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The Socialist Labour Party wishes to express its support for the government of Venezuela, led by Acting President Delcy Rodríguez. We recognise the legitimacy of her government, supported by the institutions, trade unions and the people of Venezuela.
We unequivocally support the right of the Venezuelan people to govern themselves and determine their own futures, as well as their right to defend themselves against the imperialist behaviour of the United States.

We call upon the British government to recognise the legitimacy of the government of Venezuela and call for the cessation of all hostile acts by the United States.

We condemn utterly the aggression and barbarism of the United States in the illegal abduction of President Nicolás Maduro to United States territory in open and flagrant disregard of the international law. Such actions make a mockery of the United States claim to represent the so-called ‘rules-based order’ and threatens to destabilise global security.

Socialist Labour Party
5^th of January, 2026

Declaración oficial del Partido Laborista Socialista sobre la situación en Venezuela

El Partido Laborista Socialista desea expresar su apoya al gobierno de Venezuela, liberado por la presidenta en funciones, Delcy Rodríguez. Reconocemos la legitimidad de su gobierno, apoyado por las instituciones, los sindicatos y el pueblo de Venezuela.
Apoyamos inequívocamente el derecho del pueblo venezolano a gobernarse a sí mismo y determinar su propio futuro, así como su derecho a defenderse de la conducta imperialista de los Estados Unidos.

Hacemos un llamamiento al gobierno Británico para que reconozca la legitimidad del gobierno de Venezuela y exija el cese de todos los actos hostiles de Estados Unidos.

Condenamos rotundamente la agresión y la barbarie de Estados Unidos al secuestrar ilegalmente al presidente Nicolás Maduro en territorio estadounidense, en abierto y flagrante desacato al derecho internacional. Estas acciones desvirtúan la pretensión estadounidense de representar el llamado “orden basado en reglas” y amenazan con desestabilizar la seguridad global.

El Partido Laborista Socialista (Reino Unido)

5 de enero de 2026

You can download the statement in PDF format in both English and Spanish.

The Socialist Labour Party were shocked yesterday by the events in Venezuela, which included the abduction of the elected President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

This is a flagrant violation of International Law by the gangster state led by Donald Trump.

The official statement from the SLP is shown below:

“The slaughter of innocents, ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and genocide in Palestine/Gaza has been condemned by the United Nations, supported by the overwhelming majority of countries throughout the world.

The Socialist Labour Party welcomes the January 2024 judgement of the International Court of Justice condemning the genocidal action of Israel in Gaza. We also welcome the May 2024 call by Karim Khan, prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

We support the isolation of the Apartheid Israeli state, Britain should with draw diplomatic and all other relations, refuse to have any financial dealings with and indeed fully sanction the Israeli state until a Palestinian state is established with the right of full return for all exiled Palestinians and their descendants.

The Socialist Labour Party stands in full solidarity with the Palestinian people.

The world is in a perilous state – in danger of nuclear annihilation. We have been driven to this situation by increasingly desperate, warmongering elites and governments. The conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine have their roots in this approach by western governments and there is the potential for more war and destruction because of US aggression towards China.

The Socialist Labour Party opposes all this madness and stands for internationalism, friendship between nations and peoples and against war

The Socialist Labour Party does not adopt a position in support of any capitalist country. However, we are aware of the origins of the Ukraine – Russia conflict. In short, it is because of NATO expansion, the 2014 CIA organised coup against the democratically elected Ukrainian President and government, and the civil war launched by the Ukrainian coup leaders against their own citizens in the Donbass region of that country. Even after Russia’s intervention in 2022, the then Ukrainian government had an opportunity to come to a settlement with the “Minsk” accords. Their own negotiators signed but goaded by then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (seen recently in a leaked video lauding the openly fascist AZOV brigade) the agreement was reneged on by President Zelensky. Unfortunately for Ukraine any future deal is likely to be so much less agreeable

The Socialist Labour Party is clear; we oppose globalisation as we do NATO expansionism and US aggression- we say stop funding war. Let us begin working towards a world truly at peace with liberty, justice and prosperity for all.”

From the Socialist Labour Party Manifesto
Pages 2-3.

Comrades, we are being led into war – again. The media is full of stories about the threat of war from Russia, China, North Korea. Nato is warning us that we are about to be invaded and we must prepare for war, like WW1 and WW2. The Russians are coming, with snow on their boots.

Why is this? War is very profitable, for some people. The manufacturers of Arms are delighted to be selling more arms and seeing their profits soaring. They will sell arms to both sides, maximising their profits, laughing all the way to the bank. Some Governments are also very happy with the fear of war since they can use this to divert money away from the provision of essential services onto “defence”. This power they can use to subordinate people, to control any dissent. These were the tools of imperialism and colonialism. When we had the greatest navy in the world we ruled the world. “Britain never, never, never will be slaves”. We ruled the world; we exploited the world and its people.

