There will be 40 candidates standing on behalf of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) on 4 July.
TUSC is a coalition of trade unionists, anti-war protesters, community activists, environmental campaigners – and socialists from different organisations or none – who unite to contest elections around pro-working class, anti-austerity policies.
Our goal in standing is to contribute to the process of rebuilding mass political representation for the working class that could seriously challenge for government in the future – not presenting ourselves as the finished product. But by not leaving the establishment politicians unchallenged, we hope to help develop the self-confidence of the working class that it is an alternative power to the capitalist rulers of society – and that it has the capacity to create and build its own democratic mass workers’ party to realise that power politically.
From an ex-MP to the youngest candidate
The candidates standing for our coalition on 4 July are an impressive display of working-class fighters that have come together under the TUSC banner to take forward this task.
They range, on the one hand, from the veteran socialist ex-Labour MP Dave Nellist (1983-1992) – standing this time in Coventry East – who headed the ‘parliamentary wing’ of the mass campaign of non-payment of the poll tax that brought down Margaret Thatcher in the 1990s; to probably the youngest candidate on the ballot anywhere in July, the 18-year-old college student Adam Gillman, contesting Reading Central, who is a member of Socialist Students, one of the different organisations that are part of TUSC.
Then there are the trade unionists on the list, already experienced in representing thousands of workers through the important national and local positions they hold in the union movement, standing in a personal capacity. These include the elected Black Female representative on the public services union Unison’s National Executive Council (NEC) April Ashley, standing (in a personal capacity) in Croydon West; the secretary of Scotland’s biggest Unison branch, Chris Sermanni (in Glasgow North East); the South Gloucestershire local government Unison branch secretary, Dan Smart (for Bristol North East); the PCS civil service union London and South East regional secretary, Lois Austin, (standing, in a personal capacity, in West Ham and Beckton); the Plymouth National Education Union district secretary Alex Moore (in Plymouth Sutton and Devonport); an RMT branch political officer, Gary Harbord, in Uxbridge and South Ruislip; a Unison Health branch chair, Sally Griffiths, in Worsley and Eccles; and trades council officers Dave Murray (Basildon and Billericay), Declan Clune (Southampton Itchen), Maggie Fricker (Southampton Test), Mike Whale (Hull North and Cottingham), and Gareth Bromhall (Swansea West), a trades council rep on the Wales TUC general council.
Another strand of candidates are the serious community campaigners appearing on the ballot paper as TUSC with an established local standing, such as Nancy Taaffe (Walthamstow) – well-known as a local campaigner on housing, libraries, education and anti-war protests – the chair of Save Our NHS Leicestershire, Steve Score (Leicester West), and the former Redbridge Labour councillor and hospital campaigner Andy Walker (Ilford South). Meanwhile, in Folkstone and Hythe, the TUSC banner is being carried by the anti-war campaigner and Folkestone Stands With Palestine group member Momtaz Khanom.
And lastly, TUSC is standing a candidate against the speaker of the House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle, in his Chorley constituency. The mainstream establishment triopoly of parties have stood down in Lindsay Hoyle’s favour – so he really can be said to be a joint candidate of Labour, the Conservatives, and the Liberal Democrats! But TUSC is standing a former member of the National Union of Teachers’ NEC, Martin Powell-Davies, so that workers have a chance to have their interests represented.
It is true that the challenge to the mainstream capitalist establishment parties is not as widespread and co-ordinated as it could have been if the official leaders of the left-wing trade unions in particular had given a lead. Nevertheless there will still be a significant challenge made on 4 July, headed by Jeremy Corbyn in Islington North, and which TUSC is part of. So where it is possible, please help our campaigns in any way you can!
The full list of candidates
England
Eastern
Basildon and Billericay – Dave Murray
East Midlands
Leicester West – Steve Score
Mansfield – Karen Seymour
Northampton South – Katie Simpson
London
Croydon West – April Ashley
Ilford South – Andy Walker
Islington South and Finsbury – Ethan Saunders
Southgate and Wood Green – Karl Vidol
Uxbridge and South Ruislip – Gary Harbord
Walthamstow – Nancy Taaffe
West Ham and Beckton – Lois Austin
Northern
Gateshead Central and Whickham – Norman Hall
North West
Chorley – Martin Powell-Davies
Liverpool Riverside – Roger Bannister
Worsley and Eccles South – Sally Griffiths
Southern
Crawley – Robin Burnham
Folkestone and Hythe – Momtaz Khanom
Reading Central – Adam Gillman
Southampton Itchen – Declan Clune
Southampton Test – Maggie Fricker
South West
Bristol North East – Dan Smart
North Swindon – Scott Hunter
Plymouth Sutton and Devonport – Alex Moore
South West Devon – Ben Davey
West Midlands
Birmingham Erdington – Corinthia Ward
Coventry East – Dave Nellist
Smethwick – Ravaldeep Singh Bath
Worcester – Mark Davies
Yorkshire
Doncaster North – Andy Hiles
Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes – Mark Gee
Hull North and Cottingham – Mike Whale
Leeds Central and Headingley – Louie Fulton
Sheffield Central – Izzy France
Sheffield Heeley – Mick Suter
Scotland
Aberdeen North – Lucas Grant
Dundee Central – Jim McFarlane
Glasgow North East – Chris Sermanni
Glasgow South – Brian Smith
Wales
Cardiff East – John Williams
Swansea West – Gareth Bromhall
