‘Your Party Scotland’ was officially launched at a conference on 7/8 February in Dundee. Attended by around 250 members in person, with more taking part online, the conference was the first national opportunity for Your Party Scotland members to debate issues, which included whether to stand for the Holyrood election in May, the attitude to take on the national question, no cuts budgets, dual membership, and the right of trade unions to affiliate to YP Scotland, among others.
The fact that the conference agreed some important advances compared to the UK Your Party conference in Liverpool in November 2025 is to be welcomed. However, the backdrop to the conference was the enormous missed opportunity to build a mass workers’ party.
That the launch of YP has only led, up to now, to the creation of, in reality, a small left party, rather than the potential for the creation of a mass working-class force of up to one million members on a UK basis, is entirely due to the mistaken approach of the elements of the leadership in charge of steering its creation.
As we warned at the time, the failure to involve trade union organisations, leading trade unionists, and socialist organisations with a record of calling for and encouraging steps in the direction of a mass workers’ party would have significant consequences.
Socialist Party Scotland and the Socialist Party England and Wales have participated in the Your Party process since it began. But we have also called out the increasing top-down, bureaucratic methods being used in the party. This was a theme of the YP Scotland conference.
Making the first intervention in a debate on whether YP Scotland should ultimately be independent of the party at a UK level, Socialist Party Scotland member Philip Stott urged Your Party Scotland members to turn our collective backs on the mistakes made at UK level, driven by bureaucratic and top-down methods of bans and exclusions of Socialist Party members Dave Nellist and April Ashley from standing for the CEC, and to build a bridge to the working class and its mass-membership trade unions.
Trade unions key
Jim McFarlane, UNISON NEC member and Dundee City UNISON branch secretary, proposed an amendment, drawn up by Socialist Party Scotland members, that called on trade unions to be able to affiliate “at a local, regional and national basis and send representatives to Your Party Scotland structures”.
Jim explained that the working class and the multi-million-membership trade unions have to be the basis for building a new mass party. He pointed to the history of trade union struggle in Dundee, the Timex strike in 1993, and, more recently, the strike wave, which showed the power of the working class when it takes action.
Jim answered those who argued that trade union affiliation allows trade union bureaucrats to affect Your Party when he said: “We don’t want to bring in right-wing trade union leaders; we want to bring in working-class fighters in Your Party.”
Wayne Scott, a PCS rep from Dundee and a Socialist Party Scotland member, also spoke very well in this debate. While some delegates spoke against the idea of trade union affiliation, the amendment was agreed by 81.5% of the delegates who voted.
Dual membership
In the debate on allowing dual membership for Your Party Scotland, an amendment was agreed by 82% of the conference which allows for “Scottish socialist political parties, except those determined by the SEC [the Scottish leadership body] as not aligning with Your Party Scotland’s values”, to be members until any possible future “ban” list is drawn up by the SEC.
This allows for Socialist Party Scotland members, for example, to take part in elections to the SEC and stand as candidates. We moved an amendment for conference arguing for socialist organisations to be members of Your Party Scotland as of right, but this was composited out.
Nevertheless, Socialist Party Scotland members played a key role in the debate, with Sinead Daly and Lynda McEwan both making powerful speeches. Lynda explained the key role that Militant — Socialist Party Scotland’s predecessor — played in the victories over the poll tax and the Liverpool council struggle, and why that history and tradition should be seen as an asset for YP Scotland.
On the second day of conference, Socialist Party Scotland members continued to play an important role in shaping the direction of the debates. On whether Your Party Scotland should take no specific position on the Scottish constitutional debate or whether to back Scottish independence, two Socialist Party Scotland comrades were able to speak.
Sinead Daly explained that Socialist Party Scotland members had moved an amendment that argued that an independent socialist Scotland was the best route to improve the lives of the working class in Scotland, but this was not included. But we will give critical support for Your Party Scotland to take an explicitly pro-independence position rather than take no position, as was proposed in the other option. This pro-independence option was passed by 63% of the conference.
No cuts budgets
The amendment to the Political Statement on no cuts budgets, again proposed by Socialist Party Scotland members, insisted that “Your Party Scotland and our elected councillors and parliamentarians will never vote for cuts and will support the moving of legal no-cuts budgets in councils and at Holyrood.”
Harvey Duke graphically drew out the consequences of councillors voting for cuts and its contribution to the rise of parties like Reform UK. Harvey also highlighted the work done by anti-racists in Dundee who, for months, had been confronting fascists and racists who had targeted asylum seekers’ accommodation. This amendment was agreed by 85% of delegates.
Whether to stand for Holyrood was among the most contentious debates of the weekend. However, in the end, 70% supported standing candidates. This is an important step towards mounting a serious election challenge in May.
It may, if the policy is implemented fully, also mean that only in Scotland will there be a significant Your Party challenge in the elections due in May, which include the English council elections and the Welsh Assembly. Leah Ganley from Inverness made an excellent contribution, arguing that to cut across Reform UK, a socialist election challenge is vital, making the case for jobs, homes, and public services for working-class communities, not racist division.
Socialist Party Scotland played a leading role in the October 4, 2025 conference, involving trade unionists and socialists, to build for a socialist election challenge.
Divisions persist
Deep divisions in Your Party between the contending groupings fighting for a majority on the CEC are evident. Both Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana addressed conference on the second day. Sultana made a combative speech, calling for a worker-controlled, publicly owned socialist economy, and welcomed the decision of conference to back a no-cuts position.
She also commented that she was the only Your Party MP at Westminster, a clear criticism of the other MPs who had initially supported the Your Party process, including Jeremy Corbyn, who remains an independent MP.
Corbyn supporters have launched The Many as a public forum to campaign for the CEC elections. One of its subheads is “so members call the shots, not sects”. A formal split in YP is possible in the aftermath of the CEC elections.
However, the fact that Your Party Scotland has decided to contest the Holyrood election gives the opportunity to turn outwards to the working class with a fighting socialist policy. By standing for election on a pledge that Your Party MSPs will live on a workers’ wage, will fight for no-cuts budgets, and for massive investment in public council housing and other public services, it can find new layers of support.
Socialist Party Scotland members are prepared to stand to become YP Scotland candidates with the aim of aiding this urgent process. With the threat from Reform and the failures of the SNP and Labour, as well as the Greens, there is an urgent need for a widespread socialist election challenge.
We will continue to make the case for the building of a mass working-class party based on the trade unions with a fighting socialist programme. Your Party Scotland is not that party, but it can still play a role in helping to make the case for socialism and mass working-class political representation.