Workers' Party Parti Pekerja (Malay) 工人党 (Chinese) Gōngrén Dǎng பாட்டாளிக் கட்சி (Tamil) Pāṭṭāḷik Kaṭci
Abbreviation	WP
Chairperson	Sylvia Lim
Secretary-General	Pritam Singh
Vice-Chairman	Faisal Manap
Founder	David Marshall
Founded	3 November 1957; 68 years ago (1957-11-03)
Preceded by	Labour Front
Headquarters	701Geylang Road #04-02 Teambuild Centre Singapore 389687
Youth wing	Workers' Party Youth Wing
Ideology	Social democracy
Political position	Centre-left
Colours	Light blue
Slogan	Working for Singapore
Parliament	12 / 99
Town Councils	2 / 19
Website
wp.sg
Politics of Singapore Political parties Elections

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TheWorkers' Party (WP) is a majorsocial democratic^[1]political party inSingapore and one of the two contemporary political parties represented inParliament, alongside the governingPeople's Action Party (PAP). The WP sits on thecentre-left of the political spectrum and is currently the largest and oldest opposition party in Parliament, having contested every parliamentary election since 1959 against the dominant PAP.^[2] Since the2011 general election, the WP has been the only political party, other than the PAP, with elected Members of Parliament (MPs).

The WP was founded in 1957 byDavid Marshall, having previously led the moreleft-wingLabour Front (LF) to victory in1955, forming a minority government and becoming the firstChief Minister of Singapore. After the British initially rejected his proposal forhome rule, he resigned as leader of the LF and from his seat in 1957. After creating the WP, Marshall returned as its first representative in theLegislative Assembly as a Member forAnson in 1961, before resigning in 1963 after disagreements with some members of the party.^[3] The party would thereafter decline in prominence during the 1960s and 1970s before its re-emergence in 1981, when party leaderJoshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam became the first opposition MP to be elected since Singapore's independence, having defeated the PAP's candidate at aby-election in Anson. Jeyaretnam was re-elected in1984 with increased votes but subsequently lost his seat in 1986 following a conviction, which he claimed was politically motivated, for falsely accounting the party's funds. Other former members of the WP include formerLaw Society PresidentFrancis Seow and socialist activistLee Siew Choh.^[4]

Since1991, the party'ssafe seat and stronghold has beenHougang Single Member Constituency (SMC), which was represented byLow Thia Khiang for two decades. The popularity of the party in Hougang has been attributed to the area'sTeochew heritage and Low's personal affability.^[5] Low moved toAljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in2011, where he led the first team from an opposition party to win aGRC.^[6] In2020, the WP became the first opposition party to win multiple GRCs in a single general election after defeating the PAP in the newly createdSengkang GRC while retaining Aljunied GRC and Hougang SMC. Positioning itself as a "check-and-balance" in Parliament, it supports aprogressive approach tocivic nationalism, reducing thevoting age from 21 to 18, establishing a universalminimum wage, and providing more flexibility in regard to theCentral Provident Fund.^[7] In recent years, members of the WP have worn light blue uniforms during political campaigns to represent the party's support forblue-collar workers.

In 1956, Singapore's firstChief Minister,David Saul Marshall, resigned his leadership post forLabour Front (the largest party in the assembly at the time) following the failure of theMerdeka Talks that had sought self-governance for Singapore.^[8] Marshall remained as the party'sbackbencher in theLegislative Assembly until his resignation in 1957. On 3 November that year, Marshall went on to found the Workers' Party.^[9][10]

Following the adoption of the Rendel and McNeice Commission recommendations, the six wards in the city area consisting of 18 elected seats was carved into 32. In 1957, the pro-communists backed two new entrants, the Workers' Party and thePeople's Action Party, which later went on to become the long-running governing party in Singapore. Their electoral debut was mostly a success as the party elected four members (out of the five contested) to the City Council; however, in 1958, Kallang ward incumbent Chang Yuen Tong resigned, and subsequently lost their seat to PAP as a result of their by-election defeat.

The party's first Legislative election in1959 did not see success unlike the 1957 City Election, as Marshall failed to retake his seat from 1955 to 1957,Cairnhill constituency; it was won by former Chief Minister andSingapore People's Alliance leaderLim Yew Hock, and the WP did not win any of the three contested seats. That same election also saw PAP became the majority party for the very first time.

In May 1961, aby-election was precipitated due to the passing ofAnson constituency's incumbent MP Baharuddin Mohammed Ariff. Marshall then went to declare his candidacy with the statement:

"... effective, vigorous and constructive opposition and to protect them against the arrogant dictatorship of unchallenged power. Marshall was also eager to assist the workers to prevent the political enslavement of trade unions and to revive the struggle against colonialism in seeking complete independence preferably within and, if necessary, without the Federation."

On 15 July, Marshall won the by-election and subsequently returned to theLegislative Assembly.

