Co-operative Party

The Co-operative Party () is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom, supporting co-operative values and principles. The party currently has an electoral pact with the Labour Party. Established in 1917, the Co-operative Party was founded by co-operative societies to campaign politically for the fairer treatment of co-operative enterprise and to elect co-operators to Parliament. The party's roots lie in the Parliamentary Committee of the Co-operative Union established in 1881.

Since 1927, the Co-operative Party has had an electoral pact with the Labour Party, with the parties agreeing not to stand candidates against each other. Candidates selected by members of both parties contest elections using the description "Labour and Co-operative Party". The Co-operative Party is a legally separate entity from the Labour Party, and is registered as a political party with the Electoral Commission. Co-operative Party members are not permitted to be members of any other political party in the UK apart from the Labour Party or Northern Ireland's Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP).

As of July 2024, the Co-operative Party was the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons, with 43 Members of Parliament. As all of its MPs sit with the Parliamentary Labour Party, this distinction is seldom made. The Co-operative Party also has representatives in the House of Lords, the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Senedd, the London Assembly and some local government authorities. In keeping with its co-operative values and principles, the Co-operative Party does not have a leader. Instead Joe Fortune is its General Secretary, Preet Kaur Gill chairs the Co-operative Party Parliamentary Group, and Jim McMahon chairs the National Executive Committee. Provided by Wikipedia