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Your Party CEC candidates from across the UK tell us why they’re running

Your Party

The endorsement period for candidates standing in Your Party’s collective leadership elections has opened (running from 21 to 29 January). And the Canary spoke to a number of people who’ve put themselves forward to find out why.

Below are the comments of six candidates who are hoping to gain a role on Your Party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC). You can go straight to a specific candidate’s comments by clicking on their name below:

Solma Ahmed

Solma Ahmed left the Labour Party in 2023 and joined Transform. Then, upon the announcement of Your Party’s formation, she believed it was “the most credible vehicle” to put “ordinary people rather than corporate interests” at the heart of politics.

Active in Your Party North Essex, she previously told the Canary:

I hope we leave our egos and factions behind

Going forwards, she said:

I want to see Your Party grow in a way that clearly distinguishes it from the traditional political parties that have failed people for so long. That means becoming a party that is genuinely open, transparent, democratic, and member led. Growth must be built on trust and accountability, not top-down control.

To achieve this, we must demonstrate in practical terms that we are serious about doing politics differently.

That means releasing data, funding, and resources to local branches, ensuring the full implementation of conference motions, and embedding collective leadership:

so power is shared rather than concentrated in the hands of a few.

She insisted that:

If we operate on these principles, we will not only grow in numbers but also in credibility and influence.

In her decades of activism and organising, she lamented that:

Too often I have seen structures dominated by control, factionalism, and a lack of accountability.

With this in mind, she asserted:

I want to help build a very different kind of politics: one rooted in the needs of ordinary working-class people, closely aligned with the trade union movement, and genuinely responsive to its members. The principle that guides me is simple: power must sit at local level with members, not be concentrated in the hands of a small elite. Members should be at the heart of the party, properly resourced and trusted to deliver their own aspirations. I am determined that Your Party must never become “Labour Mark 2.”

Moving away from “personality politics”, she said:

The CEC must exist to serve the membership, not to control it. Its primary responsibility is to listen to members, implement their decisions, and provide the practical support necessary to turn those decisions into reality.

She added:

The CEC’s role should be to facilitate, coordinate, and support – not to dictate.

And in a collaborative spirit, she argued for working:

constructively with other progressive and left organisations to build broad alliances where appropriate

To make a serious difference, PR strategy must improve

Ahmed insisted that, so far, Your Party’s PR and communications have simply been “not good enough”. And she stressed that:

If we are serious about challenging the political establishment, this must be addressed urgently.

We are operating in a media environment dominated by corporate interests, so we must be strategic, professional, and disciplined in how we communicate. That requires an immediate and coherent communications strategy, with clear messaging and effective coordination at national and local level.

Our approach should be based on honesty and authenticity. People are tired of spin and empty slogans. They want straightforward, truthful communication that speaks to their real experiences. We must ensure our messages are clear, simple, and direct – explaining our policies in a way that builds confidence in our integrity and sincerity.

If we get our communications right, we can cut through the noise, reach new audiences, and show that Your Party represents a genuine, trustworthy alternative.

Lizzie Bailey

“Proud socialist” Lizzie Bailey’s excitement about Your Party comes from the hope that it can provide a:

space for real change led by ordinary people and the communities they come from

Running in Wales, Bailey called the branches and ordinary grassroots members organising on the ground the “life blood” and “central organising force” of Your Party. And she insisted that they need the local data and resources as soon as possible because:

we have the Senedd elections in May, and the election cycle provides a hub of political interest and activity that can draw new members to the party, if we are able to effectively organise around it.

She added:

The constitution gives Wales autonomy to organise ourselves, so we need to have a founding conference to establish our own structures and political platform. However, this founding conference must distance itself from the errors that created so much drama in the months leading to the National YP conference. The Welsh founding conference needs to be transparent, democratic and member led. This Welsh conference should create a way for members to connect, share ideas and empower one another, in addition to making key decisions for members in Wales. Access needs should also be prioritised in the Wales conference, as this was raised numerous times at the national conference. Questions still remain unanswered for how YP Wales will relate to the national YP structure, how we make political and policy decisions, and how YP Wales will empower Welsh members to become the leaders of their communities in order to radically shift the balance of power into the hands of ordinary people. Welsh members do not need to wait for YP national or Westminster to make decisions for us, we are autonomous and have a membership that is willing and able to organise.

