High profile left winger Zarah Sultana has quit Labour and vowed to launch a new political party with Jeremy Corbyn.
That, however, seems to have come as news to him.
In a social media post, the former Labour leader congratulated Sultana on her “principled decision” to leave and said he was “delighted that she will help us build a real alternative”.
But he said “the democratic foundations of a new kind of political party” were still taking shape and discussions were “ongoing”.
Sultana appears to have jumped the gun, taking not just Corbyn but others involved in the project by surprise.
But that does not mean it is not happening.
There is no name yet – Aspire and The Collective have been bandied about. Corbyn is thought to like the phrase “Real Change”, but not necessarily as a party name.
No timetable for a launch has been agreed, although there has been talk of fielding candidates at next May’s local elections.
But all of those involved in the project believe there is a huge gap in the market to the left of Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party, with millions of potential votes up for grabs.
Are they right?
And what would the arrival of a new socialist party mean for the Greens who have scooped up many left-wing voters in recent times – not to mention the Labour Party itself?