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  • Statement on the Present Threat to Iran.

    Statement on the Present Threat to Iran.

    The Labour and Trade Unions movement must stop the madman Trump who is causing death and destruction throughout the whole World.

    I support the votes by Russia and China in the UN Security Council and their refusal to accept a United Nations position which would effectively support the maniacal President of the United States and the genocidal Prime Minister of Israel who are slaughtering and disabling hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children in the Middle East, Latin America and Greenland.

    It’s obvious that words will have no effect in a situation reminiscent of the 1930’s Spanish Civil War.

    If Trump and Netanyahu mean what they say then both Russia and China should make clear that if the USA and Israel carry out their threat to destroy Iran then both Russia and China will leash a blitz on Washington and Tel Aviv with the technological weaponry that they possess.

    Failure to act – as opposed to words will result in devastation as seen at the end of the Second World War

    Arthur Scargill
    President
    International Energy & Miners.
    ——-

    3
  • Reverse the Decay

    Reverse the Decay

    Bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis has announced the closure of its Falkirk factory, with 115 job losses. Its nearby Larbert plant will be converted to a chassis manufacturing site, safeguarding around 200 roles that were previously at risk. This comes despite receiving £4.1 million from the Scottish government in September 2025 to protect jobs, after the firm threatened to shift production to Yorkshire, putting up to 400 roles at risk. First Minister John Swinney visited the Larbert factory to announce the bailout. Months later, the axe has fallen anyway. This is a scene oft repeated. A company/bank/post office announces closure, the SNP and the rest fulminate and demand a reversal of the decision – then closure happens and off go the parliamentarians on to the next bandwagon.

    Nearby Grangemouth has also faced closure. Scotland’s last oil refinery ceased production in April 2025, with more than 400 direct job losses, destabilising a supply chain of nearly 3,000 workers.

    At the same time, Scottish public sector contracts are being sent abroad. The publicly owned CALMAC is having ferries built in Poland (seven new electric ferries) and Turkey (four vessels), while the nationalised Ferguson Marine shipyard misses out. And the bus contracts? Under the Scottish government’s Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund (ScotZEB2), 523 electric buses were funded. Fewer than a third (31%) were built in Scotland. More than half—287 buses, 55% of the total—were built in China. That’s nearly four times as many orders to Chinese manufacturers as to Scottish industry.

    The series of ineptocratic governments we have seen over decades now need to go.  The economy is upside down where something like 20% manufacturing industry is supposed to support 80% services. It is unsustainable.

    The Socialist Labour Party has long argued that this needs to be reversed; as manufacturing bleeds jobs and capacity, the economy remains stagnant with manufacturing output in Scotland falling 4.3% in the first half of 2025 yet government plods on into oblivion continuing failed neoliberal policies that enrich an elite that many are now understandably referring to as the “Epstein” class but lead to the impoverishment of working class communities and decrepit, crumbling infrastructure. The SLP manifesto points out how this can be reversed.

    You can begin that process by voting Socialist Labour Party on May 7th.

    James McDaid
    Lead Candidate, West Scotland Region

    3
  • Five Questions that UK journalists should be asking the Labour Government, (and are not).

    Five Questions that UK journalists should be asking the Labour Government, (and are not).

    By Allistair Lomax

    Despite the protestations from Government ministers, there is little doubt that the UK has been ‘dragged’ into the US/Israel war against Iran. What we see is the mainstream media fulfilling its role as government stenographers by pushing the narrative that Keir Starmer has resisted pressure from Donald Trump to join the war against Iran and that the UK bases are only used for ‘defensive’ operations by the US.


    The mainstream media has been deployed to convince the British public that Keir Starmer is, somehow, ‘on the right side of history’.

    This is how our media is used to push government propaganda: they are an instrument of government policy rather than a way of forcing the government to account for its duplicity. Their role is to walk lockstep with government policy.

    I believe that our journalists should confront the Labour government with these five questions:

    1. What is the verification process for deciding whether a US target in Iran is ‘defensive’ or ‘offensive’?
    2. Who in the UK government signs off that decision?
    3. How many US requests for targets in Iran have been rejected by the UK government?
    4. Is the list of targets attacked by the US shared with the UK, retrospectively?
    5. Are the numbers of civilian casualties being monitored and reported?