She also insisted that:

as co-chair of my local branch, I know what the grassroots is demanding from the Party and that’s for the decisions made at conference to be followed through with.

That, she said, means:

Collective leadership, dual membership, trans liberation. These were the majority decisions made by members and I will uphold that on the CEC. I believe that ordinary members need to lead Your Party and this will be a core driving principle that I bring to the CEC… I will ensure that Welsh voices aren’t sidelined and that ordinary members will be the voice within the CEC.

She also pledged to raise the issue of:

a workers wage (any elected roles like MP or MS only take a salary of the average worker in their constituency) as this unfortunately was not discussed at the national YP conference.

Her vision of the CEC, meanwhile, is that:

The CEC should facilitate the development of the branches, rather than dictate how they operate – it’s an amplifier of decisions at member level rather than a top-down dictatorship. It should be directly accountable to members and should uphold core values of socialism, including transparency, equity and cooperation.

In Wales, she stressed, Your Party needs to understand and reflect the reality on the ground:

Members should determine how they are organising, particularly regarding what areas branches cover, as the Senedd constituencies have changed and do not conform to Westminster. Members should also be supported with finance and resourcing to determine their own organising structures. Decisions on party structure need to reflect the unique environment within Wales. Geographically, Wales is very diverse, it makes sense to organise in a way that the community decides is best for them to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to participate. Branches should be able to define what their area covers and support other local areas should they wish to do so.

Steph Lewis

Steph Lewis felt hope in politics for “the first time in a long time” upon the creation of Your Party. And when that happens, she told us:

you grasp onto it. You commit and you invest.

She explained that:

what I heard was we are going to do different. Part of that difference is using local assemblies, which I’m so here for, to shape policy. Part of that difference is acknowledging with your full chest that the systems we have in play are not there for us, and we will only go further into societal collapse by continuing to try and work within them.

For true “bottom-up democracy” to grow and work, she said, there need to be “clear lines” between what members and communities want and the actual “shaping of policy and process”. And she has real hope that this is possible. As she stressed:

I had never imagined in my life to put myself forward for something like this but I have come away from assemblies and conferences believing that I can be an important part of building this party – that we all can.

She added:

I want to see humanity built into our processes and I want to see those who we love, live next to, work alongside, and share space with thrive.

Her view of the CEC is that it should serve and enact “the will of the members”. It should be “collating experiences and research” and:

taking all and every opportunity to enable local branches to create accessible and safe spaces (assemblies) to bring communities together regardless of whether they are members of Your Party or not.

She would also bring to the CEC a sense of collaboration and unity. As she said:

I don’t believe that any one of us are able to act in a silo – part of why we are so isolated is because we are fragmented and we expend energy focusing on where we are different and what we don’t want, instead of collaborating towards what we do want. I am not here for divisiveness.

With that attitude, she’s confident that:

we can work out the best way forward

Piara Miah

Having done community work for years, Piara Miah became interim co-chair of Wirral Community Independents in 2025, before joining Your Party after its creation. She told us she’s:

usually happiest in the background supporting others to achieve their potential

As she explained:

People often assume that I work for the council, am a councillor, a social worker, or solicitor. I am none of those,  but because I have helped in all those areas many times over, people approach me for help.

Now, in her belief that Your Party must be a “member led grassroots movement”, she has stepped forward as a candidate for the CEC, saying:

this is our opportunity to change the system itself.

The commitment of people in local branches is tangible, she insisted. But the party needs “more communication, unity and transparency”. And on its messaging, she stressed:

We need clear policies no one can disagree on, like affordable housing, publicly owned NHS, utilities, transport, schools, libraries and leisure centres. We also need fair taxes, decent wages and benefits

Successive governments, she said, have clearly prioritised corporate profits over ordinary people’s wellbeing. And she insisted:

They are not going to self correct

An “experienced fundraiser” and “trustee of a multi-faith environment charity”, Miah has worked to encourage:

dialogue and connection between people of different faiths and none

While she believes in bringing people together, she also argued that the country needs:

A clean break from the establishment parties.