David Marshall, as Chairman of the party, made his views known on merger at public rallies and radio talks. Marshall's stand on merger was that:

"... Singapore should seek equal privileges and rights for its citizens in the new federation but surrender autonomy in education and labour, since different policies in these crucial areas would undermine the stability of Malaysia in the long run. He further maintained that if Singapore could not negotiate for a complete merger, she should seek independence on her own, a proposition which drew gales of laughter from the Legislative Chamber at that time. Marshall's strongest objection to the White Paper merger terms was on the point of citizenship and the implications of citizenship in the new federation. He saw the provisions as denying the Singapore citizen who was a federal national, the right of political participation in terms of being allowed to organise or contest in an election in the other states of the Federation. Singaporeans would in his view, be no more than favoured foreigners in the Federation, permitted to live and work there without visas, but also without the important constitutional guarantees that immigration barriers would not be raised against them."

The party concerned Marshall's issue of common citizenship and the rights of Singapore citizens when they joined the Federation. Marshall later stated on 20 August 1962:

"... issued a statement to advise his Executive Council and party members to accept the White Paper proposals for merger, but continued to oppose the Government on the referendum urging the people to cast blank votes on the grounds that it was undemocratically conducted."

On 9 August 1965, Singapore was declared as an independent sovereign state, and the Legislative was reformed asParliament of Singapore. 1968 was the first post-independence election, which saw PAP winning every one of 58 contested seats (51 by a walkover, and the other seven on polling day), due to the election boycotting of the main opposition party at the time, theBarisan Sosialis, leading to the mass arrests of most of its leadership since 1963.

Having become a small and fairly insignificant party by the late-1960s, the party saw a rejuvenation upon the recruitment of a group of lawyers, includingJ.B. Jeyaretnam, who became the party'sSecretary-General. Despite fielding a large slate of candidates in succeeding elections, the ruling PAP still managed to retain its monopoly by winning every contested seat for the next three general elections (including by-elections) until 1981.

On 13 October 1981,Devan Nair vacated his Anson seat to assume his role as the nation's thirdPresident, precipitating theby-election; on 31 October, the party's candidate Jeyaretnam secured a historic victory as he became the first opposition MP-elect to be elected in Parliament with 51.9% (7,012) of the valid votes cast, beating PAP'sPang Kim Hin's 47.1% (6,359) and UPF's Harbans Singh's 1.0% (131). This also marked the first time since 1961 that the Anson electorate voted the WP into the assembly. Jeyaretnam then went on to hold the constituency in the1984 elections with an increased margin of 56.8%.

However, two months later, Jeyaretnam was charged with falsely accounting the party's funds. In 1986, Senior District Judge Michael Khoo found Jeyaretnam innocent of all charges but one. The prosecution later appealed for a retrial to be held in a different district court, which saw Jeyaretnam found guilty on all charges resulting in his disqualification. Though he subsequently remained as the party's Secretary-General, he was also barred from standing in elections until 1991.^[11]

In 1987, some Workers' Party members were among a group of 22 people arrested by Singapore'sInternal Security Department as part ofOperation Spectrum, accused of beingMarxists. They were released on condition that they kept out of politics.

Prior to the1988 general elections, the party merged withBarisan Sosialis and the Singapore United Front. The party did not win any constituency but came very close to winning theEunos Group Representation Constituency (which was then a three-member constituency), in which the party's team, consisting ofFrancis Seow (a former head of the Bar Society who had become a thorn in the government's side and had briefly been detained under theInternal Security Act prior to the general election),Lee Siew Choh (a former chairman of theBarisan Sosialis and former PAP Assemblyman from 1959 to 1961) and Mohd Khalit bin Mohd Baboo, scored 49.1%; only one opposition MP was returned to Parliament (Chiam See Tong of theSingapore Democratic Party). However, since the team garnered the highest percentage of the vote secured by losing opposition candidates during the election, the party was eligible to nominate two members of its team to becomeNon-constituency MPs (NCMPs). The party had refused to nominate NCMPs in the past, but this time they nominated Lee and Seow to do so. While Lee accepted the offer, Seow however declined to do so and instead fled the United States following accusations of espionage. The election also marked the political debut of then-organising secretaryLow Thia Khiang, who contested the three-seatTiong Bahru GRC, and would capture its eventual safe seat ofHougang SMC in the1991 general election.

Jeyaretnam was sued forslander by then Prime MinisterLee Kuan Yew for comments he made at an election rally in 1988; Jeyaretnam was ordered to pay Lee damages ofS$260,000 including costs following an unsuccessful lawsuit. Jeyaretnam was again sued and paid damages of S$465,000 and S$250,000 in court costs for an article he wrote in an issue of the party's newspaper,The Hammer, where he calledIndian PAP leaders stooges.

During the 1991 election campaign, one of the WP's candidates in Eunos GRC,Jufrie Mahmood, came under fire from the PAP and Prime MinisterGoh Chok Tong as they accused him of being aMalaychauvinist, a claim which Jufrie strongly denied. As with the 1988 election, the WP lost to the PAP team while polling strongly in the GRC (47.6% to 52.4%). No NCMPs were offered as the opposition (including Low) elected now occupied a combined four seats in parliament. Following the election, Low became the Assistant Secretary-General.

