Editing Trotskyism (section)

===United Kingdom===
In Britain during the 1980s, the [[Entryism|entryist]] [[Militant (Trotskyist group)|Militant]] group operated within the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] with three members of parliament and effective control of [[Liverpool City Council]]. Described by journalist [[Michael Crick]] as "Britain's fifth most important political party" in 1986,<ref>{{cite book |last=Crick |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Crick |title=The March of Militant |pages=2}}</ref> it played a prominent role in the 1989–1991 anti-poll tax movement, which was widely thought to have led to the downfall of British Prime Minister [[Margaret Thatcher]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/14/newsid_2495000/2495911.stm |title=BBC ON THIS DAY – 14 – 1990: One in five yet to pay poll tax |work=[[BBC]] |date=14 August 1990}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Margaret |last=Thatcher |author-link=Margaret Thatcher |title=The Downing Street Years |date=1993 |pages=848–849}}</ref>

The most enduring of several Trotskyist parties in Britain has been the [[Socialist Workers Party (UK)|Socialist Workers Party]], formerly the International Socialists (IS). Its founder [[Tony Cliff]] rejected the orthodox Trotskyist view of the USSR as a "deformed worker's state". Communist-party regimes were "state capitalist".<ref>{{cite book |first=Tony |last=Cliff |author-link=Tony Cliff |title=The Nature of Stalinist Russia |date=1948}}</ref>{{page needed|date=August 2024}} The SWP has helped found several organisations through which they have sought to exert influence over the broader left, such as the [[Anti-Nazi League]] in the late 1970s and the [[Stop the War Coalition]] in 2001.<ref>{{cite book |last=Boothroyd |first=David |date=2001 |title=The History of British Political Parties |location=London |publisher=Politicos |pages=303}}</ref> It also allied with [[George Galloway]] and [[Respect Party|Respect]], whose dissolution in 2007 caused an internal crisis in the SWP. A more serious internal crisis, leading to a significant decline in the party's membership, emerged in 2013. Allegations of rape and sexual assault made against a leading party member<ref>{{cite news |last=Muir |first=Hugh |date=29 July 2013 |title=Diary: Adieu, Comrade Delta. The SWP leader at the centre of sex abuse allegations departs|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/jul/29/adieu-comrade-delta-swp-sex-allegations |work=[[The Guardian]] |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref> developed into a dispute over the practice of democratic centralism (defended by the party's international secretary [[Alex Callinicos]]).<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Alex |last=Callinicos |author-link=Alex Callinicos |title=Is Leninism finished? |url=https://socialistworker.co.uk/socialist-review-archive/leninism-finished/ |magazine=[[Socialist Review]] |date=February 2013 |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref>

[[File:Dungavel3 (cropped).JPG|thumb|250px|Scottish TUSC members protesting against the [[Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre|Dungavel Detention Centre]]]]

The [[Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition]] (TUSC) was formed in 2010 between the [[Socialist Party (England and Wales)|Socialist Party]], the SWP and [[Socialist Resistance]], along with the [[National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers|RMT]] union, has participated in several general elections.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kelly |first1=John |title=Contemporary Trotskyism: Parties, Sects and Social Movements in Britain |date=14 March 2018 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-1-317-36894-6 |pages=157–310 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0mJRDwAAQBAJ&q=trade+unionist+and+socialist+coalition+trotskyism |language=en}}</ref> The TUSC stood 40 candidates at the [[2024 United Kingdom general election]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=7 June 2024 |title=TUSC candidates in the general election |url=https://www.tusc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TUSC-candidates-on-July-4.pdf |website=[[Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition]] |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref>

In April 2019, a 1970s splinter from IS made headlines when three former members of the [[Revolutionary Communist Party (UK, 1978)|Revolutionary Communist Party]] campaigned in the European Parliamentary election as candidates for the [[Brexit Party]],<ref name="Walker, 2019">{{cite news |first=Peter |last=Walker |date=23 April 2019 |title=Former communist standing as MEP for Farage's Brexit party |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/apr/23/former-communist-claire-fox-standing-as-mep-for-farages-brexit-party |work=[[The Guardian]] |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet |user=JamesHeartfield/ |number=1121719607671382018 |title=Glad to announce that I am contesting the Yorkshire and Humber constituency for the @brexitparty_uk in the European elections. |first=James |last=Heartfield |date=26 April 2019 |access-date=28 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Former Revolutionary Communist Party's Spiked: Alka Sehgal Cuthbert Candidate for Farage's Brexit Party |url=https://tendancecoatesy.wordpress.com/2019/04/13/former-revolutionary-communist-partys-spiked-alka-sehgal-cuthbert-candidate-for-farages-brexit-party/ |date=13 April 2019 |website=Tendance Coatesy |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref> and a fourth, [[Munira Mirza]], was appointed head of the Number 10 [[Downing Street]] policy unit by the new Conservative Prime Minister [[Boris Johnson]].<ref>{{cite news |first1=Rajeev |last1=Syal |first2=Rowena |last2=Mason |first3=Lisa |last3=O'Carroll |title=Sky executive among Johnson's first appointments |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jul/23/sky-executive-among-johnson-first-appointments-andrew-griffith-munira-mirza |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=23 July 2019 |access-date=25 July 2019 |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref> The RCP's rejection of the SWP's critical engagement with the Labour Party and trade unions had morphed into embracing right-wing libertarian positions.<ref name="Walker, 2019"/>