1. History
    Formation  Position on Europe  1992–2018  New leadership and New Declaration 

2. Leaders

3. Westminster elections

4. References

5. External links

The Social Democratic Party is a political party in the United Kingdom, established in 1990. It traces its origin to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) which was formed in 1981 by a group of dissident Labour Party Members of Parliament (MPs) and former MPs: Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams, who became known as the 'Gang of Four'. The original SDP merged with the Liberal Party in 1988 to form the Liberal Democrats, but Owen, two other MPs and a minority of party activists formed a breakaway group with the same name immediately afterward. That continuing party dissolved itself in 1990, but some activists met and voted to continue the party in defiance of its National Executive, leading to the creation of a new Social Democratic Party.

The party is listed on the Register of Political Parties for England, Scotland and Wales. According to accounts filed with the Electoral Commission, in 2017 the party had a total income of £2,095.^[3] As of 2017, it had no principal authority councillors and two town councillors. It gained its first parliamentarian when Patrick O'Flynn, Member of the European Parliament for East of England, defected from the UK Independence Party to join the SDP in November 2018.^[4]

History

Formation

The second incarnation of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), often referred to as 'the continuing SDP', decided to dissolve itself after a disastrous result in the May 1990 Bootle by-election. However, a number of SDP activists met and voted to continue the party in defiance of the National Executive. The continuing group was led by Jack Holmes, whose defeat by the Official Monster Raving Loony Party at the Bootle by-election had caused the party's end.

The much-reduced SDP decided to fight the 1991 Neath by-election. With Holmes serving as the party's election agent, the SDP candidate finished fifth with 5.3% of the vote—only 174 votes behind the fourth-placed Liberal Democrats. (The SDP candidate joined the Lib Dems shortly thereafter.)^[5] The party subsequently won a number of seats on the Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council.

Position on Europe

The party's political orientation is Eurosceptic. Whilst a majority of the founders of the original SDP were pro-EC, the continuing SDP voted against the concept of a United States of Europe at its conference at Scarborough in 1989, and the 1990 party's Eurosceptic position developed from there. As of March 2019, the party advocated the UK leaving the European Union on WTO terms in the absence of a better deal on offer.^[6]

1992–2018

Since 1992, the SDP has concentrated on campaigning at local level, holding a few council seats in Yorkshire and South Wales.

Meanwhile, in Tunstall Ward in Richmondshire, Tony Pelton and Brian Smith were elected in 1999.

A third hotspot consisted of SDP councillors Jeff Dinham, John Sullivan and Anthony Taylor in Aberavon Ward, Neath Port Talbot.

In the 2003 elections, Tony Pelton was re-elected, but Brian Smith was not. In 2005, Christine Allerston became Mayor of Bridlington for a year; however, she stood down before the 2007 local elections, in which her husband Ray Allerston was re-elected (and made Mayor) and David Metcalf (SDP) picked up the vacant seat. All three Aberavon councillors remained in place, with Anthony Taylor becoming local mayor. However, Tony Pelton in Tunstall stood down before the 2007 locals, ending SDP representation there.

Jackie Foster was elected to Bridlington Town Council in 2008.

In 2012, Councillors Dinham and Sullivan lost their seats in Aberavon, leaving only Anthony Taylor in position.

David Metcalf stepped down in early 2014, owing to ill-health. He died soon afterward. This left just Allerston, Foster and Taylor in post. Ray Allerston died on 16 September 2014.^[8][9] A by-election was held in his ward on 27 November, which was won by the UK Independence Party (UKIP).^[10]

The SDP fielded two candidates in the 2015 general election.

Jackie Foster remained an SDP councillor on Bridlington Town Council after the 2015 local elections,^[11] but as of 2016 was listed as a Labour councillor.^[11] Until May 2017, Anthony Taylor sat on Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council as an "Independent Democrat",^[12] but remained listed on the party website as an SDP councillor.^[13]

Solihull's Green councillor, Mike Sheriden, defected to the SDP in August 2015.^[14] However, when he stood for re-election in May 2016, Sheriden lost his seat.

Six SDP candidates stood in the 2017 general election: one in Glasgow East and five in Sheffield constituencies.^[15] The SDP candidates received a total of 469 votes.^[16]

In January 2018, Councillor Kevin Hickson, former Leader of Crewe Town Council, joined the SDP after leaving Labour and briefly sitting as an Independent.^[20] In an article published in the Crewe Chronicle, Cllr Hickson, who represents Crewe East, stated that he left Labour because of growing unease with that party's "almost daily changes" on Brexit policy. He went on to say: "The SDP combines centre left policies on the economy and the welfare state with a firm commitment to implement the will of the people on Brexit, reclaiming sovereignty over money, laws, borders and trade." Hickson is a Senior Lecturer in Politics.^[21]

New leadership and New Declaration

William Clouston became leader of the SDP in 2018. He was a member of the original party in the 1980s, and remained with the continuing SDP after the merger with the Liberal Party.

The party published a New Declaration of aims and values in October 2018, which it describes as putting the principles of social democracy in a modern setting. It calls for a "communitarian, social democratic nation-state".

Patrick O'Flynn, Member of the European Parliament for East of England, defected from the UK Independence Party (UKIP) to join the SDP in November 2018.^[4] O'Flynn cited UKIP leader Gerard Batten's appointment of Tommy Robinson as an adviser as a key reason for his departure from the party.^[16] O'Flynn became the first MEP affiliated with the current-day SDP.

On 22 December 2018, Sam Stopp, former Labour Party councillor^[22] and editor of the (now defunct) blog Labour Vision, announced his intention to join the SDP.^[23] Although Stopp has declared his support for the party's Eurosceptic views,^[24] he previously criticised the referendum on Britain's membership of the EU as being an example of bad governance.^[25]

In March 2019, prominent political journalists Rod Liddle and Giles Fraser announced that they were joining the party.{{source needed|date=March 2019}}

Leaders

• Jack Holmes (1990–1991)
• John Bates (1991–2008)
• Peter Johnson (2008–2018)
• William Clouston (2018–present)

Westminster elections

References

External links

• SDP website

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