This is a brief description of the aims and role of the Socialist Campaign Group of MPs.

The Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs was founded in 1982.

Throughout its history, it has campaigned for socialist economic policies, against imperialist military interventions, for equality and against all discrimination, for a socialist Clause IV in support of public ownership and for solutions to the failings of capitalism, for protection of the environment and for greater Party democracy, including Open Selection.

Formed as a result of a split with the Tribune group, it represents the Bennite tradition within the Parliamentary Labour Party, having been founded by Tony Benn with a group of MPs including Dennis Skinner and Joan Maynard.

The following statement of aims, drafted on the basis of Tony Benn’s advocacy of socialism, was published inSocialist Campaign Group News to explain the basic aims of the group:

“We believe that there should be certain rights which must be won and maintained:

The right to life, free from fear, oppression, ignorance, preventable ill-health or poverty.

The right to useful and satisfying work, balanced with leisure, to meet the needs of society.

The right of everyone to receive an income sufficient to maintain a decent standard of living.

The right to a good home for all in which to live, bring up children and care for all dependents.

The right to receive the best possible medical care, free, and at the moment of need.

The right of access, throughout life, to the full range of human knowledge, through education at school, in college and afterwards.

The right to mass media which provides accurate news, free from bias or distortion, and a diversity of views.”

It was based upon these aims that Jeremy Corbyn’s successful leadership campaign was launched by the Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs in 2015.

The Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs has supported Eric Heffer (1983), Tony Benn (1988), Ken Livingstone (1992), John McDonnell (2007), Diane Abbott (2010), Jeremy Corbyn (2015) and Rebecca Long-Bailey (2020) in Labour Party Leadership Elections and Tony Benn (1981), Michael Meacher (1983), Eric Heffer (1988), Bernie Grant (1992) and Richard Burgon (2020) in Labour Party Deputy Leadership Elections.

The Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs works inside and outside Parliament to secure the election of a Labour government to implement a socialist programme of transformation of our society and to support trade unions, communities and oppressed peoples in struggle, here in the UK and around the world.