    These are the questions that our journalists should be asking the government, if they were worthy of the name. We deserve the truth.

    2
  • Open Letter to the World: From Cuba, An Ordinary Woman Denounces the Crime They Refuse to See

    Open Letter to the World: From Cuba, An Ordinary Woman Denounces the Crime They Refuse to See

    To all of humanity, to the mothers of the world, to Doctors Without Borders, to journalists with dignity, to the governments that still believe in justice:

    My name is like millions of others. I have no famous last name or important title. I am an ordinary Cuban woman. A daughter, a sister, a patriot. And I write this with a torn soul and trembling hands, because what my people are living through today is not a “crisis.” It is a slow murder—calculated, coldly executed from Washington.

    And the world looks the other way.

    👵 I DENOUNCE ON BEHALF OF MY GRANDPARENTS:

    I denounce that in Cuba, elderly people are dying before their time because the blockade prevents heart medication, blood pressure pills, and diabetes treatments from arriving. It is not a lack of resources. It is a deliberate prohibition. Companies that want to sell to Cuba are fined, hounded, and threatened. Their governments stay silent. Meanwhile, a Cuban grandfather clutches his chest and waits. Death doesn’t give a warning. The blockade does.

    👶 I DENOUNCE ON BEHALF OF MY CHILDREN:

    I denounce that there are incubators in Cuba that have had to be turned off due to lack of fuel. That there are newborns fighting for their lives while the United States government decides which countries can sell us oil and which cannot. That there are Cuban mothers who have seen their children’s lives endangered because an order signed in an office in Washington is worth more than the cry of a baby 90 miles from its shores.

    Where is the international community? Where are the organizations that so fiercely defend childhood? Or do Cuban children not deserve to live?

    🍽️ I DENOUNCE INTENTIONAL HUNGER:

    I denounce that the blockade is programmed hunger. It’s not that food is missing just because. It’s that they prevent us from buying it. Ships carrying food are hunted. Bank transactions are blocked. The companies that sell us grain, chicken, and milk are sanctioned.

    Hunger in Cuba is not an accident. It is a State policy of the United States government, refined over 60 years, updated by every administration, intensified by Donald Trump, and executed with malice by Marco Rubio.

    They call this “economic pressure.” I call it terrorism through hunger.

    ⚕️ I DENOUNCE ON BEHALF OF MY DOCTORS:

    I denounce that our doctors—the same ones who saved lives during the pandemic while the whole world collapsed—today have no syringes, no anesthesia, no X-ray equipment. Not because we don’t know how to produce them. Not because we lack talent. But because the blockade prevents us from accessing supplies, spare parts, and technology.

    Our scientists created five COVID-19 vaccines. Five. Without anyone’s help. Against all odds. Against the blockade and the lies. And even so, the empire punishes us for having achieved it.

    🌍 TO THE WORLD, I SAY:

    Cuba is not asking you for alms.

    Cuba is not asking you for soldiers.

    Cuba is not asking you to love us.

    Cuba asks you for justice. Nothing more. Nothing less.

    I ask you to stop normalizing the suffering of my people.

    I ask you to call the blockade by its name: A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY.

    I ask you not to be fooled by the tale of “dialogue” and “democracy” while they tighten the noose around our necks.

    We don’t want charity. We want them to LET US LIVE.

    To the complicit governments that remain silent:

    History will hold you accountable.

    To the media that lies:

    The truth always finds the cracks.

    To the executioners who sign sanctions:

    The Cuban people do not forget and do not forgive.

    To those who still have humanity in their hearts:

    Look at Cuba. Look at what they are doing to her. And ask yourself: Which side of history do I want to be on?

    From this small island, with a giant people, An ordinary Cuban woman who refuses to surrender.

    IF THIS TEXT MOVED SOMETHING INSIDE YOU, SHARE IT.

    I don’t care if you have 10 friends or 10,000 followers.

    I don’t care if your wall is public or private.

    I don’t care if you never share anything.

    But this is different.

    This is not a photo of a sunset.

    This is not celebrity news.

    This is not just another opinion.

