The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), one of three EU exit organisations that applied for recognition from the Electoral Commission to be the official Leave campaign, today accused the Commission of "bowing to political pressure" in giving the Tory-dominated Vote Leave group official designation status.

TUSC had submitted what the BBC called a 'surprise bid' to be the designated Leave campaign in June's EU referendum (see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-35941945) against the Tory and UKIP dominated exit campaigns, Vote Leave and Grassroots Out - but said it was "not surprised" that the Electoral Commission has gone along with the government's preference for a safe, pro-establishment Leave campaign.

Dave Nellist, the former Labour MP who is now the chair of TUSC, said:

The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) has announced its candidates standing for elections to the Scottish parliament, the Welsh national assembly, and sixty English local councils on May 5th.

TUSC has been fielding candidates on a 100% anti-austerity platform since its formation in 2010, co-founded by the late general secretary of the RMT transport workers' union, Bob Crow.

Obviously the political situation has changed since then, with Jeremy Corbyn's election last autumn as Labour leader. TUSC has been clear that it would not stand candidates against Labour politicians who have resisted austerity in the Scottish parliament, the Welsh assembly or local council chambers.

The RMT transport workers' union today set out why it will be advising members to vote to leave the EU in the forthcoming referendum.

Announcing six core reasons for RMT members to vote to leave, the union's general secretary Mick Cash said:

"RMT is proud to stand up for the tradition of progressive and socialist opposition to the European Union, an organisation wedded to privatisation, austerity and attacking democracy.

The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), one of three EU exit organisations vying for recognition from the Electoral Commission to be the official Leave campaign, today called on the Commission not to award official status to any group that has received funding from individuals or companies named in the 'Panama Papers'.

Last week TUSC submitted what the BBC called a 'surprise bid' to be the designated Leave campaign in June's EU referendum (see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-35941945) against the Tory and UKIP dominated exit campaigns, Vote Leave and Grassroots Out.

Dave Nellist, a former backbench colleague of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is now the chair of TUSC, said:

Audio: Chair of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, Dave Nellist, speaking on BBC Coventry and Warwickshire radio 31 March 2016, called for the nationalisation of the steel industry after Tata Steel put the future of thousands of steelworkers' jobs in doubt in Port Talbot, Wales.

The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) has followed up what the BBC called a 'surprise bid' to be the official Leave campaign in June's EU referendum (see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-35941945) by challenging the Tory and UKIP dominated exit campaigns - Vote Leave and Grassroots Out - to a public debate on who should be the voice of Leave.

Dave Nellist, a former backbench colleague of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is now the chair of TUSC, said:

"We believe it is vital that working class voters who oppose the EU are not forced to line up behind the reactionary pro-austerity politicians who are being promoted in the mainstream media as the only exit voices.

Last week saw a decent result for the Scottish Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) in the Dundee council Maryfield ward by-election, held on Thursday 31st March.

The seat was retained by the Scottish National Party (SNP) candidate, who polled 1,383 votes, a 49.5% share. This was well ahead of Labour whose vote fell from 1,251 (36%) in the 2012 council elections, the last time the seat was contested, to 634 this time (22.7%).

The TUSC candidate, Stuart Fairweather, won 142 votes (5.1%), coming in fourth ahead of the Greens, the Liberal Democrats and UKIP, all of whom have a higher profile in the establishment media than TUSC.

Chair of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, Dave Nellist, speaking on BBC Coventry and Warwickshire radio 31 March 2016, called for the nationalisation of the steel industry after Tata steel put the future of thousands of steelworkers' jobs in doubt in Port Talbot, Wales.

Last week the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) national steering committee agreed the text of a formal letter to the Electoral Commission asking them not to choose an 'official' Leave campaign in June's EU referendum.

Under the referendum rules the Commission, an unelected quango, has the power to select one official campaign on each side of the debate, giving that organisation political 'authority' but also millions of pounds of public resources.

The deadline for organisations to apply to be the official campaign is March 31st, with the Electoral Commission making its decision by April 15th. Below is the text of the TUSC letter, sent in the name of the TUSC national agent, Clive Heemskerk, on March 24th.

Warrington's Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) councillor Kevin Bennett has challenged a call by the town's leading Labour Party spokespeople for the council to use public resources to produce an allegedly 'independent, politically neutral analysis' of EU membership ahead of the June referendum.

The leader of the Labour-controlled council, Terry O'Neill, who will be campaigning for a Remain vote in June, was quoted in the local Warrington Guardian as saying "we need to educate people" on the benefits of EU membership, showing how any 'impact assessment' organised by the council would be skewed from the start.

The head of the business group Warrington First backed Labour's call, arguing that "the public are being asked to comment about the future of the economic strategy of the UK" but "without the requisite information available to take a balanced view".

Over 100 candidates have now been approved by the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) national steering committee for the English local council elections taking place on Thursday May 5th. The full list of the candidates agreed so far is at http://www.tusc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/369.pdf

But as the candidate numbers grow a battle is looming with the broadcasting authorities over TUSC's right to 'fair media coverage' in this year's elections.

As in previous elections the BBC's Chief Political Advisor, Ric Bailey, acting for all the broadcasting organisations, has set the qualification criteria for allocating a Party Election Broadcast (PEB) as "a party standing candidates in at least one sixth of the seats contested".

Last week's meeting of the PCS civil servants' union national executive committee (NEC) gave a big boost to the campaign under way to stop millions of pounds of public funding being given to Tory and UKIP EU campaigners.

Under the rules of June's EU referendum the Electoral Commission, an unelected quango, has the power to choose who shall be the 'official' Remain and Leave campaigns, giving them political 'authority' but also substantial public resources.

The PCS NEC decided that the union will write to the Electoral Commission calling on them not to designate any group dominated by UKIP, Tory and other pro-austerity and racist establishment politicians and organisations as the official exit campaign.