A by-election inMarine Parade GRC in 1992 was expected to mark the return of Jeyaretnam to electoral politics after his Parliamentary ban had expired; however, the team ultimately did not participate due to one of its candidates turning up late on the nomination day. In 1993, Jeyaretnam and another candidate, Tan Soo Phuan (now a member ofDemocratic Progressive Party), attempted to seek candidacy in the first-everpresidential election; however, both candidates were not granted the Certificate of Eligibility, an item presidential candidates required to complete their nominations. In 1996, Lee Siew Choh resigned from the party, citing differences with Jeyaretnam.^[12]

In the1997 elections, Low was re-elected as Hougang MP in the 1997 general election. Besides Low, only one other opposition MP was elected (Chiam See Tong, who left SDP to join theSingapore People's Party); one NCMP was to be nominated from the WP team forCheng San GRC, as they had polled better than any other losing opposition candidates with 45.2% of the vote share; the party selected secretary-general (and candidate) Jeyaretnam as the NCMP, marking his return to Parliament after 11 years.

During the election campaign, another candidate who was part of the WP's team in Cheng San, lawyerTang Liang Hong, drew particular attention from the PAP as they accused him of being an anti-Christian and anti-MuslimChinese chauvinist. Tang, who insisted all he was trying to do was to "better represent the Chinese community and ask questions on their behalf", vigorously denied this charge^[13] and accused the PAP of trying to win votes by damaging his reputation and preventing people from voting him.^[14] Tang also attacked the PAP with regards to the Hotel Properties Ltd case (which started when theStock Exchange of Singapore criticised Hotel Properties Ltd for its "tardiness" in disclosing details of sales of its condominium units to directors and their family members).^[15][a] Lee, who had purchased one of the units, claimed that Tang was trying to milk this issue for political capital; the PAP sued Tang for defamation and branding the PAP leadership as liars, for a total of S$13.6 million of damages. Tang fled to Australia shortly after the election.

Prior to the2001 election, Jeyaretnam was discharged from his NCMP seat due to an undischarged bankruptcy (having failed to keep up with payments of S$120,000 worth of damages owed from a libel suit brought byPrime Minister Goh Chok Tong and other PAP leaders following comments he had made at an election rally in 1997, but since fulfilled and discharged from bankruptcy in May 2007); Jeyaretnam then relinquished his Secretary-General post to Low. The party became acrimonious as Jeyaretnam later accused Low of not doing enough to help him pay the damages from the libel suit. In response, Low claimed that he had always looked upon Jeyaretnam as an elder and had done everything possible to help him. Following the renewal, a few members (including Jeyaretnam) left the party, forming theReform Party in 2008.^[16] It would be Jeyaretnam's final involvement in politics; he died three months after.^[17][18]

Many observers speculated that with Low at the helm, WP would campaign in a morecentrist manner for the 2001 election.^[19] After assuming leadership, Low recruited a series of young members to the party, includingJames Gomez,Yaw Shin Leong andSylvia Lim (who would become the chairperson of the party). During the2001 general election, WP only contested Hougang and Nee Soon East SMCs while plans to contest the GRCs ofAng Mo Kio,East Coast andPasir Ris–Punggol were abandoned. While WP attempted to contestAljunied GRC, the WP team was disqualified. Low called the disqualification in Aljunied GRC an "oversight" and a belatedApril Fools' joke, saying that he took full responsibility for it. Low was re-elected as the MP of Hougang SMC, winning the only seat for WP in the election.

WP launched an updatedmanifesto in January 2006 entitled "You Have a Choice". The 52-page booklet outlined the party's stand on issues and policies, covering areas from economic and judicial policies to media and sports and recreation.^[20] The manifesto, which had last been updated in 1994, took one year to work on according to Low. PAP then panned the party's manifesto citing "time-bombs",^[21] quipping that it contained only threats to the PAP's power.

At the2006 general election, Low was elected as Hougang MP for the fourth time by an increased margin of 62.7%. The party also polled strongly in Aljunied GRC, losing to the PAP's team with 43.91% of the vote to 56.09% and allowing the party to elect an NCMP seat by virtue of being the best-performing opposition losers. The party's chairperson Sylvia Lim was selected, becoming its first female NCMP. Another team of young first-time candidates, led byYaw Shin Leong inAng Mo Kio GRC which was helmed by then Prime MinisterLee Hsien Loong, garnered 33.86%, around one-third, of the vote, about 0.46% higher than the opposition's national average. Combining all the votes received from the seven constituencies contested by 20 candidates, the Workers' Party's popular vote was 38.43%; the party then became the largest opposition to emerge from the election, in front of the second strongest-performing opposition party, theSingapore Democratic Alliance (the party also fielded the same number of candidates contesting the same number of constituencies) which had gotten 32.52%. This meant that Low would succeedChiam See Tong as the newleader of the opposition.

The manifesto for the2011 general election was titled "Towards a First World Parliament", which also became their campaign slogan. One key proposal was for more affordable public housing such thatHousing Development Board (HDB) lessees should be able to pay off their mortgage loans within 20 years rather than 30. Prior to nomination day (27 April 2011), Low announced that he would vacate his Hougang seat to former Ang Mo Kio GRC candidate Yaw Shin Leong, instead contesting in Aljunied GRC for the forthcoming election along with Lim and three of his "A-List" candidates (Taiwanese-born corporate lawyerChen Show Mao, law postgraduate and formerSAFmajorPritam Singh, and freelance counsellorFaisal Manap). The party fielded a total of 23 candidates contesting in eight constituencies, their largest slate since 1988; it was second only to theNational Solidarity Party's (NSP) slate, which had 24 candidates in eight constituencies.

