Dave Nellist, Initiator of the petition ‘Time for trade unions to take the lead in forming a new working class party’, former MP (1983-92) – expelled by Labour for refusing to pay the Poll Tax, and chair of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
Sharon Graham, general secretary of my own union Unite, said it, at a rally in support of striking Birmingham bin workers facing fire-and-rehire attacks from a Labour council: at this May’s elections, “Labour will be decimated. And it’s not hard to see why”!
The May 2025 local elections showed that, with Labour attacking the working class and continuing the squeeze on funding for our public services, Reform UK is becoming a significant beneficiary of working people’s anger.
In response, 40 leading trade unionists – current and former elected members of trade union executives, presidents and general secretaries – came together as founding signatories for a petition, ‘Time for trade unions to take the lead in forming a new working class party’. The existence of such a party would cut across the ability of Nigel Farage and Reform to pose as representing ‘working people’, when in fact their policies and rhetoric sow divisions among the working class, attempting to weaken our collective strength.
In July 2025, a Zoom meeting open to all the trade unionist signatories brought together over 1,000 union reps and activists – including Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana. No more than a few weeks later, 800,000 had signed up to support their call for a new party.
Since the summer, groups of trade union activists from the respective unions have been meeting to discuss the specifics of how best to fight for the next concrete steps towards the working class having its own party, within the democratic structures of their own unions. In most cases, that has included raising motions to union conferences taking place this summer.
In Unite, for example, several regions have passed motions up to the Executive Council that the rules conference scheduled for 2027 be brought forward to this year, in order to be able to reassess the union’s Labour Party affiliation. In Unison, changes to the law governing unions’ political funds opens up the opportunity to debate at conference how that money can best be spent to fight in members’ interests. And in CWU, a special discussion is tabled for the conference to discuss the union’s relationship with the Labour Party.
Trade unions organise over 6.5 million workers in Britain – together, they are potentially the biggest organised force in society. A new party, formed by the trade unions, would help to organise that force to fight for the working class – for fully funded services, decent pay to keep pace with the rising cost of living, and an end to war.
That would sweep the rug from under Reform and give a real expression of united working-class strength to take the fight to the super-rich bosses.
If you are a trade unionist wanting to fight for a new party of the working class, get involved in campaigning as part of Trade Unionists for a New Party: linktr.ee/TU4NewParty
