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Workers Party of Britain

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Workers Party of Britain
LeaderGeorge Galloway
Deputy LeaderJoti Brar (vice-chair of the CPGB-ML)
FounderGeorge Galloway
FoundedDecember 2019; 1 year ago (2019-12)
Headquarters274 Moseley Rd,
Birmingham B12 0BS
Regional affiliationAll for Unity (Scotland)
House of Commons
0 / 650
House of Lords
0 / 809
Senedd
0 / 60
Scottish Parliament
0 / 129
Website
workerspartybritain.org

The Workers Party of Britain (WPB) is a minor political party, formed in December 2019 and led by George Galloway.

Political positions

The party describes itself as "economically radical with an independent foreign policy" and "unequivocally committed to class politics".[1][2]

The party has defended Chris Williamson, who was suspended from the Labour Party for his comments about antisemitism, and Ken Livingstone, who left the party following allegations of antisemitism.[3] In May 2021, Galloway described the party as "the working-class patriotic alternative to fake woke anti-British 'Labour'".[4]

The party has strong links with the Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist–Leninist) (CPGB-ML), which welcomed the foundation of the WPB. Joti Brar, vice-chair of the CPGB-ML, was elected as deputy leader of the WPB.[5][6] Brar is an outspoken critic of identity politics as well as "transgenderism".[7] The WPB recognises the support the CPGB-ML offered to Galloway concerning his support for Brexit.[8]

History

The Workers Party of Britain was founded in response to the Labour Party's landslide defeat at the 2019 United Kingdom general election and the resignation of Jeremy Corbyn as Leader of the Labour Party. It was formed with a committment to “defend the achievements of the USSR, China, Cuba etc” and is “unequivocally committed to class politics”.[9] The WPB labels itself as an opposition to Labour, arguing that the latter no longer represents the British working class.[10]

In March 2021, the party stood its first candidate for elected office, Paul Burrows, in the by-election for Helensburgh and Lomond South ward on Argyll and Bute Council.[11] Burrows lost, gaining 22 votes (0.9%).[12]

In the 2021 United Kingdom local elections, the party stood more than 40 candidates for local elections in England, none of whom were elected.[citation needed] Its two candidates in Wakefield District Council received 80 and 43 votes.[3][13]

The WPB contested its first parliamentary seat at the 2021 Batley and Spen by-election, with Galloway as its candidate.[9] Galloway gained 8,264 votes (21.9%) and came in third, behind the winning Labour candidate Kim Leadbeater and second placed Conservative candidate Ryan Stephenson. The Lib Dems came in fourth place, as they did in the previous election.[14] Galloway concentrated on the issues of the Palestinian territories, the Kashmir conflict, criticism of Labour leader Keir Starmer, the suspension of a teacher for showing a cartoon of Prophet Muhammad at Batley Grammar School, and the reopening of a police station in Batley.[15][16][17] The campaign received considerable media attention due to incidents of harassment during its final days.[18][19][20][21] The Jewish Labour Movement called the result a "triumph for hope and decency" over Galloway's "toxic politics".[22] Galloway, who had promised journalist Owen Jones he would eat his hat if Labour didn't come third, vowed to challenge the result on the basis of an alleged "false statement" made about him by Leadbeater and Starmer, which he said tipped the result of the by-election.[23][24]

Election results

Senedd elections

Further information: Senedd
Year Votes % Seats Misc.
2021 411 0.04% 0/60 Contested South Wales Central (0.2%)

Scottish Parliament elections

Further information: Scottish Parliament
Year Votes % Seats Misc.
2021 23,299 0.9% 0/129 As part of All for Unity, contested all regional ballots

UK Parliamentary by-elections

Further information: UK Parliamentary by-elections
Year Votes Candidate % Seat
2021 8,264 George Galloway 21.87% Batley and Spen

Notable members

  • George Galloway (founder and leader of the WPB, formerly a MP between 1987-2005 (for Labour and as an independent) and between 2012-2015 (for the Respect party)
  • Brian Travers (former band member of UB40)[25]

References

  1. ^ Macnamara, Felicity (16 December 2019). "Former Bradford MP George Galloway launches new 'Workers Party'". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Introducing the Workers Party". Workers Party of Britain. 12 December 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Spereall, David (26 April 2021). "Wakefield local elections 2021: George Galloway's Workers Party of Britain stands in the district for the first time". Wakefield Express. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  4. ^ Young, Chris (12 May 2021). "Former Bradford West MP George Galloway announces that his party will stand in Batley and Spen by-election". Telegraph & Argus. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  5. ^ "The Brexit election and the birth of the Workers party". The Communists. 29 December 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  6. ^ Bloodworth, James (22 June 2021). "George Galloway's disgraceful record shows he is no friend of progressives". newstatesman.com. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  7. ^ "Joti Brar" – via open.spotify.com.
  8. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions: 10. What is your relationship to The Communists?". Workers Party of Britain. 6 June 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b Norfolk, Andrew (22 June 2021). "George Galloway is pulling no punches in Batley & Spen - News". The Times. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  10. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". Workers Party of Britain. 6 June 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  11. ^ Borland, Craig (15 February 2021). "It's a six-way battle in Helensburgh and Lomond South by-election". Helensburgh Advertiser. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  12. ^ "Argyll & Bute Council Election Results Ward 11 -Helensburgh and Lomond South" (PDF). Argyll and Bute Council. 19 March 2021.
  13. ^ "District Council election Results 2021". Wakefield Council. 7 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  14. ^ "Labour's Kim Leadbeater wins narrow victory in Batley and Spen byelection". The Guardian. 2 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  15. ^ Al-Othman, Hannah (6 June 2021). "Batley and Spen by-election: are Muslim voters the next brick to crumble in Labour's red wall?". Sunday Times. London. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  16. ^ "Labour could lose a by-election over the issue of Palestine". The Economist. 26 June 2021. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  17. ^ Drury, Colin (28 June 2021). "Batley and Spen by-election: Labour's Muslim vote collapsing as Palestine - and potholes - cause anger". The Independent. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  18. ^ "Jo Cox's sister, Labour candidate Kim Leadbeater, heckled and chased on campaign trail". The Independent. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  19. ^ Diver, Tony (25 June 2021). "Labour candidate in Batley and Spen by-election left 'intimidated' by anti-LGBT protester". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  20. ^ Blackall, Molly (26 June 2021). "Kim Leadbeater, sister of Jo Cox, chased and heckled on Batley and Spen by-election campaign trail". i. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  21. ^ "Batley and Spen by-election: Labour 'egged and kicked'". BBC News. 28 June 2021. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  22. ^ Hoffman, Noa (2 July 2021). "Galloway defeat in Batley and Spen hailed as 'triumph' over 'toxic politics'". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  23. ^ Stone, Jon (2 July 2021). "Batley and Spen: George Galloway says he will take legal action to challenge by-election defeat". The Independent.
  24. ^ Geddes, Jonathan (2 July 2021). "Would-be Rutherglen MP George Galloway told to honour his promises". Daily Record. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  25. ^ "Workers Party Statement on passing of founding member Brian Travers". Workers Party of Britain. 23 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
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