The United Kingdom

This chapter shows how British RLPs operate in a unique and particularly unfavourable environment, where the left is dominated by the UK Labour party in a majoritarian, first-past-the-post, electoral system. Historically, the radical left has failed utterly to develop a viable radical electoral alternative to the left of Labour, which has monopolised ties to trade unions and has had a ‘radical left’ wing of variable strength. In the 2000s, with Labour in government and moving increasingly to the centre, a number of RLPs managed to get electoral traction, principally Respect, which is the party in focus here. However, for a combination of personal and organisation reasons, Respect imploded. The election of radical socialist Jeremy Corbyn as Labour Party leader in 2015–2020 allowed radical left trends to inform some Labour policy and discourse, but RLPs themselves have failed to benefit.