Of course, to do this we have to have “enemies”. If we don’t actually have any then we must invent them. China and Russia are clearly our enemies. We must arm against them. Wrap ourselves in the flag. Invoke patriotism, nationalism.

Of course, it won’t be our leaders who are doing the fighting. They will be photographed wearing battle fatigues riding in a tank. That is as close to the front line they will get. No, it will be the working class taking the fire, fighting the working class of another country. We are the cannon fodder not our leaders.

No sisters and brothers we must resist this call to arms. Instead let us invest in what is needed to produce a fair, just and equitable world for us all to live and prosper in.

Chris Butler

December 2025

President Trump is openly threating war on the sovereign country of Venezuela and its people.

Recent developments demonstrate that Trump and his government in the US has little regard for democracy and international law. The illegal destruction of small boats in the international waters near Venezuela, without any recourse to international law, including horrific secondary bombing runs to murder survivors. And also, the very recent seizure of a Venezuelan oil tankers directly in Venezuelan waters, are nothing more than acts of international piracy.

The US pursues, under the Trump administration, its imperialistic agenda of aggression while on the one hand using ‘the war against drugs’ as a pretext, yet openly admitting that behind those acts is nothing more than a grab for the oil resources of Venezuela, which are some of the largest in the world.

The US has a history of strangling Latin American countries through the use of sanctions and the subversion of democratically-elected governments that have attempted to improve the lives of their people, by initiating illegal regime changes. These sanctions in Venezuela, has meant that investment in Venezuela has been stunted, which has prevented the country from developing its own resources and caused widespread suffering to the people of Venezuela, particularly, the poor, the sick and the elderly.

In the past, the European Union and UK government has shamefully aided the US government in the application of these sanctions, the UK in particular has frozen and holds approximately £2billion worth of gold reserves which rightfully belong to the people of Venezuela.

The Socialist Labour Party GB condemns without reserve these naked acts of imperialism by the US, and furthermore, it fully supports the government of President Nicolás Maduro and the people of Venezuela in their pursuit of the Bolivarian Revolution that seeks to establish socialism and improve the living conditions of the people of Venezuela.

Socialist Labour Party
14^th of December 2025

(Español)
La situación en Venezuela

El presidente Trump ha declarado la guerra abiertamente al Estado soberano de Venezuela.

Los acontecimientos recientes demuestran que Trump y su gobierno en los Estados Unidos muestran un claro desprecio por el derecho internacional y la democracia. La destrucción ilegal de pequeñas embarcaciones en aguas internacionales cercanas a Venezuela, sin recurrir al derecho internacional, incluidos horribles bombardeos secundarios para asesinar a los supervivientes, así como la muy reciente incautación de petroleros venezolanos directamente en aguas venezolanas, no son más que actos de piratería internacional.

Los Estados Unidos, bajo la administración Trump, continúan con su agenda imperialista de agresión mientras, por un lado, utilizan como pretexto “la guerra contra las drogas”, pero admiten abiertamente que detrás de esos actos no hay nada más que el acaparamiento de los recursos petroleros de Venezuela, que se cuentan entre los más grandes del mundo.

Los Estados Unidos tienen un historial de estrangular a los países latinoamericanos mediante el uso de sanciones y la subversión de gobiernos elegidos democráticamente que han intentado mejorar la vida de sus ciudadanos a través de cambios de régimen ilegales. Estas sanciones en Venezuela han frenado la inversión en el país, impidiendo que desarrolle sus propios recursos y causando un sufrimiento generalizado al pueblo venezolano, en particular a los pobres, los enfermos y los ancianos.

En el pasado, la Unión Europea y el gobierno del Reino Unido han ayudado vergonzosamente al gobierno de los Estados Unidos en la aplicación de estas sanciones; el Reino Unido, en particular, ha congelado y retiene aproximadamente 2.000 millones de libras esterlinas en reservas de oro que legítimamente pertenecen al pueblo de Venezuela.

El Partido Laborista Socialista del Reino Unido (Socialist Labour Party UK) condena sin reservas estos actos flagrantes de imperialismo por parte de los Estados Unidos y, además, apoya plenamente al gobierno del presidente Nicolás Maduro y al pueblo de Venezuela en su búsqueda de la Revolución Bolivariana, que aspira a establecer el socialismo y mejorar las condiciones de vida del pueblo venezolano.