On the CEC, she said, she would seek to ensure the party gets a move on:

We need to get organised, receive membership data, contact members, and start to connect and prepare for local elections and then the General Election.

At the same time, she would advocate for boycotts of “unethical companies, products and services” and strong links with trade unions. And in terms of improving communication with the general public, she explained:

We also need to make up for the fact the mainstream media don’t want us to succeed. We need to start making better video messages ourselves and also support and promote independent journalism and media channels.

Anjona Roy

“Committed trade unionist” Anjona Roy has been an “election agent since 2003”. And she supports Your Party because it:

places the struggles of working people at the centre of its politics.

She described her:

deep understanding of the day-to-day struggles faced by working people

And recently, she was:

an enthusiastic activist in Andrea Egan’s successful campaign for General Secretary of UNISON

She also highlighted that:

Through my work in a local advice agency, I have a strong understanding of the challenges faced by Black and migrant communities. I have also been a committed advocate for disabled people, who too often experience stigma and hostility when seeking reasonable adjustments. Promoting the inclusion of disabled people is essential, not only for fairness but to benefit from their skills and contributions.

As she insisted:

It is crucial that the CEC includes people with lived experience of disadvantage and struggle in both workplaces and communities.

The challenge right now for Your Party, she explained, is:

Turning that initial enthusiasm [upon the launch of Your Party] into active participation

A key part of that, she believes, will be:

local campaigning — challenging service closures, local authority budget cuts, and the hostility and reduction in services under the Labour government.

And for that to happen:

branches need both resources and access to the data required to organise effectively. Your Party will succeed when it builds campaigns that win tangible improvements for our workplaces and communities.

Indeed, for her, the key purpose of the CEC should be:

to support local branches to run successful campaigns that improve the lives of local people, particularly those who are most vulnerable.

Khalid Sadur

The Canary has previously reported on Khalid Sadur‘s efforts in Enfield to make progressive independents the main opposition to the Labour-Tory axis there. And announcing his intention to run independently for Your Party’s CEC, the lifelong Enfield resident insisted on the importance of empowering members.

A press release said Sadur promises to:

bring a balanced voice to the collective leadership

It added that his campaign:

will focus on internal democracy, policy clarity, and building a party machine capable of winning at all levels to deliver transformative change for the country.

Speaking to the Canary, Sadur explained:

I’ve been in a very fortunate position where I’ve been able to meet lots and lots of different people in Your Party. And one thing I’ve learned is that, in our movement and in our party, we’ve got some fantastic people with some fantastic skills.

To professionalise the party, we need to have proper comms strategy, organisational strategy, functioning branches set up, strategy for approaching the press and mainstream media. There’s lots of stuff that needs to be done in the background to make sure we’re efficient and we work as best as possible.

I want to source good people within our movement, through our own branches and networks, and give people the opportunity to come forward and effectively use those skills that we have in our party. That means two things: we get people who can do the job, and it empowers people within our party and gives people a sense of ownership.

Who’ve we got that’s talented? Let’s promote them, help them, develop them, and let’s make them the leaders of the future.

How to vote

On the Your Party website, members need to go to the top right of the page and log in. On the Your Party Members Area page that will pop up after logging in, you will see “EVENTS” on the right hand side. Below the list of events you will see “VOTES AND ELECTIONS”.

Below “VOTES AND ELECTIONS” you should see “CEC Election – Public Office Holders” and “CEC Election – [the name of your local section of the party]”. If you click on each of those links you’ll be able to see the candidates, their statements, and even how many endorsements they’ve received so far.

On those pages, you’ll need to click “endorse” on the candidates you want to support.

Featured image via Just.Barold

By Ed Sykes

This post was originally published on Canary.