On 7 May, the WP team in Aljunied GRC achieved the first-ever GRC victory for any opposition party in history; their score of 54.71% unseated the PAP team, led byForeign MinisterGeorge Yeo andMinister of the Prime Minister's OfficeLim Hwee Hua. The Hougang ward was also retained by Yaw with its best performance for the party at 64.80% of the votes (second only to Chiam's 1991 score of 69.6%), resulting in six WP members being elected into Parliament. Their party's overall vote was its best performance in history, with 46.60% of the votes combined from the eight constituencies contested (second only to SDP's popular vote of 48.56% in 1991). Additionally, Lim and Manap became the first female former NCMP and Malay opposition MP respectively to be elected into Parliament.

Due to an increase of minimum opposition seats from three to nine, the party was also offered two of the three NCMP seats. After selectingGerald Giam andYee Jenn Jong (who contestedEast Coast GRC andJoo Chiat SMC respectively), the party brought its total representation to eight seats, the most for any opposition party in Singapore since independence. East Coast GRC candidate Eric Tan later resigned from WP, citing his disagreement with the NCMP appointment.^[22] A month later on 12 June, the party launched its grassroots arm for Aljunied GRC,^[23] called the Aljunied Constituency Committee. It also combined the Hougang and Aljunied town councils to form the Aljunied–Hougang Town Council (AHTC).

On 15 February 2012, the party expelled Hougang SMC MPYaw Shin Leong, for failing to account for allegations made against him.^[24] Prior to his expulsion, Yaw was accused of having an extramarital affair, as well as party misconduct that had surfaced earlier that year; Yaw had up to 24 February to appeal against his expulsion, but declined, precipitating theby-election which was held on 26 May. The seat was retained by 2011 East Coast GRC candidatePng Eng Huat with a majority of 62.08%.^[25] Shortly after the elections, Poh Lee Guan was also expelled from the party after attempting to contest the by-election as a "backup candidate" without consulting the party's CEC, with the CEC condemning Poh's reason as unacceptable.^[26]

On 12 December, aby-election to be held the following year was called after PAP MP forPunggol East SMC and speakerMichael Palmer resigned for having an affair with aPeople's Association (PA) staff; the party announced their candidacy shortly after the announcement.

Prior to nomination day, the party announced plans to purchase its own premises as its current rented premises at Syed Alwi Road was too small for its operations. Sufficient funds were eventually raised and the new HQ was opened in 2017, coinciding with the party's 60th anniversary.^[27]

On 16 January 2013, the party fieldedLee Li Lian, a candidate who had previously contested the same ward in the 2011 election. On 26 January, Lee was elected with 54.52% of the votes (Koh Poh Koon from the PAP received 43.71%, and the remaining 1.77% went to two minor parties), marking the secondby-election since 1981 in which the party had gained any parliamentary seats from the PAP.^[28]

Ahead of the two by-elections, WP called for a tender for managing agent services for their town council, with only FMSS submitting a bid. After the Punggol East by-election, Punggol East SMC was absorbed into AHTC, renaming the Town Council to Aljunied–Hougang–Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) until the2015 election, when Lee was defeated for reelection (see below). In February 2015, theAuditor-General's Office (AGO) carried out an audit on AHPETC and found several lapses in governance and compliance, which became the subject of parliamentary debate.^[29]

Ahead of the 2015 elections, coinciding with the nation's golden jubilee, the party announced that it would contest 28 seats (in ten constituencies), slightly under a third of the 89 parliamentary seats. They revealed their slogan for the election, "Empower Your Future".^[30] In August 2015, chairwoman Lim confirmed the first batch of candidates, with all seven elected MPs defending their respective constituencies.^[31] By the end of the month, the party's line-up was unveiled and finalised.

On 11 September, the team forAljunied GRC and Hougang SMC were re-elected for another term in Parliament, but by a reduced winning margin of 50.96%^[b] and 57.69%^[35] respectively, while in Punggol East SMC, incumbent Lee lost reelection to Deputy Speaker and PAP candidateCharles Chong with 48.24% of the vote.^[36] The party's overall popular vote in the constituencies it contested fell from 46.60% to 39.75%.

Consequently, the party became the only opposition party to be represented in Parliament for the first time since 1981–84, having received all threeNCMP seats, totalling the minimum nine opposition members when added to the six seats of their two retained consituencies. Lee was the first of the three NCMPs;Dennis Tan, who had contestedFengshan SMC, was next in line, while the party's East Coast GRC team nominatedLeon Perera for the third seat. Following Lee's decline of the offer, the party announced that they would nominateDaniel Goh from East Coast GRC as the third NCMP should Parliament allow another appointment. The PAP-controlled Parliament approved Goh's appointment on 29 January 2016, allowing him to be elected as an NCMP via an announcement from the Election Department on 4 February.

On 29 May 2016, leader Low successfully fended off an unprecedented challenge for hisSecretary-General post by Chen for the first time in the party's history. Chen was re-appointed by Low to his previous position as Treasurer for another three months from 7 June 2016 until 9 September 2016, as he had already served two terms in the post. On 7 June, the party appointedPritam Singh as Assistant Secretary-General.

