On Sunday 31 May, more than 220 socialists participated in a Zoom conference of the newly inaugurated Socialist Federation, a breakaway from Your Party, but not yet a party.
The conference was organised by Members’ Charter, which originated a few months ago as a pressure group within Your Party and promoted an online petition for internal democracy. Their demands became obsolete as the situation in the party unravelled a mere six months after its November 2025 founding conference.
Amid the ongoing frustration about the deficit of democracy and transparency from the leadership, some 30 proto branches have already voted to identify as independent socialist groups. Many others lapsed into inactivity as members drifted away. Members’ Charter then escalated the process to lay down a template for an alternative party.
The proposal to form as the Socialist Federation came from John Boadle, an organiser for an independent group in Coventry, and was resoundingly adopted at Sunday’s meeting. (All conference documents can be accessed here.) For a number of reasons, the name bears relevance to the debates that took place on 31 May.
In the first part of the conference, attendees were presented the choice of forming a network, a federation, or a party. Federation emerged as the ‘Goldilocks’ option, being neither too loose nor too formalised. A total of 68% of those attending voted to delay the formation of a party at this stage.
Elements essential to a party, including a socialist identity and basic decision-making structures, were acknowledged from the outset, with speakers expressing wariness of locking into a deeper structure too quickly. Many had been burned by the experience of Your Party and by previous attempts to establish a socialist party in the UK.
Use structures agreed elsewhere
A number of different types of federation had been proposed in the 27 documents prepared for Sunday’s session. Many sought to extrapolate structures agreed upon elsewhere – in the Grassroots Left programme, in votes to elect proto-branches, or at the All-London Delegate Assembly of Your Party members.
One forwarder reasoned that any possible structure must necessarily be shaped around the outcome of debates around the political programme for a new party. Arguably the most imaginative and detailed submission came from Olivia Presland, who advocated the two-speed solution of a dual body; a loose network to build trust alongside a federation making formal strides toward a fuller party structure. Her proposal was one of the three most popular in the vote on organisational structure, which will be merged into a composite document ahead of the next Socialist Federation conference.
Graham Jones made equally detailed and imaginative submissions to the debate on political programme. Perhaps some attendees considered them a little too resource-intensive for this embryonic stage of the process. They will be retained as amendments to the composite document, as will all proposals that received more votes for than against, though not enough to make the top three.
Differences with Greens stressed
The relationship between socialists and the Green Party featured significantly in the debate on programme. Opposition to NATO, Zionism and austerity were all stressed as key differences. A majority advocated maintaining a clear distance on the basis that the Greens are not a constitutionally socialist party.
“The classical Marxist definition of socialism” headed the first paragraph of one proposal that made the top three. Richard Gerard’s set of radical policies on cost of living, racism, opposition to war and challenging climate catastrophe also made the final document, as did the proposal to work toward a consensus with other independent socialist groups. In a separate vote, attendees also agreed to the formation of the Socialist Education and Debate Association as a recognised body within the federation, tasked with raising the general understanding of socialist politics.
It is thus Marxist revolutionaries who have initiated the first organised break from Your Party. In the chat some participants did express concern about the adoption of too pure an outlook, concerned that it might put off a layer of socialists more inclined toward reformist politics.
Debates covering the two key parts of the conference occupied four hours and was of an overall high quality. Though the process was quite demanding – and at times a little confusing – it also felt satisfying to be included in such discourse and decision making, which was an all too infrequent occurrence in Your Party. It’s certainly one of the main reasons that I recently decided to leave the party.
Perhaps half the people forwarding motions were from London. The representation at future events can only be more diverse. Interim committee members now intend to draw up the composite documents ahead of the next Socialist Federation Zoom, which will take place on 28 June. A hybrid conference is planned for September, though a venue has not yet been identified.
The Connections group meets in Sheffield on 6 June for the first of a series of conventions to bring together socialist groups and activist organisations to discuss a way forward for the left. The Left Lane will be reporting on this event, so watch this space.
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