Met police investigate alleged database breach in Your Party founding row
A man has been arrested under the Computer Misuse Act and released without charge as officers examine a dispute tied to the launch of Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana's party.
At a glance
- The Metropolitan police have launched a criminal investigation into alleged unauthorised access to a political party's database.
- A man was arrested under the 1990 Computer Misuse Act and released pending inquiries; a woman in her 30s was interviewed under caution.
- Sources told the Guardian the inquiry is linked to the dispute over the founding of Your Party in summer 2025.
The Metropolitan police have opened a criminal investigation into an alleged breach of a political party's database, a case the Guardian understands is linked to the dispute that split Your Party as it was founded in summer 2025.
A Met spokesperson said officers launched the investigation after receiving a report in September 2025 "relating to the alleged unauthorised access of a political party's database", Politico reported. The spokesperson did not name any political party or confirm which one the inquiry concerns.
Officers have arrested a man on suspicion of an offence under the 1990 Computer Misuse Act, the spokesperson told Politico. He was released pending further inquiries and has not been charged. Police had previously interviewed a woman in her 30s under caution in connection with the same investigation. "The investigation continues," the spokesperson said.
Sources told the Guardian the inquiry is tied to the long-running row over the establishment of Your Party. Neither the arrested man nor the woman interviewed is an MP, and neither has been charged with an offence. Politico reported that neither Jeremy Corbyn nor Zarah Sultana, the party's founders, has been accused of wrongdoing.
How the dispute began
Your Party was founded in July 2025 by Corbyn, the former Labour leader, and Sultana, a former Labour MP. Both now sit as Your Party MPs in the House of Commons.
Relations between factions in the party have been strained since its creation. In September 2025 Sultana revealed a new membership portal on X and encouraged members to become paying members for £55. Corbyn described the site as a "false membership system" and told supporters to ignore an email requesting funds. Sultana said her only aim had been to "safeguard the grassroots involvement that is essential to building this party", and later accused the party of being run by a "sexist boys' club".
In January, it emerged that the Information Commissioner's Office had advised the party it was taking no further action over the membership portal launch, but that it may have involved "serious criminal activity" and should be referred to the police.
A Your Party spokesperson said: "It would not be appropriate to comment any further about ongoing police investigations." They added: "We can reassure our members and supporters that our systems are secure and that this was an isolated incident."
The party's wider position
Your Party has struggled to make a widespread national impact since it was founded, while the Green party of England and Wales, rebranded as an eco-socialist party, has seen its membership quadruple.
In February, Corbyn won a comprehensive victory to become the de facto leader of the leftwing startup party. He said Your Party would work with the Green party and others to push for a "coordinated left-flank offensive" against Reform and Labour. Sultana was also voted on to the party's leadership committee under its collective leadership model. Corbyn-backed candidates took 14 of the 24 available places on the party's central executive committee, Sultana-backed candidates took seven, and three went to independents.
Source: The Guardian World.
Questions and answers
- What is the Met police investigation into Your Party about?
- Police received a report in September 2025 about alleged unauthorised access to a political party's database. Sources told the Guardian the inquiry is linked to the row over the founding of Your Party.
- Has anyone been charged in the Your Party database investigation?
- No. A man was arrested on suspicion of an offence under the 1990 Computer Misuse Act and released pending further inquiries, and a woman in her 30s was interviewed under caution. Neither has been charged.
- Were Jeremy Corbyn or Zarah Sultana accused of wrongdoing?
- No. Politico reported that neither Corbyn nor Sultana, who founded Your Party in summer 2025, has been accused of wrongdoing in the investigation.
