Socialist Students statement
In the course of the last month, Warwick, Newcastle and Manchester university Labour societies have disaffiliated from the Labour Party.
In Warwick, the group’s decision was linked to local Coventry MP Zarah Sultana and councillor Grace Lewis leaving Labour, Zarah making the call for a new party with Jeremy Corbyn – ‘Your Party’. In Newcastle the society says it wants to “promote true socialism”. In Manchester the society gives its “full support” to Jeremy and Zarah.
Tuition fees
Polls show a third of young people (16-34) would vote for a new party founded by Corbyn and Sultana. During Jeremy’s time as Labour leader he got huge support from students, including for his policy to abolish tuition fees. Socialist Students has been at the forefront of fighting for free education on campus, including raising how a new party of the working class is needed, and how that would strengthen the struggles of students and young people.
Over the course of the last year, the Funding Not Fees campaign, initiated by Socialist Students, has organised protests and lobbied MPs to demand that they fight on our side against Starmer’s government by calling for full funding for universities, an end to tuition fees and for living maintenance grants. Socialist Students has fought to defend our courses from cuts and closures, in solidarity with university workers fighting to save their jobs.
The Socialist Students steering committee has written to the new group in Warwick inviting it “to consider being part of our national organisation, linking up with student socialist societies across 60+ universities and colleges across the UK… Our main aims as an organisation year-to-year are summed up as resolutions passed at our annual conference, which for 2025 can be viewed on our website”. The group has been invited to attend the next steering committee meeting in September, to which they could contribute their thoughts on Your Party and how students can best organise the fightback on campus, as well as to collaborate in building the youth walkouts against Trump on 17 September.
Similarly, Socialist Students has approached societies in Manchester and Newcastle, and is open to all students who want to discuss, campaign and fight for socialism.