    This is a SCREAM. And screams are not meant to be kept. They are HEARD. They are ECHOED. They BECOME A MULTITUDE.

    Today I am not asking for a “like.”

    I am asking you to use your thumbs for something bigger than scrolling.

    SHARE.

    So the world knows that in Cuba there is no crisis.

    There is a CRIME.

    So that mothers in other countries know that here there are babies fighting in incubators turned off by the blockade.

    So that grandparents in other lands know that here there are elderly people dying while waiting for medicine that Washington won’t let in.

    So that complicit governments feel shame.

    So that lying media outlets have no escape.

    So that the executioners know that WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED.

    A single person sharing this doesn’t change the world.

    Thousands, millions, DO.

    Don’t keep this text hidden.

    Don’t be an accomplice to the silence.

    MAKE THIS DENUNCIATION GO FURTHER THAN THE BLOCKADE.

    SHARE. NOW.

    #CubaDenouncesToTheWorld

    #TheBlockadeKills

    #ChildrenWithoutIncubators

    #ElderlyWithoutMedicine

    #IntentionalHunger

    #CrimeAgainstHumanity

    #CubaLives

    #SHAREforCuba

    #LetTheWorldHearUs

    #DenunciationThatHurts

    #CubaScreams

    #TheBlockadeIsACrime

    #ViralizeTheTruth

    #HomelandOrDeath

    #WeShallOvercome

    Ikay Romay…

    ✊🇨🇺💔

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  • Opposition toward USAF Activity in Scotland

    Opposition toward USAF Activity in Scotland

    By SLP Leader Jim McDaid

    Ayrshire SLP members supported and participated in the protest at Prestwick International Airport organised by Stop The War Scotland in conjunction with Ayrshire CND on Sunday, 22nd March 2026. The demonstration was called to express outright opposition to the use of the airport by logistical support aircraft of the USAF in the ongoing US/Israeli aggression against Iran.

    Demonstrators chanted their outrage within the airport in advance of a letter of protest being handed over to airport management. The letter will also be submitted to John Swinney, First Minister calling on the Scottish government to intervene to stop the military use of the airport.

    The letter points out that dozens of flights of large military conveyance aircraft have transitioned through Prestwick since the aggression was initiated on 28th February. Prestwick International Airport is owned by the Scottish government and the letter goes on to demand that:

    1. Facilities are withdrawn from the US military to land, take off or refuel.

    2. To transition the use of the airport to wholly civilian use.

    These  military aircraft are massive and loaded with all sorts of hardware including presumably with ammunition which in the event of an accident could lead to catastrophic death and destruction in and around the airport in neighbouring towns such as Prestwick and Troon.

    The Socialist Labour Party will continue to support the struggle for peace in our world and for a socialist future which is the only guarantee of that. Those two objectives will be at the forefront of the SLP Scottish Parliament election campaign ahead.

    Jim McDaid

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  • The War Against Iran

    The War Against Iran

    The UK government’s position on the US/Israel war with Iran, is duplicitous. It is on the one hand claiming that it is not being drawn into the war with Iran, while on the other hand it is giving logistical aid to the US by allowing the US to use UK bases. The UK is therefore complicit.

    (RAF Fairford, which Starmer gave the US ‘permission’ to use, is a USAF Base. It is the operational centre of the 501st Combat Support Wing and the 420th Air Base Squadron, both are USAF. It supports the B1, Lancer Bomber, and the B52 Bomber, used to bomb Iran, this week.)

    The US, Israel and some European leaders have openly admitted that this war is about regime change in Iran.

    The UK government has claimed that it will only support ‘defensive’ military actions against Iran, not ‘aggressive’ actions, which is a nonsensical position because it is impossible to draw the distinction between ‘defensive’ and ‘aggressive’ operations because that would require a degree of control and situational awareness that the UK government is unlikely to possess. Also, now that UK has granted the US permission to use its territory, it is unlikely to be able to stop any aggressive military actions launched from the UK.

    Iran’s UN Ambassador, Amir-Saeid Iravani, has said that 1,300+ civilians have already been killed. 9,669 civilian sites destroyed, 32 medical facilities, 65 schools and 13 Red Cross buildings. Fuel strikes are causing toxic rain over Tehran. Water plants bombed. This is hardly ‘defensive’ military action.

