Hello Cambridge

Make it Your Party in Cambridgeshire

Dear Friend

We are all activists in various organisations, unions and campaigns in Cambridgeshire, and some of us are elected officers in some of these organisations.

In a personal capacity we have all signed up for the new left party launched by Jeremy Corbyn MP and Zarah Sultana MP,  which at the moment is using the name Your Party.

We think this is an exciting and necessary development in politics in Britain- given the simply awful record of Starmer’s Labour which is continuing the austerity policies and attacks on working people of the previous Tory regimes.

Worse still, Starmer’s echoing of Enoch Powell’s racist language with his “Island of Strangers” speech and continuing attacks on refugees are simply paving the way for Reform UK to grow and become a serious threat in Britain.

And internationally the British government’s role in continuing to supply arms and give cover for the genocide in Gaza is sickening.

We need a left alternative which stands against austerity, and against all racism. One which stands in solidarity with the Palestinian people and with trans people, and which stands against the sexism and misogyny fuelled by the like of Andrew Tate and others.

We need an alternative which fights for real action on climate change and also stands in solidarity with all those fighting back from the Birmingham bin workers to the resident doctors and more.

More than half a million people clearly agree with this as in just over a week they have signed up to the Your Party initiative too.

Of course there will be national meetings and conferences to decide the detailed structures and policies and so on of the new party. But as Jeremy and Zarah have rightly said this new force needs to be shaped and led by the grassroots.

In that spirit we would like to reach out to everyone in our area who shares our enthusiasm for the new party and who has or is considering signing up for it.

We are certainly not pretending to be any leadership or committee-such questions will be for members to decide democratically as we move forward in building this new force nationally and locally.

But we do think we need to get started on connecting people together in our area and beginning to get to know each other and start the discussion on what we should prioritise locally and how we should begin to organise.

We also think we need to start discussing now how we might approach having a left alternative for the local elections which we will see in May 2026.

So we would like to invite you to come along to an open meeting in September (details tbc).

Given the response to the national sign up we would ask you to register to get a ticket so we get an idea of numbers in advance in case we need to think again about the size of the venue. We will hold a collection on the day to cover the costs of the venue- and we would ask people to donate to that as at present we clearly have no structure or funds.

We hope you agree that this is an exciting but also challenging time and will want to join us in starting the urgent process of shaping a new left.

If you would like to add your name to this letter please contact us via contact@yourpartycambridge.uk

And if you would like to join a WhatsApp group linking those of us in Cambridgeshire who have signed up for the new party please use this link:

https://chat.whatsapp.com/FKap6CZpQy22mvIr7rkwNg

In solidarity (all signatories in personal capacity)

Abby Maddison (District secretary Cambridgeshire National Education Union);

Alan Walker (Cambridgeshire resident)

Alan Robert Walker Formally NGA now Unite

Alex Richardson (Cambridgeshire NEU)

Anna Gordon (Unite member, Cambridge resident)

Anthea Jones (Early Years Officer, Cambridgeshire NEU)

Andrew “Ozzy” Osborne (Unite, Cambridge Engineering branch)

Anne Alexander (Communications officer, Cambridge University UCU)

Averil Parkinson (Cambridge Palestine Solidarity Campaign).

Arthur Kaletzky (Cambridge University UCU executive member).

Barbara Gorik (Cambridge resident)

Caia Dominicus (Cambridgeshire resident)

Carla McQueen (Cambridge resident)

Charlotte Pindar (Joint assistant district secretary Cambridgeshire NEU)

Chris Bailey, (Unite Cambridge Community Branch, Delegate to Cambridge 
Trade Union Council).

Clare Collinson (Cambridge Resident).

Craig Jamieson (secretary, Unite Cambridge medical branch).

Daniel Morris, (lawyer)

Dave Baigent (Cambridge City Councillor. FBU)

Dave Kennington (branch chair at unison Addenbrookes).

David Plank (Cambridge resident).

Dodie Carter (Cambridge resident

Eva Shepherd (Cambridge Uni student).

Fran File, (activist, Cambridgeshire).

Frances Brown, (Cambridge resident)

Gemma Spencer (Cambridge Resident)

Goderic Wilkie

Lawrence Maples (Unite)

Hilary Price (Cambridge Stop The War Coalition, Cambridge People’s Assembly Against Austerity, Cambridge for Palestine,  Cambridgeshire Keep Our NHS Public, Unison Cambridge Health Branch (Retired member). 

Hollie Anderson-English (student)

Isabelle Barrett – Cambridgshire ResidentIsi Williams (Cambridge resident)

James Hall (Cambs resident Unite Community).

Jeff Wood

James Robinson (Unison rep environment agency Cambridgeshire).

Jane Turner (International Officer, Cambridgeshire NEU).

Jenny Hardacre (Chair, Cambridge Palestine Solidarity Campaign).

Joanne Fiztpatrick (Cambridgeshire resident).

Dr Khalid AbuTayyem, Cambridge resident) Mark Hurn (Unite activist).

Marie Forte (Cambridge rwsident)

Marianne Johansen (Cambridgeshire NEU).

Martin Barrett (Chair, Unite Marshall Aerospace Branch).

Michelle Plevin, (Nurse RCN, Linton resident).

Mina Morris, (Cambridge resident).

Mary Lalevee (Cambridge resident). 

Patrick Alexander (Unite Engineering Rep, Stagecoach in Cambridge).

Paula Champion (president, Cambridgeshire district NEU).

Paul Lythgoe, (Cambridge resident).

Paul McGarr (Joint assistant district secretary Cambridgeshire NEU).

Paul Turnbull (Cambridge resident)

Philippe Harari, (Cambridge resident).

Richard Hopper (Cambridge resident).

Rob Turner (Branch Secretary Unison Cambridgeshire County).

Rose Conway. (Cambridge resident UCU member).

Rowan Stevens (Cambridgeshire resident)

Saeida Rouass (Cambridgeshire resident; Society of Authors member).

Sharon Ankin (RCN member)

Shizuka Jane Pye (Kika) (Cambridge resident)

Sophie Mitchell (Joint assistant district secretary Cambridgeshire NEU)

Stephen Pyle (Cambridge resident)

Stacey Wilson-Davies (trade unionist and Cambridgeshire resident)

Susan Milner (Cambridgeshire NEU)

Tagl (IWW member, Cambridgeshire)

Terry Macalister, (journalist/author, National Union of Journalists)

Tom Watts (Cambridgeshire resident)

Tom Woodcock, (Cambridge resident)

Wail Abujudeh, (Cambridge resident)

Wenche Gran Orstavik (Cambridge resident)

Would you like to be on this list? mailto:contactyourpartycambridge.uk