On 26 July 2017, AHTC, which had appointed an independent panel of three lawyers at the behest of MND andHDB, sued town council chairperson Singh, vice-chairperson Lim, party leader Low, and three others, including the town council's former managing agent, for improper payments made to the MA.

On 29 September, the party's headquarters were relocated from Syed Alwi Road to the Teambuild Centre, along Geylang Road.^[37]

On 3 November, an anniversary dinner was held onHarbourfront Centre, marking a milestone of 60 years since the founding of the party on 3 November 1957. On the same night, Low announced during his speech that he would step down from his role of Secretary-General and would not seek candidacy for the next CEC's election the following year.^[38] A commemorative biographical book for the party,Walking With Singapore, was launched at bookstores the following day.^[39][40]

Singh was elected to the post of Secretary-General unopposed on 8 April 2018 after Low decided to step down for leadership renewal.^[41]

On 26 July, the WP was among the nine opposition parties invited for a gathering led by former PAP member and presidential candidateTan Cheng Bock, but did not attend. The party later announced that it was "going through a leadership transition" and "is focused on organisation building to better serve Singaporeans".^[42]

On 3 October, a $33.7 million trial was initiated between AHTC and the defendants of Low, Lim, Singh, and two other town councillors.^[43][44] The trial went on until 25 October, where the three politicians launched an appeal to fund their legal fees, having depleted their personal resources after paying their lawyers close to S$600,000 for work done before the trial. Three days later, they closed their fundraising appeal after raising more than S$1 million for legal fees, while thanking the public for their support.^[45]

Ahead of the elections on 10 July 2020, the party introduced their slogan, "Make Your Vote Count" along with 12 new party members, which included ex-NSP candidateNicole Seah.^[46] On Nomination Day, they fielded a total of 21 candidates to contest in six constituencies:Hougang SMC and the existing GRCs ofAljunied,East Coast, andMarine Parade, as well as the newly formedPunggol West SMC andSengkang GRC.^[47][48][49]Low Thia Khiang, along with fellow incumbents Chen Show Mao and Png Eng Huat, did not contest the election, marking Low's retirement after a 32-year career.^[50] Low had earlier been hospitalised on 30 April due to a head injury he sustained and was on rehabilitation.^[51][52] They were replaced respectively by NCMPsGerald Giam,Leon Perera andDennis Tan to complete the team line-up. Former NCMPDaniel Goh and former Punggol East MPLee Li Lian also did not stand for the election.^[53][54]

During campaigning, Sengkang GRC candidateJamus Lim received critical acclaim during a live debate on 1 July for his debating skills and charisma.^{[55][56][57][58]} On 5 July, two separate police reports were lodged againstRaeesah Khan, another Sengkang GRC candidate, both for alleged discriminatory comments regarding race and religion.^[59] She later told the media that she had intended to promote awareness about minority concerns, while also expressing remorse for having made said insensitive comments.^[60] TheSingapore Police Force warned her on 17 September of the same year.^[61]

On 10 July, the WP became the best performing opposition party to date, with 10 elected seats and 50.49% of contested votes, surpassing the previous record of 48.46% held by SDP in 1991 and becoming the first opposition party to win the combined popular vote in contested seats.^[62][63] The party increased their margins inAljunied GRC andHougang SMC with 59.95% and 61.21% respectively, while also capturing the newSengkang GRC with 52.12% of the vote, making it the second GRC to be captured by any opposition party.^[64][65][66] Unlike in the past three elections, the party was not offered NCMP seats as their best losing performance in East Coast GRC (46.61%) was behind that of theProgress Singapore Party (PSP) inWest Coast GRC (48.32%).^[67][68] Following the election,Hougang SMC became the first constituency to have elected the opposition for seven consecutive terms. Singh was also appointed as the first officialLeader of the Opposition by Prime MinisterLee Hsien Loong, the role having been unofficial in the past.^[69][70][71] On 27 December, five months after the elections, another CEC election was held atClarke Quay, with Lim and Singh re-elected as Chair and Secretary-General respectively. All four Sengkang GRC members, as well as Nicole Seah and Kenneth Foo were elected into the CEC, while former MPs Chen, Goh and Lee, as well as Firuz Khan, John Yam and Terence Tan, stepped down.^[72]

On 30 November 2021, Sengkang MPRaeesah Khan resigned from the WP and Parliament after being investigated for lying during parliamentary speeches on women's empowerment, which happened three months earlier.^[73][74] Two days later, the Central Executive Committee (CEC) claimed to have known about the lies the week after her speech, but allowed her to clarify herself after knowing her circumstances. Furthermore, it was claimed that the party leaders voted overwhelmingly to ask Khan to resign even before she did so, threatening to expel her otherwise. Instead, Khan informed Singh that she would resign, before the CEC met on the matter. The other three MPs for Sengkang GRC did not step down for a by-election, as the GRC was not empty; the responsibilities for Compassvale were instead divided among them. Then-party vice-chair andAljunied GRC MPFaisal Manap also became an advisor for Compassvale until the2025 general election.^{[75][76][77][78][79]} Former NCMPDaniel Goh publicly questioned Khan's resignation on Facebook in several posts and also asked the party leadership to take responsibility for "allowing the transgression to persist".^[80] He was subsequently expelled from the WP in 2023.^[81]