    The mainstream media often omit to mention that Iran has a right to retaliate under Article 51 of the UN Charter.

    The UK’s own military actions are carried out as ‘defensive’, the justification given is that they are protecting British citizens in the Middle East, which are more than likely British military personnel. The important point is that Iran did not attack British installations until Starmer had agreed to allow the US to use its bases in the UK.

    This war is not only causing the death of innocent people in Iran, but closer to home, working class people are/will suffer the effects, disproportionately, through rising fuel costs, and a shrinking global economy. The only beneficiaries will be the industrial military complex.

    Allistair Lomax,

    General Secretary, SLP

    3
  • Immigration and People who Escape War and Persecution

    Immigration and People who Escape War and Persecution

    By David Jacobsen

    Our government and  media continue to try and brainwash or hypnotically trick people in Britain about the increase in the number of people who come into UK, hoping for freedom from persecution and war in their homeland.

    The Socialist Labour Party policy on immigration and economic migration onto Britain, understands that we face a crisis.

    It is caused bythe EU adoption of the Nice Treaty (2001). 

    The implementation of the treaty relaxed border controls within EU countries. This furthered  the strategy to globalise the capitalist appropriation of people and other resources.

    In 2001 the UK population was 59 million. 

    The number of people who tried to escape war and persecution and the overall number of UK immigrants  equalled the number of people who emigrated from Britain in the same year.

    But then the 2003 Accession Treaty removed border controls. This resulted In people from 25 countries able to enter countries within the European Union. The population in the UK, today, is over 70 million. This 25 year increase of 11 million people to Britain is the main reason Britain does not sustain an economy planned and designed for a smaller population.

    A sensible and fair immigration policy should give priority to people who try to escape war and persecution and citizens of former UK colonies equal to the number of people who emigrate from Britain each year.

    Note of point; business, diplomatic and military immigration from people outside the union, such as USA and Israel, is managed with ease and efficiency by UK governments.

    The Socialist Labour Party Policy on Immigration and Asylum Seekers fleeing war and persecution is on page 8 of its manifesto.

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  • Statement on the US attack on Iran

    Statement on the US attack on Iran

    The Socialist Labour Party wishes to condemn, without reserve, the attack on the sovereign state of Iran by the United States and Israel.

    This illegal act of aggression under international law has already cost innocent human lives, and we see this as the latest of a series of conflicts, spurred on by the US’s imperialist ambitions in that part of the world.

    We also condemn the duplicitous response of the UK government, which has claimed, on the one-hand to be free of involvement while simultaneously deploying aircraft in the conflict arena, instead of working towards de-escalation and negotiation. We urge the immediate ban of arms sales and military aid to the aggressor states, from the UK.

    We are concerned by the potential for escalation in this conflict and the possibility that this could be a key moment in global history, should this conflict develop even further.

    We stand in solidarity with the people of Iran.

    Socialist Labour Party

    4
  • The Gorton and Denton By-election Result

    The Gorton and Denton By-election Result

    This morning (27/02/2026) woke up to the spectacular result of the Greens win in the Gorton and Denton by-election, in Manchester Labour was beaten to 3rd place. They had won the seat in 2024 with a majority of 13,000 which has now been crushed by the Greens to a withering 9,364 votes, and a massive swing of 26% from Labour to the Greens.

    The other astonishing aspect of the result is the complete annihilation of the Tory vote, reduced down to just 706 votes out of an electorate of 76,000, and losing their deposit.

    There is little doubt that the traditional duopoly of power of Tory and Labour has been smashed, and the political landscape in this country has shifted irrevocably.

    Gorton and Denton by-election results

    There is little doubt that the traditional duopoly of power of Tory and Labour has been smashed, and the political landscape in this country has shifted irrevocably.

    The Conservatives are busily re-inventing themselves as Reform to avoid electoral oblivion and the electorate have called foul on Labour’s lies, austerity, war-mongering and its support for Zionist, ethno-supremacist regimes; the Epstein political class has been shown the red card.

    There is little doubt from the result in Gorton and Denton, that the Green’s progressive rhetoric has been very successful in capturing the leftist vote, which demonstrates that there is a real hunger in the electorate for left-wing policies. A real hunger for real change.

