The November meeting of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) all-Britain steering committee was the first opportunity for the different component parts of TUSC to share their thoughts on the Your Party founding documents that were published on October 17th.

The documents, signed-off by the six-strong Independent Alliance group of MPs – Shockat Adam, Jeremy Corbyn, Adnan Hussain, Ayoub Khan, Iqbal Mohamed and Zarah Sultana, who are acting as the temporary stewards of the party’s founding – can be accessed on the Your Party website at https://www.yourparty.uk/founding-documents/ and have also been brought together by TUSC for ease of reading into a single pdf at https://www.tusc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/YP-founding-documents.pdf.

In the steering committee discussion assessing the prospects for the party, which had now reached a reported membership of 50,000, a number of criticisms were aired of the foundation process so far. But there was also recognition that the potential is still there for a democratic, socialist, working-class party with trade unions at its core to be the possible final outcome.  And that on this basis it was still vitally important for TUSC to help towards this goal in any way that it could.

Making the most of the 2026 elections

One of the most urgent tasks identified was to try and ensure that Your Party seizes the opportunities presented by the elections that will be held on May 7th, 2026. As previously argued by TUSC – see https://www.tusc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Ideas-about-the-2026-local-elections.pdf – Your Party could make a significant impact in the May elections, standing widely but also with the prospect of establishing a substantial presence in different tiers of government for the battles to come over Starmer and Reeves’ Austerity II agenda.

It could win seats in the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Senedd and councillors in almost every authority with elections next year. In some it could expect to hold the balance of power after May 7th. And in particular councils that are up for election in this four-yearly cycle, even win majorities and form administrations. This could be an important moment in British politics – if the political preparation for a working class socialist anti-austerity alternative begins and a proper campaign is organised.

A briefing had been prepared for the steering committee on what the founding documents might mean for election organisation for 2026, which covered the following questions:

● Given the foundation process timetable as presently set out, and the requirements of election law, is it actually possible for there to be any candidates standing with the Your Party name on the ballot paper next year?

● What is the role of the ‘proto-branches’ – and the Independent Alliance MPs group – in deciding who can or cannot be a Your Party candidate?

● Couldn’t a candidate say anyway that they are ‘Your Party’ on their leaflets and in other media, even if it is not possible to use the name on the ballot paper?

● How do the documents envisage already registered community independent parties and other aligned socialists contributing towards the goal of maximising candidate numbers?

● And finally, a discussion on whether a network of ‘aligned candidates’ with separate descriptions would be the best way to maximise the party’s impact, both politically and taking into account election law and media access rules.

The Your Party founding documents are of course drafts and are still subject to debate and amendment. But they do give an indication of how the new party could function at least initially – and what needs to be done to make sure that the first electoral opportunities it faces in May 2026 are not squandered. ■

The TUSC briefing is available at https://www.tusc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Your-Party-the-2026-elections.pdf, with the steering committee welcoming contributions to the debate on the issues it raises. These should be sent to Clive Heemskerk, the TUSC National Election Agent, at [email protected] by Friday 5th December for them to be tabled at the next committee meeting.