself as culturally Jewish, has previously attempted to stand for the party in the Hertsmere seat.

Jewish News understands that several new names have joined the list of the candidates seeking to run in Islington North.
Among those being encouraged to stand by friends and colleagues in Uma Kumaran, director of diplomatic relations at C40 Cities, who previously stood against Bob Blackman in Harrow East, and is close to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.

Kumaran did not respond when asked by Jewish News if she was planning to stand.

Among those confirming their bid for selection is Paul Mason, the former BBC and Channel 4 economics editor.

Mason said:”I worked hard for Jeremy Corbyn while he was leader, and I hope to build on the decades of tireless work he’s done for local people. I backed Keir Starmer, and took part in his leadership campaign in 2020, because I knew he could put us where we are today – on the brink of a Labour government that will give Britain its future back. 

“But it’s vital that we win here. Islington North needs an MP who can help set Labour’s agenda in government.”

Also likely to be standing is Praful Nargand, a respected local Islington councillor and innovations entrepreneur, as is the author and journalist Christian Wolmar.

Corbyn has been sitting as an independent MP since 2020 when he had the Labour whip suspended, over his response to the EHRC report into antisemitism in the party.

The former Labour leader, who has been the MP in Islington North since 1983, was blocked from standing for Labour at the next election by the party’s governing body, the National Executive Committee (NEC). Corbyn is still a member of the Labour Party but sits as an independent MP in Parliament after being suspended over his reaction to a highly critical report on antisemitism, having said he thought its scale within Labour had been “dramatically overstated”.

At the time, the Labour Party said Mr Corbyn had been suspended for “a failure to retract his words”, but Corbyn called the move “political”.

Labour’s candidate in the seat, to be decided after local members attend a hustings, will be announced on June 1st.