    The political position of both the Greens and Your Party, remains uncertain on key issues:

    • Are they anti-NATO or not?
    • Are they anti-EU?
    • Are they an anti-Zionist Party?
    • Are they fully committed to common ownership of key industries?
    • Do they have a close relationship to the Labour Movement and Trades Unions?

    The Socialist Labour Party as a long-standing Socialist party has clear answers to the questions left by others including the Greens and Your Party.

    It is a party that has a long and consistent history of advocating an avowedly socialist platform, it is a party founded by Trade Unionists for Trade Unionists, and it is the solidarity of the working people that can and will change this country for the better. This is what we stand for.

    Our manifesto is online at https://socialistlabourparty.org.uk/policies

    If you agree with our policies and are interested in standing as a Socialist Labour Party candidate in the forth-coming elections, please contact us via email at generalsecretary@socialistlabourparty.org.uk

    Socialist Labour Party

    3
  • Arthur Scargill’s Look North Interview, 2022

    Arthur Scargill’s Look North Interview, 2022

    In 1982, Arthur Scargill gave an interview to Ian White on his recollections on the Battle of Saltley Gate and the Miner’s Strike of 1984-85, for the Look North program.

    Arthur’s reflections on the events of 1972 and the Strike of ’84 should give us pause to reflect.

    His central message about the importance of solidarity among the working class, is just as vitally important as it ever was.

    When workers are united, they are unstoppable force, and that lesson should not be lost because we forgotten our history, particularly in these days of austerity and downward pressure on the pay and conditions of working people.

    By Allistair Lomax

    2
  • Cal Mac Ferries

    Cal Mac Ferries

    By David Jacobsen

    On Februrary 22nd 2026 ‘The Isle of Islay’ branded ferry pulled into Greenock harbour from Turkey.

    Steel produced abroad again as with the Germany produced tracks and coaches for Edinburgh Tram build. Too costly to taxpayer, recent examples of capitalist decisions to globalise theft of world resources at a cost to UK self sufficient re-industrialisation.

    The ‘inevitability’ of further poverty cost to the working class – after the 2008 economic crash – has to be justified by a ruling class to maintain its economic dominance. 

    Post 2008 and post 2020 Covid outbreak in Britain the political ‘inevitability’ of capitalism terminology is austere aka austerity. Pre 2008 capitalist cronies termed working class dire economic and social circumstances as Cost of Living Crisis for them to bear with stoicism and national pride. Post 2024 new terminology has entered the public arena. A Right to Die option for people expendable, surplus to requirements.

    The historical development of economic and political austerity since the end of the Second World War is explained in Socialist Labour Party Manifesto (pages 3-5) along with the way to develop a Socialist economic and political transformation that  consigns ruling class exploitation to the dustbin of history.

    We now experience a revitalised and more organised working class in a fight for life and peace in the world. 

    The Socialist Labour Party has a Constitution and political Manifesto to steer Britain towards Socialism.

    David Jacobsen
    Socialist Labour Party

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  • ‘Petey’ met his match in 1995 debating Clause IV with Arthur Scargill

    ‘Petey’ met his match in 1995 debating Clause IV with Arthur Scargill

    The events of yesterday, with the arrest of Peter Mandelson, draws to an end a chequered career of a politician, who will no doubt go down in history as the icon of everything this is corrupt and sleazy about the Labour Party.

    As Mandelson perp-walks to infamy, it’s worth reminding ourselves that his loathing for genuine socialism extended to the Socialist Labour Party, which came to a head when he debated the issue of Clause IV with our Comrade Arthur Scargill in Hartlepool in 1995, a debate organised by Tribune, and attended by current members of the Party

    Scargill - Mandelson debate

    Arthur recalls that he won the debate hands down, and that, once he saw that he was losing the argument, Mandelson asked the chairperson to forego a vote on the outcome of the debate, playing his usual Machiavellian tricks.

    Arthur insisted it went ahead and won the vote 10 to 1!!
    Tribune later sent a photo to Arthur, with he and Mandelson debating, which read “-“Bobby” Looking to the heavens for deliverance”. It was obvious to Mandelson, that at that point, he had lost the debate.