El Partido Laborista Socialista del Reino Unido
14 de diciembre de 2025

If the dishonest Labour government scrap the Triple Lock which has assisted pensioners each year since 2011 (apart from replacing the inflation rate of RPI with CPI) which it did thus reducing the pension and if the government increases the level of tax on the state pension it will wipe out the Personal Allowance and pensioners will be be worse off.

The tax which should be increased is from Companies such as Amazon, BP, Shell, Apple, and the Companies owed by Elon Musk.

Arthur Scargill

President

National Union of Mineworkers

1982-2002

Remembering the #Grunwick strike led by #JayabenDesai, the fierce and inspirational leader of the 1976-8 #GrunwickStrike.

This was a key event in the history of British trade unionism, particularly for its role in confronting racism and highlighting the fight for trade union recognition.

on June 22 1977 #ArthurScargill showed what real leadership is, along with his army of #NUM members from across the country traveled to the #Grunwick factory to join the picket line, demonstrating workers #SolidarityInAction.

As Arthur always says ;

“What you need is not marches, demonstrations, rallies or wide associations, all of them are important. What you need is direct action. The sooner people understand that, the sooner we’ll begin to change things”

Johnnie Taylor

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves and the Labour Government have made clear they intend to raise between £20- £30 billion in order to “balance the books”.

Leaked information suggests that in the forthcoming Budget income tax will rise, pensioners will suffer by deletion of the Triple Lock, and spending on public services (already in a disastrous state) will be cut…again.

Hardship, deprivation and despair are spreading wider and deepening throughout the UK. The education, housing, health and welfare needs of our citizens, children and adults, have suffered years of criminal Government neglect and the British people are paying the price.

There is an alternative

The Socialist Labour Party argues there’s a fundamentally different way to tackle the mess we’re in.

Looking for £30 billion?  That could be raised at the stroke of a pen by slashing Britain’s senseless defence costs, currently standing at £66 billion – with yet more funding being promised to NATO  and to NATO’s war against Russia in Ukraine.  The UK has sent £21.8 billion to Ukraine.  In addition, £2.2 billion has been spent on bringing to Britain and housing some 242,000 Ukrainian refugees.

Britain is on course to increase war-spending  – paid for by our taxes – to £132 billion – a sum more than four times the £30 billion the Chancellor is seeking to “balance the books”.

The Socialist Labour Party wants an end to the war in Ukraine and an end to all the senseless wars funded by Governments such as Britain’s. 

What should that money be spent on?  Our demands are simple and moderate; they include:

1. Council housing for all those in need of a home and without the resources to buy property.
2. Jobs (including proper apprenticeships) for every person able to work – that includes jobs in regenerating Britain’s ravaged manufacturing and industrial base.  Let’s put an end to that aspect of “AI” which renders valuable skills obsolete (while making hundreds of thousands dependent on benefit);
3. Proper funding not only of the NHS but of our devastated social services.
4. Transforming education provision, from nursery care through to the highest levels of learning, for all our children and youngsters, whatever their needs.

We want a society that looks after and involves all of us, excluding none.

The Socialist Labour Party was founded in 1996 following a proposal by British miners’ leader Arthur Scargill.  Those who took part in establishing the SLP included trade union leaders (such as Bob Crow of the NUR/RMT, Joe Marino of the Bakers’ Union and current SLP Leader Jim McDaid of the Educational Institute of Scotland), peace movement, environmental and anti-racism activists.

Statement from the Socialist Labour Party
29th of October, 2025

As a result of Burnham’s statement last night (29th of September) that “he wants to re- join the European Union”,  I take the view that he would be a disaster for the Labour Party and he is as shortsighted as as Starmer and Corbyn who also wanted to re-join the EU.

Our manifesto was and is clear (page 7). Withdrawal from the EU and Nato should allow the UK to develop and expand links with nations in Asia, Africa, South Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, including Cuba, and Venezuela who have endured over 50 years of economic blockade and sanctions because of the United States fear of Socialism.

If Jeremy Corbyn really wants a change he should join the Socialist Labour Party first founder by James Connolly in 1903 and re- founded in 1996 with a promise to restore Clause IV as the heart of of a Party who stand for the will of the people.

I thought that Andy Burnham would be far better than Keir Starmer as leader of the Labour Party based on the views of members of the Labour Party, a view which Andy Burnham stated last night that he wants the United Kingdom to re-join the European Union, a view which Tony Benn and I campaigned for years to leave this Capitalist entity that introduced VAT a tax which has crippled the UK

The central policy of the Socialist Labour Party was and is to leave the EU and which in 2016 became the will of the people.

Arthur Scargill

President of the NUM 1982-2001