On 7 July 2023, theSupreme Court of Singapore found both Lim and Low, but not Singh, liable for control failures in regards to payment processes in both Aljunied-Hougang and Sengkang Town Councils, leading to a risk of overpayment.^[82] The court found them to have breached their fiduciary duties in 2019, but a subsequent appeal in 2022 revealed that its party councillors and the town employees did not owe fiduciary duties.^[83] On 22 August, theMinistry of National Development brought considerations for regulatory action pending clarification from AHTC, under witness of its three party leaders, as well as town councillors Chua Zhi Hon, Kenneth Foo, How Weng Fan and Danny Loh, to ensure the safekeeping of the money totaling S$33.7 million in improper payments.^[84] In a statement from the Court of Appeal on 29 November, both town councils were ordered to pay a combined total of about S$388,800 (S$176,241.11 and S$212,543.52 for AHTC and SKTC, respectively) to the town councillors as a result of the appeals, where the court determined that most issues in their appeals were not found from AHTC, and that liabilities of certain duties had since persisted. The three aforementioned MPs, however, had also been liable for negligence to SKTC for permitting control failures as well.^[85][86]

On 17 July 2023, a video of Aljunied MPLeon Perera and the party's youth wing presidentNicole Seah behaving intimately in a restaurant surfaced online.^[87] Perera's former personal driver had also been involved in the alleged relationship according to a press interview.^[88] While he had approached the party leaders about this between 2020 and 2021, they deferred to the pair's denials.^[89] Seah and Perera resigned on 18 and 19 July respectively, acknowledging that the extramarital affair had happened but claiming that it "stopped sometime ago".^[89] Both members had earlier denied any accusations.^[90] The responsibilities of Perera were subsequently divided among the remaining MPs of Aljunied GRC.^[89] On 11 September, Perera revealed that hisFacebook account had been hacked with posts made after 17 June 2021 deleted, and that he had since reported the hack toMeta.^[91] While Perera was later seen at multiple PSP events sometime in January 2025,^[92] he subsequently confirmed his residency inNew York City, implying that it was unlikely for him to contest in the election; PSP also confirmed that Perera was not one of their members.^[93]

On 19 March 2024, Singh was charged in court for two counts on falsely testifying to a parliamentary committee in relation to Raeesah Khan's mishandling of a case dating back to November 2021; he took a four-week adjournment to engage a lawyer prior to a pre-trial, which was held on April 17.^[94] He remained an MP while on trial.^[95] The other WP member involved,Faisal Manap, was not charged.^[96] On 17 February 2025, Singh was found guilty for these charges and given a $7,000 fine for both counts, though he had since lodged for an appeal.^[97][98] Singh retained his parliamentary seat and eligibility for elections as his two fines could not be combined to meet the minimum $10000 fine (alternatively, a prison sentence of at least one year) for disqualification from elections.^[99][100]

On 3 November 2022, a three-minute trailer on a documentary film titledHougang was uploaded on their YouTube page to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the party's founding.^[101] A full video of the documentary was released exactly two years later in November 2024.^[102] The end of the film was dedicated to party pioneer Lim Ee Ping, who died of cancer on 29 May 2024 prior to the release.^[103]

Ahead of the2025 Singaporean general election, on 7 December 2024, Low announced that he would retire from politics but would remain a member of the party's central executive committee,^[104][105] despite initially expressing interest for a return.^[106][107] In a recent CEC update on 30 June 2024, former MPLee Li Lian, who was working as a councilor in Sengkang Town Council at the time, was reinstated into the CEC after a three-year absence.^[108][109]

After therelease of new electoral boundaries, there was heavy speculation that the Workers' Party would contest around 30 seats; while the party did not confirm this, there had been heavy speculation that the party would contestTampines GRC and the carved-outTampines Changkat SMC as well as two other newly created constituencies,Marine Parade–Braddell Heights GRC andPunggol GRC.^[110][111] On 15 April, WP unveiled their manifesto titled "Working for Singapore".^[112] On 17 April, Singh said the party would contest less than a third of 97 parliamentary seats, less than the party's medium-term objective to win one-third of the seats in parliament;^[113] it was ultimately revealed that WP would contest 26 seats. On nomination day, all but one previously existing MP remained in the team for their wards, the exception wasFaisal Manap, who would contestTampines GRC in a rare four-cornered fight against the PAP, theNSP and thePeople's Power Party (PPP).^[114] Former Marine Parade GRC candidateFadli Fawzi and newcomerKenneth Tiong were fielded in Aljunied GRC alongside the incumbents (other than Faisal),^[115] while newcomer and AHTC property managerAbdul Muhaimin was fielded in Sengkang GRC alongside the incumbents.^[116]

However, the WP eventually did not contest Marine Parade–Braddell Heights GRC, citing limited resources and the extensive re-drawing of electoral boundaries in the area. This resulted in awalkover for the PAP team, an occurrence last seen in 2011 with Tanjong Pagar GRC;^[117] this also attracted controversy and reactions from other opposition parties, who believed that every seat should be contested.^[118][119] WP responded to the controversy afterwards, stating that while they respected the views of the other opposition parties, they made decisions in the same "enlightened self-interest" as those parties.^[120][121] On 30 April, leaked screenshots ofTelegram messages displayedJalan Kayu SMC candidateAndre Low using profanities while criticising the civil service and several brands; he apologised thereafter.^[122][123]

The 2025 general election saw the WP managing to retain all three of its constituencies despite a major national swing towards the PAP against non-WP opposition parties.^[124] While the WP saw a slight decline of 0.44% in the overall contested vote share, the party increased their overall popular vote to almost 15%.^[125][126] The party was narrowly defeated in Jalan Kayu SMC and Tampines GRC, garnering 48.53% and 47.37% of the votes respectively,^[127][128] and offered NCMP seats as a result of the close margins.^[129] These were respectively taken byAndre Low andEileen Chong on 19 May 2025.^[130] With that, the WP once again became the only opposition party in Parliament since 2020.