    Note attached to photograph from Tribune
    The note attached to the photo of Arthur Scargill debating Peter Mandelson, which reads, ” – “Bobby” looking to the heavens for deliverance”.

    Five years later, in 2001, Arthur Scargill described Labour’s policies and Mandelson:

    “The government’s policies on the NHS, education and housing were “disastrous” and Mr Mandelson was an “unmitigated disaster”.

    He added that job cuts at steel company Corus would help highlight his fight against the market forces Mr Mandelson and New Labour had embraced.

    “The mass destruction of the British coal industry is testament to the fact that I got it right and they got it wrong,”

    Given the current unpopularity of the Labour Government, and of Keir Starmer in particular, it seems that the prediction that Mandelson was an “unmitigated disaster” was prescient.

    As the Gorton and Denton by-election, nears it is worth remembering that Peter Mandelson was one of the architects of New Labour, and has been instrumental in bringing the Labour Party to its current, parlous state; mistrusted, corrupt and wedded to Thatcherite ideology.

    0
  • Want to stand as a Candidate for the SLP in the Local Elections?

    Want to stand as a Candidate for the SLP in the Local Elections?

    Last September (2026, our Election Nominations Officer, Chris Butler made the following announcement:

    Dear Comrades,

    The Socialist Labour Party is hoping to stand as many candidates as possible in the elections in Scotland,Wales and England next year (2026).

    If you would like to be considered as a candidate, could you let me know, please, so we can try to coordinate the campaigns.

    As a candidate your views must align with the SLP constitution and position, as outlined in the party’s Manifesto.

    And, of course, you must be a fully paid-up member of the party.

    If you wish to be considered, please give me your name, region and contact details so that we can all work together.

    The Socialist Labour Party has a lot to offer to achieve a just, socialist alternative to the disaster the other parties are making.

    Solidarity,

    Chris Butler,

    Elections Nomination Officer, Socialist Labour Party

    If you are interested then contact the party at:

    generalsecretary@socialistlabourparty.org.uk

    Or via our contact form

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  • 54th Anniversary of the Battle of Saltley Gate

    54th Anniversary of the Battle of Saltley Gate

    This week sees 54th anniversary of the Battle of Saltley Gate, 10th February 1972. The battle went on through the entire week and workers across Birmingham came out in support. 15-20,000 marched on Saltley and ensure that the gates to the coking plant were closed.

    The police had advised the government that they had everything under control, but as a result of the extent of solidarity from working people: men and women from diverse cultures, the police ordered the gates to be closed. The Prime Minister, Edward Heath, lost the following election after asking who ran the country. We, the people told him. 

    This was the time when an unknown Yorkshire miner, Arthur Scargill, became known in Britain and as leader of the 1984 – 5 Miners Strike, universally. The struggle continues. Saltley was a clear victory. A further confrontation at Orgreave mirrored Saltley. A demand for a public enquiry continues. 

    Birmingham Trade Council organised the 40th anniversary celebration in 2012 when Arthur Scargill, Ken Capstick, Deputy Leader of the Yorkshire miners during the strike and Bob Crow, General Secretary of the RMT were speaker. Banner Theatre performed music, including sings from their production telling the story of the Battle of Saltley Gate. Teacher and Troops Out activist Mary Pearson was M.C. 

    The SLP at the Saltley Gate Memorial Meeting

    You can watch a video of Ken Capstick speaking at the 40 anniversary.

    Here is the BBC report from 2012 on the anniversary:

    2
  • Official Statement from the Socialist Labour Party on the Government of Delcy Rodríguez

    Official Statement from the Socialist Labour Party on the Government of Delcy Rodríguez

    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
    5th 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.

    EnglishDownload
    EspañolDownload
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  • Trumps Attack on Venezuela

    Trumps Attack on Venezuela

    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:

    SLP official statement on the attack on Venezuela
    2
  • Socialist Labour Party Manifesto: PEACE.

    Socialist Labour Party Manifesto: PEACE.

