After May – what now for working-class political representation?

Zoom meeting 8 June 18:30

Register: tinyurl.com/yc8hzepx

Update from petition organiser Dave Nellist

The 7 May election results again showed a sharp fall in support and seats for the Labour Party, alongside a commensurate rise for Reform UK.

Right-wing populism is thriving because the capitalist market economy is failing to deliver decent wages, jobs, housing, and public services. Rather than addressing a system run for corporate profit and billionaire wealth, Farage’s right-wing scapegoating falsely blames the most recent arrivals to these shores for these systemic failures.

But the spread of these ideas is not inevitable; Reform UK’s bubble can be burst. With six and a half million members, the trade union movement has the numbers, resources, and reach into working-class communities to undermine the right with a clear message: ‘Pay, Jobs, and Homes for All, not Racism’.

A union campaign on this theme must be actively promoted throughout 2026 and ahead of the May 2027 local elections to prevent Reform UK from cementing its position. This should include a TUC-led national Saturday demonstration in London, with full mobilisation across the movement to maximise numbers. If the TUC refuses to act, we must build a ‘coalition of the willing’ among trade unions prepared to counter Reform with class-based policies and campaigns.

Crucially, this requires trade unions to challenge their support for the political status quo. We must urgently discuss – both within and across unions – a new political party rooted in working-class organisations and communities, committed to an economy run for the needs of all working people, alongside a serious drive to achieve it.

This meeting will hear from past and present NEC-level members in unions where TU4NP supporters are already driving the debate on political direction, including disaffiliation from Labour. There will also be ample opportunity for general questions and discussion.