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The WP espouses acentre-left andsocial democratic ideology, focusing on economic justice, inclusive governance and institutional accountability. Positioning itself as a "credible and constructive" opposition, the WP aims to contribute to national development while providing checks and balances on the ruling PAP. Rather than challenging the fundamentals of Singapore's political system, the WP advocates for gradual reforms within the existing framework, emphasising fairness, transparency and democratic participation.^[131]

The constitution of the WP defines the party's guiding principles from its early years asMerdeka (independence),parliamentary democracy andsocialism. The party pledges that it will support policies presented in Parliament should they benefit Singaporeans on both sides of the political spectrum; however, if such policies are insufficient and either do not benefit or disadvantage Singaporeans, it will speak up in parliamentary debates to seek a compromise.^[132]

The WP has adapted its ideology to Singapore's unique economic and political context. Rather than advocating for an expansivewelfare state, the WP supports targeted and sustainable social interventions aimed at reducing inequality and ensuring that "noSingaporean is left behind". This approach seeks to balance compassion with fiscal prudence, promoting social equity without compromising the country'seconomic competitiveness or encouraging dependency.^[133]

Key proposals under this framework include the introduction of a universalminimum wage, a more flexibleCentral Provident Fund (CPF) system to improve retirement adequacy and stronger support for healthcare, housing and childcare through "means-tested assistance".^[134] The party has also argued for measures to manage the cost of living, such as zero-rating essential items under theGoods and Services Tax (GST) and has proposed limited unemployment insurance to better support workers in transition. These policies are designed to uplift low- and middle-income Singaporeans, while maintaining personal responsibility and encouraging workforce participation.^[135] Philosophically, the WP is grounded in a belief in dignity in work, fairness and a stronger social compact. It emphasises that public policy should empower individuals while fostering community resilience. Rather than pursuing populist policies, the party frames itself as a rational and credible alternative to the ruling PAP, prioritising measured reforms and long-term national interest over ideological confrontation.^[136]

Historically influenced byKeynesian economics, the party favoursgovernment intervention in the economy and someredistribution of wealth. Taxation was seen as a means to achieve a "major redistribution of wealth and income" in previous manifestos. The party also desires increased rights for Singaporean workers, such as allocating greater expenditures towards thecountry's public healthcare system.^[131][137] Whereas the party leans left in general, it has also advocated for a morecentrist calibrated approach in regards toimmigration. For instance, in 2013 the party proposed that the overall number of foreign workers should be capped if Singapore can achieve a 1% annual growth rate in the local workforce.^[138]

The WP promotes a more inclusive and participatory democracy. It has called for lowering thevoting age from 21 to 18, reforming the electoral process to ensure greater fairness, enhanced transparency and public accountability in government.^[139] The WP also supports measured political liberalisation and a more open civic space. Its leaders regularly emphasise the party's role as a "rational and responsible" alternative to the PAP, grounded in the national interest rather than opposition for its own sake.^[140][141] The party's light blue campaign colours symbolise solidarity withblue-collar workers, highlighting its historic and continuing commitment to representing working-class interests.^[142]

^[143][144]

^{[143][145][146]}

As of 18 June 2025, the Central Executive Committee comprises the following members:^[147][148]

Election	Leader	Votes	%	Seats					Position	Result
				Contested			Total	+/–
				Seats	Won	Lost
1957	David Marshall1	11,896	7.4%	5	4	1	4 / 32	4	4th	Opposition

Election	Leader	Votes	%	Seats					Position	Result
				Contested			Total	+/–
				Seats	Won	Lost
1959	David Marshall	4,127	0.8%	3	0	3	0 / 51		6th	No seats
1963	Chua Chin Kiat	286	0.1%	3	0	3	0 / 51		8th	No seats

Election	Leader	Votes	%	Seats					NCMPs	Position	Result
				Contested			Total	+/–
				Seats	Won	Lost
1968	Chiang Seok Keong2	3,049	4.02%	2	0	2	0 / 58		—	2nd	No seats
1972	J. B. Jeyaretnam3	90,885	12.20%	27	0	27	0 / 65			2nd	No seats
1976		91,966	11.55%	22	0	22	0 / 69			2nd	No seats
1980		39,590	6.22%	8	0	8	0 / 75			2nd	No seats
1984		110,868	12.65%	15	1	14	1 / 79	1	0 / 1	2nd	Opposition
1988		224,473	16.72%	32	0	32	0 / 81	1	2 / 2	2nd	No seats (with NCMPs)4
1991		112,010	14.29%	13	1	12	1 / 81	1	—	3rd	Opposition
1997		101,544	14.17%	14	1	13	1 / 83		1 / 1	2nd	Opposition
2001	Low Thia Khiang	19,060	3.05%	2	1	1	1 / 84		0 / 1	3rd	Opposition
2006		183,578	16.34%	20	1	19	1 / 84		1 / 1	2nd	Opposition
2011		258,510	12.83%	23	6	17	6 / 87	5	2 / 3	2nd	Opposition
2015		282,143	12.48%	28	6	22	6 / 89		3 / 3	2nd	Opposition
2020	Pritam Singh	279,922	11.22%	21	10	11	10 / 93	4	0 / 2	2nd	Opposition
2025		357,763	14.99%	26	10	16	10 / 97		2 / 2	2nd	Opposition