    “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

    3
  • The Situation in Venezuela

    The Situation in Venezuela

    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
    14th 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

    3
  • The Formation of Your Party By Jeremy Corbyn and Zara Sultana

    The Formation of Your Party By Jeremy Corbyn and Zara Sultana

    Some reflections on the formation of Your Party by Socialist Labour Party member, Kevin O’Connor

    On the weekend of the 29th and 30th of November the Socialist Your Party was founded in Liverpool by Jeremy Corbyn and Zara Sultana. This party has fifty seven thousand paid up members so clearly it will now be a significant political force in Britain.

    As I have said before this party was founded as Socialists can no longer exist inside the British ‘Labour’ party due to witch hunts and also the ideological gap between genuine socialists and the overwhelmingly now right wing reactionary ‘Labour’ members of parliament is far to wide.

    Personally I will not be joining Your Party I will remain a member of the Socialist Labour party. A party with a clear programme of public ownership and opposition to NATO and the European Union.

    However Your Party, despite its troubles in the period leading up to the founding conference in Liverpool, will probably gain a significant amount of support in the next few years as the world wide capitalist crisis intensifies. We shall also have to wait and see if Your Party takes the correct genuine Socialist policy of total opposition to the corporate fascist EU.

    In conclusion whilst the formation of Your Party is a positive development. There is still a major role for other socialist partys to play in the next few years as the crisis of international capitalism rapidly grows. The Socialist Labour Party which I am a member of a party with a clear socialist programme will play a key role in the fight for socialism in the next few years.

    Best wishes to all for the future.

    Kevin O’Connor

    5
  • The Scandal of the projected rises in Defence spending

    The Scandal of the projected rises in Defence spending

    The UK Labour government under Kier Starmer has committed itself to increasing defence spending up to the end of the current parliamentary period in 2029

    Chart of rising defence spending in the UK

    Last year, the UK government was spending £53.9 billion on defence which equates to 4.4% of the total government expenditure in the UK.

    By 2029, it is set to rise to £73.5 billion, which represents 6.0% of UK government expenditure.

    Senior Labour Party figures often describe the Labour Party as the “party of tough choices”. Only last year, Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves stripped winter fuel payments from 10 million pensioners.

    In March of this year, the Child Poverty Action Group released some shocking statistics regarding the increase in child poverty in the UK.

    • 44% of all children living in poverty are living in a household where someone is disabled
    • 72% of poor children live in working families
    • 44% of children in families with 3 or more children are in poverty, far higher than families with 1 child (21%) or 2 children (25%)
    • Poor families have fallen deeper into poverty. There are 3.1 million children in deep poverty compared to 2.9 million children last year (i.e. with a household income below 50% of after-housing-costs equivalised median income)
    • 48% of all children in poverty were in families with a youngest child aged under five
    • 49% of children in Asian and British Asian families are in poverty, 49% of children in Black/ African/ Caribbean and Black British families, and 24% of children in white families
    • 43% of children in lone parent families were in poverty, higher than the couples rate of 26%
    • More children in poverty are growing up in privately rented homes – 1.7 million, a record high, up from 1.1 million in 2010/11
    • The three-year average poverty rate has fallen in Scotland from 24% to 23% (one-year from 26% to 22%) and has risen in England from 30% to 31%, in Northern Ireland from 23% to 24%, and in Wales from 29% to 31%

      (See https://cpag.org.uk/news/child-poverty-statistics-new-record-high-and-further-breakdowns)

    Yet, this Labour government prefers to direct our country’s resources to armaments, to spend money that results in death and destruction rather than direct it to those in our society who most need it. This is all despite Rachel Reeves promise at the Labour Party Conference in 2024 to “invest in Britain’s renewal”.

    The Socialist Labour Party utterly rejects this approach.
    Our manifesto states:

    The full human cost of child poverty is impossible to estimate. Nobody can measure
    adequately the cost in physical or emotional suffering of growing up in a damp or overcrowded
    home, of having a parent who relies on charity to put food on the table or of going to school in
    shabby second-hand clothes.

    Every child has a right to live in peace and comfort with decent education, housing, free health
    care and caring adults to provide a safe, nurturing and loving environment.

    The Socialist Labour is committed to creating a fairer society where the well-being of people is placed before weapons, a place where child poverty would only be a memory.

    If you share our vision, join us today!

    Allistair Lomax

    2