Jeremy Corbyn in talks to form new group with independent MPs

Alex Easton, the former leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in the Northern Ireland Assembly who was elected as independent MP for North Down, is not part of the discussions, the BBC understands.

Mr Corbyn and Mr Adam have been talking to fellow independents Ayoub Khan, Adnan Hussain and Iqbal Mohamed to explore options on how they can impact policy more effectively.

All five beat Labour candidates in July’s election with their pro-Palestine stance in Labour-supporting constituencies with large Muslim populations.

By forming an official group, the five independent MPs could get an additional £129,000 in “short money” – public funds given to opposition parties to support research and help them hold the government to account.

A party grouping is awarded £22,295.86 in short money for every seat won at the general election plus £44.53 for every 200 votes amassed.

If the independents became an official group in Parliament, they would also increase their chances of taking part in debates and committees, which are usually decided proportional to party size.

Given Labour’s huge majority it is unclear how effective a force the independents will be in parliament.

But the loose coalition has already worked together to try to influence policy and together with Green MPs tabled a series of amendments to the Kings Speech., external

One of their first actions was to reach out to the seven Labour MPs – all former allies of Mr Corbyn including his former shadow chancellor John McDonnell – who were suspended from the party for six months after voting in favour of a rebel amendment to scrap the two-child benefit.

So far, there has been no formal coordination between independent MPs and suspended Labour MPs, the BBC understands.