Socialist Alliance (England)

The Socialist Alliance was an electoral alliance of political parties in England from 1999 to 2005.^[1]

The alliance was formed in the 1990s^[2] by former Labour MP Dave Nellist of the Socialist Party, who chaired the alliance.^[1] They stood in the 1999 European Parliament election,^[3] including former Labour MEPs Ken Coates and Hugh Kerr.^[4] The 2000 London mayoral election campaign by Ken Livingstone after his Labour candidacy was blocked brought together activists as the London Socialist Alliance. Their London Assembly candidates received 3% of the vote, but the campaign drove national interest.^[2][5][6][7] By 2001 the alliance was supported by the Socialist Workers Party (SWP), Communist Party of Great Britain (Provisional Central Committee), the International Socialist Group,^[1] Workers Liberty, Workers Power, and Revolutionary Democratic Group, though the Socialist Labour Party refused to join.^[2] They were supported by left-wing representatives of the arts, comedians, lawyers, and trade unions.^[2] In February 2001, the alliance co-organised a week-long protest outside Parliament against sanctions on Iraq.^[8]

Former Labour NEC member Liz Davies joined during the 2001 election campaign.^[9] It stood 98 candidates in the 2001 general election,^[1][10] for which Ken Loach directed a party broadcast,^[11][12] polling around 500 votes or less than 2% on average.^[2][13] Candidates included China Miéville^[14] and national executive member Mike Marqusee co-wrote the manifesto.^[15] That September, the Green Party conference voted down a motion for a pact with the alliance.^[16] In 2002, Paul Foot came third for the alliance in the vote for the Mayor of Hackney.^[17][18] The same year, Nellist successfully defended his Sheffield City Council seat for the alliance.^[19]

The Socialist Party left the alliance in November 2001 after the SWP successfully changed the constitution from a federal system to One Member, One Vote.^[20] In 2003, the AWL and Workers Power also withdrew due to the SWP making concessions towards Islam and attempting a closer relationship with the Muslim Association of Britain.^[21]

Following the Iraq War of 2003, the SWP voted to dissolve the alliance and instead joining the Respect - The Unity Coalition. Nellist last stood for the Socialist Alliance in 2005.^[1]