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Workers Party of Britain
The Workers Party of Britain (WPB), also called the Workers Party of Great Britain (WPGB) or Workers Party GB, is a socialist and socially conservative political party in the United Kingdom, strongly identified with its leader, former Labour and Respect MP George Galloway.
The party was founded in 2019 and won a parliamentary seat when Galloway won the Rochdale by-election in February 2024. However, he lost his seat to Paul Waugh of the Labour Party five months later at the 2024 general election.
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. The founding of the Workers Party of Britain was welcomed by the Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist–Leninist) (CPGB-ML). Joti Brar, a vice-chair of the CPGB-ML, was elected as the Workers Party of Britain's deputy leader at its founding congress. 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. Burrows came last out of six, gaining 22 votes (0.9%). In the 2021 United Kingdom local elections, the party stood more than 40 candidates for local elections in England.[citation needed]
The WPB contested its first parliamentary seat at the 2021 Batley and Spen by-election, with Galloway as its candidate. 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 Liberal Democrats came in fourth place, as they did in the previous election. 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 Muhammad at Batley Grammar School, and the reopening of a police station in Batley. The campaign received considerable media attention due to incidents of harassment during its final days. The Jewish Labour Movement called the result a "triumph for hope and decency" over Galloway's "toxic politics". Galloway 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.
The party contested the Almond ward of Edinburgh Council in the 2022 Scottish local elections, and came second to last with 61 first-preference votes (0.4%). In the 2022 local elections, Workers Party candidate Ed Woollard achieved 15% of the vote in the Bordesley and Highgate ward of Birmingham.
In 2023, the former Labour MP Chris Williamson joined the party. The Workers Party has defended Williamson, who was suspended from the Labour Party for his comments about antisemitism allegations in the Labour Party, and Ken Livingstone, who left the party following allegations of antisemitism.
At the party's Congress in December 2023, Galloway was re-elected party leader. Three deputy leaders were elected: Chris Williamson, Andy Hudd (Vice President of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen) and Peter Ford (former Ambassador to Bahrain and Syria).
On 29 February 2024, Galloway won the 2024 Rochdale by-election following the disendorsement of the Labour candidate in a traditionally safe Labour seat. The Gaza war dominated the campaign. In his election speech, Galloway said: "Keir Starmer, this is for Gaza. You will pay a high price for the role that you have played in enabling, encouraging and covering for the catastrophe presently going on in occupied Palestine, in the Gaza Strip." Galloway won almost 40% of the vote and overturned a previous Labour majority of 9,668, achieved by former MP Tony Lloyd, whose death had precipitated the by-election. Turnout at 39.7% was much lower than the 60.1% for the 2019 general election. Labour had withdrawn support for its candidate when it became known he had suggested that Israel was complicit in the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. Following the by-election, it was announced that the Workers Party had 59 prospective parliamentary candidates for the 2024 United Kingdom general election.
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Workers Party of Britain
The Workers Party of Britain (WPB), also called the Workers Party of Great Britain (WPGB) or Workers Party GB, is a socialist and socially conservative political party in the United Kingdom, strongly identified with its leader, former Labour and Respect MP George Galloway.
The party was founded in 2019 and won a parliamentary seat when Galloway won the Rochdale by-election in February 2024. However, he lost his seat to Paul Waugh of the Labour Party five months later at the 2024 general election.
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. The founding of the Workers Party of Britain was welcomed by the Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist–Leninist) (CPGB-ML). Joti Brar, a vice-chair of the CPGB-ML, was elected as the Workers Party of Britain's deputy leader at its founding congress. 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. Burrows came last out of six, gaining 22 votes (0.9%). In the 2021 United Kingdom local elections, the party stood more than 40 candidates for local elections in England.[citation needed]
The WPB contested its first parliamentary seat at the 2021 Batley and Spen by-election, with Galloway as its candidate. 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 Liberal Democrats came in fourth place, as they did in the previous election. 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 Muhammad at Batley Grammar School, and the reopening of a police station in Batley. The campaign received considerable media attention due to incidents of harassment during its final days. The Jewish Labour Movement called the result a "triumph for hope and decency" over Galloway's "toxic politics". Galloway 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.
The party contested the Almond ward of Edinburgh Council in the 2022 Scottish local elections, and came second to last with 61 first-preference votes (0.4%). In the 2022 local elections, Workers Party candidate Ed Woollard achieved 15% of the vote in the Bordesley and Highgate ward of Birmingham.
In 2023, the former Labour MP Chris Williamson joined the party. The Workers Party has defended Williamson, who was suspended from the Labour Party for his comments about antisemitism allegations in the Labour Party, and Ken Livingstone, who left the party following allegations of antisemitism.
At the party's Congress in December 2023, Galloway was re-elected party leader. Three deputy leaders were elected: Chris Williamson, Andy Hudd (Vice President of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen) and Peter Ford (former Ambassador to Bahrain and Syria).
On 29 February 2024, Galloway won the 2024 Rochdale by-election following the disendorsement of the Labour candidate in a traditionally safe Labour seat. The Gaza war dominated the campaign. In his election speech, Galloway said: "Keir Starmer, this is for Gaza. You will pay a high price for the role that you have played in enabling, encouraging and covering for the catastrophe presently going on in occupied Palestine, in the Gaza Strip." Galloway won almost 40% of the vote and overturned a previous Labour majority of 9,668, achieved by former MP Tony Lloyd, whose death had precipitated the by-election. Turnout at 39.7% was much lower than the 60.1% for the 2019 general election. Labour had withdrawn support for its candidate when it became known he had suggested that Israel was complicit in the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. Following the by-election, it was announced that the Workers Party had 59 prospective parliamentary candidates for the 2024 United Kingdom general election.