As it becomes ever clearer that a Starmer-led government will not represent the interests of working class people in Britain or internationally, ever-growing numbers are looking at what the alternative should be at the ballot box. 

Every policy announcement from what Sir Keir proudly describes as “the changed Labour Party I lead” – from private sector leeching on the NHS, a refusal to meet the £4 billion council funding gap, through to arms sales to Israel – shows that the establishment have a choice of parties to represent them while we have none.

But while welcome attention is being generated by declarations of prospective general election campaigns and candidacies against the Westminster consensus politicians, the date of that election, of course, is still not known. 

In the meantime however millions of people will have the opportunity to vote in May – in the local elections taking place then.  The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) is standing in nearly one-in-seven of the council wards with scheduled elections this year.  If you really do think that it is time to vote for something different, why not start on May 2nd?

The TUSC core policy platform for our May 2024 council candidates can be found at https://www.tusc.org.uk/20023/13-01-2024/tuscs-core-policy-platform-for-the-may-2024-local-elections-2/.  As it rightly says, the councillors that we elect now will effectively be our communities’ negotiators with the new government – for the funding we need to protect, improve and expand our vital local public services.  That’s why every vote for a TUSC council candidate will be the clearest possible signal we can give on May 2nd that whoever ends up in Number Ten, we need fighting councillors in our town halls!

But we know that there are other candidates who should also be supported who are standing outside of the TUSC coalition umbrella at this stage.  So alongside the TUSC candidates’ list below we are publishing them in a separate list – to together produce the most comprehensive a list as possible of where you can vote for stop the cuts, stop the war candidates on May 2nd! ■  

* The final list of the 280 TUSC candidates on the ballot paper on May 2nd can be found at https://www.tusc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Final-TUSC-list.pdf.  This is one more than an earlier posting as another TUSC candidate – in Park ward in North East Lincolnshire – had been missed out from the initial list the council published; misleading the local paper too which reported nine rather than ten TUSC candidates contesting the 12 council seats there.

* The further list of other stop the cuts and stop the war May election candidates is available at https://www.tusc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Other-Candidates.pdf.  This comprises of 62 council candidates; an alternative list for the London-wide members section of the Greater London Authority assembly; one Police & Crime Commissioner candidate; and two Combined Authority Mayoral candidates – including Jamie Driscoll for the new North East authority, regularly referred to in the establishment media as ‘the last Corbynista in office’.