Constituencies won are inbold.

Election	Constituencies contested	Contested vote %	+/–
1968	Jalan Kayu, Nee Soon	13.2%	—
1972	Alexandra, Aljunied, Anson, Bukit Ho Swee, Bukit Merah, Bukit Panjang, Changi, Crawford, Farrer Park, Geylang East, Geylang West, Jalan Kayu, Kampong Chai Chee, Kampong Kembangan, Kim Keat, Kim Seng, Leng Kee, MacPherson, Moulmein, Paya Lebar, Potong Pasir, Queenstown, Siglap, Stamford, Telok Blangah, Tiong Bahru	24.5%	11.3%
1976	Alexandra, Aljunied, Bukit Panjang, Changi, Chua Chu Kang, Geylang East, Havelock, Henderson, Jalan Kayu, Joo Chiat, Kampong Chai Chee, Kampong Kembangan, Kim Seng, Moulmein, Pasir Panjang, Paya Lebar, Potong Pasir, Punggol, Radin Mas, River Valley, Serangoon Gardens, Whampoa	27.9%	3.4%
1980	Cheng San, Henderson, Jalan Kayu, Kim Seng, Pasir Panjang, Radin Mas, Siglap, Telok Blangah	29.2%	1.3%
1984	Alexandra,Anson, Brickworks, Chua Chu Kang, Delta, Henderson, Jalan Besar, Jalan Kayu, Kallang, Kampong Kembangan, Kim Seng, Kolam Ayer, Leng Kee, Pasir Panjang, Radin Mas, Telok Blangah	42.0%	12.8%
1988	3-member GRC: Bedok, Brickworks, Eunos, Jalan Besar, Pasir Panjang, Tiong Bahru;SMC: Ayer Rajah, Bukit Merah, Changi, Chua Chu Kang, Fengshan, Hougang, Kallang, Kampong Glam, Kim Seng, Kreta Ayer, Leng Kee, Moulmein, Siglap, Telok Blangah	38.5%	3.4%
1991	4-member GRC: Bedok, Eunos;SMC: Bukit Merah, Bukit Timah, Changi, Jurong,Hougang	41.1%	2.6%
1997	5-member GRC: Cheng San;4-member GRC: Pasir Ris, West Coast;SMC:Hougang	37.6%	3.5%
2001	SMC:Hougang, Nee Soon East	34.3%	3.3%
2006	6-member GRC: Ang Mo Kio;5-member GRC: Aljunied, East Coast;SMC:Hougang, Joo Chiat, Nee Soon Central, Nee Soon East	38.4%	4.1%
2011	5-member GRC:Aljunied, East Coast, Nee Soon;4-member GRC: Moulmein-Kallang;SMC:Hougang, Joo Chiat, Punggol East, Sengkang West	46.6%	8.2%
2015	5-member GRC:Aljunied, Marine Parade, Nee Soon;4-member GRC: East Coast, Jalan Besar;SMC: Fengshan,Hougang, MacPherson, Punggol East, Sengkang West	39.8%	6.8%
2020	5-member GRC:Aljunied, East Coast, Marine Parade;4-member GRC:Sengkang;SMC:Hougang, Punggol West	50.49%	10.7%
2025	5-member GRC:Aljunied, East Coast, Tampines;4-member GRC:Sengkang, Punggol;SMC:Hougang, Jalan Kayu, Tampines Changkat	50.06%	0.43%

City Council by-elections

Election	Leader	Constituency contested	Votes	%	Seats				Result
					Contested		Total	+/–
					Won	Lost
1958	David Marshall	Kallang City Ward	304	3.7%	0	1	0 / 1	1	Lost

Legislative Assembly

Election	Leader	Constituency contested	Votes	%	Seats				Result
					Contested		Total	+/–
					Won	Lost
1961	David Marshall	Anson	3,598	43.3%	1	0	1 / 1	1	Won

Parliament

Election	Leader	Constituency contested	Votes	%	Seats				Result
					Contested		Total	+/–
					Won	Lost
1977	J. B. Jeyaretnam	Radin Mas SMC	5,021	29.4%	0	1	0 / 2		Lost
1979		Telok Blangah SMC	8,036	38.8%	0	1	0 / 7		Lost
1981		Anson SMC	7,012	51.9%	1	0	1 / 1	1	Won
2012	Low Thia Khiang	Hougang SMC	13,460	62.1%	1	0	1 / 1		Won
2013		Punggol East SMC	16,038	54.5%	1	0	1 / 1	1	Won

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