Socialist Workers Party (UK)

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The Socialist Workers Party was founded as a split from the Revolutionary Communist Party. Originally called the Socialist Review Group (SRG), the Socialist Workers Party (SWP)was formed Palestinian Jewish emigrant Tony Cliff in 1950. The SRG grew slowly and in 1962 was renamed the “International Socialists (IS).” By working (beginning in 1968) in the Labour Party, the IS was able to gain membership from within Labour’s Young Socialist group. In 1977, Cliff officially reformed his IS its current incarnation — the Socialist Workers Party. The SWP quickly grew to one of the most dedicated parties on the Left, publishing the newspaper Socialist Worker, and forming the International Socialist Tendency (IST) for the purpose of creating SWP mirror groups in other nations (such as the American ISO). However, during most of its history, the SWP/UK continued providing critical support for the Labour Party electorally. This changed in 1998, however. Angered by the continued right-ward flow of Tony Blair’s New Labour, Tony Cliff began efforts to work with other British Marxist organizations in creating an official Socialist Alliance. The SWP has run into some rough spots over recent times, including the death of Cliff in 1999 and the end of relations with the American ISO, but they continue to be the strongest Marxist party in Britain.

This page is part of the Field Guide to the Left.