By Caroline Vincent
2026 has already begun with a bang. The world is in turmoil and every one of the main threads of crisis which are plaguing the system internationally has a concentrated expression in Britain. In this article, we briefly look at five key themes which will dominate the year ahead.
1) ‘Special relationship’ in the doldrums: British imperialism in deep crisis
Posturing as Washington’s most loyal poodle has been the geopolitical raison d’etre of British imperialism for decades. A declining and parasitic force on the world stage, it was relegated from the Premier League of world powers during the first half of last century. Since then, despite all the pomp and pageantry, British capitalists have had to content themselves with protecting their interests by acting as Uncle Sam’s junior partner rather than wielding any significant clout of their own.
This was the essence of the foreign policy of successive Tory and Labour governments, from Churchill to Blair and beyond. The ‘special relationship’ has never been between equals, but between master and servant.
On taking office, Keir Starmer made very clear his intention to follow in his predecessors’ footsteps on foreign policy. He was full-throated in his support for Netanyahu’s US-backed genocide. On Ukraine, he was in lockstep with Boris Johnson, trying to profile Britain as Europe’s most ‘hawkish’ voice against Russia.
When Trump returned to office, he campaigned for the position of bootlicker-in-chief, bending the knee even more than the rest.
However, this strategy now appears to have run out of road. Regardless of how desperate Starmer and the British ruling class are to maintain the ‘special relationship’, Trump, full of contempt for the has-beens of European imperialism, has little interest. And his is the voice that counts.
Britain now faces the unthinkable prospect of facing up to the challenges of a new era of imperialist conflict without the comfort of Washington’s embrace. Any attempt to respond to this by ‘making British imperialism great again’ will fail miserably.
The working class must reject nationalistic militarism. The trade unions and Your Party must take a clear stand: against British, NATO and all imperialism, for welfare not warfare, for peace and socialism.
2) Starmer on notice
Keir Starmer began 2026 desperately instructing his cabinet ministers to ‘ignore the polls!’ as Labour continued to plumb new depths in public opinion. The speed at which Labour’s support has dropped is remarkable, from a landslide victory – albeit a hollow one based on “lesser evilism” and a historically low voter turnout – to polling behind Reform, and now the Tories.
Starmer’s lurch to the right has proven to be repulsive to big sections of the working class and has prompted a mass exodus of Labour members. From his complicity in and support for the genocide in Gaza, to the unleashing of austerity 2.0, to the scapegoating of migrants and trans people, the strategy of aping Reform has not worked out for him. Starmer is now the most unpopular Labour leader in modern history.
How long can he cling on to his position? Could the predicted battering in the May local elections be the trigger for a leadership contest? But also, realistically, how much could a change of leader change the fortunes and direction of the Labour Party?
And which leadership hopefuls could we expect to see? At one end of the spectrum, Wes Streeting would be a doubling down on anti-worker Blairism. He made this clear when he described striking resident doctors as selfish and irresponsible delinquents.
Representing the so-called ‘soft left’ we could see bids from Angela Rayner and Andy Burnham. Having weathered a housing scandal, Rayner remains regarded by some as pro-worker, despite having been expelled from Unite the Union on account of her outrageous betrayal of striking Birmingham bin workers.
As we go to print, Burnham has been blocked from standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election, after Starmer’s allies on the party’s NEC reportedly conducted a ‘Stop Andy Burnham’ campaign! This has led to a new flaring up of internal divisions within Labour and for some, Starmer choosing to throw a by-election in order to keep a leadership rival at bay may prove too bitter a pill to swallow.
In the end, neither Burnham nor Rayner would mark a fundamental change in direction for Labour however, as neither would be prepared to abandon a policy of subservience to big business and the markets. Whereas a change of leader could give a temporary boost in support, it is ultimately unlikely to reverse Labour’s decline.
3) May elections: How low can Labour go?
The elections in May will provide an important measure of the changing political map, marked by the collapse of the two-party system. With thousands of English council seats up for grabs and crucial elections to Holyrood and the Senedd, the question is not whether Labour (or indeed the Tories) will be decimated, but rather how low they can go?
At the same time, May will provide an important measure of British politics’ rising forces: principally Reform UK and the Green Party. Farage’s lead in the polls has been consolidated, and they will hope to win hundreds of councillors and take control of several major councils. If the chaotic incompetence and anti-working class policies which have characterised their rule in places like Kent and Lancashire is anything to go by, this success could prove a double-edged sword.
The labour movement, and council workers’ unions in particular, should prepare for battle against the mini-Trumps of Reform-led councils, taking inspiration from the working-class fightback against Trump in the US.
At the same time, millions will go to the polls with the idea of stopping Reform. In Wales and Scotland, this is being expressed in major gains for Plaid Cymru and a certain revival of the SNP, both of which are seen as progressive alternatives to both Reform and Labour.
The Green Party will also undoubtedly make major breakthroughs, as the main electoral expression of left-wing opposition to Labour. Their rise under Zack Polanski’s leadership is based primarily on a powerful mood of left opposition to the Labour government. However, the party’s record in local government, especially in Bristol and Brighton where they have been in power, has not fundamentally differed from the ‘reluctant’ cuts-making policies implemented by Labour councils up and down the country.
Instead, Socialist Alternative fully supports the policy adopted by an overwhelming majority at Your Party’s founding conference, of resistance to all cuts and mobilisation of local communities to demand an end to austerity.
4) Your Party at the crossroads
The rise of the Greens is also a consequence of the problems which have plagued Your Party’s painful birth. Socialist Alternative – revolutionary socialists organised in Your Party – remains fully convinced of its necessity and potential, as well as fully committed to building it into a powerful force.
Your Party’s internal crises have thus far prevented it from turning outwards, providing leadership to the struggle against the government and far-right, and reaching its full potential. 2026 must be the year in which Your Party starts to do what it was created to do. We must get out of the Zoom rooms and WhatsApp chats and onto the streets!
This requires a clear break from the deeply mistaken approach of those running the project so far. YP’s problems are not a consequence of personal incompetence but of a failed political method: reformism, which prioritises parliamentary and back-room manoeuvres over mass democratic organisation and struggle by working-class people. This is why we support the Grassroots Left slate, which is backed by Zarah Sultana, in the elections to YP’s Central Executive Committee.
Your Party’s unique strength lies in its clear roots in the socialist ideas and class-struggle methods of the labour movement. YP must launch a new wave of organising – building vibrant local branches, organising on the streets and putting up socialist candidates where possible in May. This should start with the building of a massive YP bloc on the 28 March ‘Together Against the Far Right’ demonstration.
5) Protest and class struggle will be key
2026 on the surface presents a bleak outlook for the working class: no end in sight to the cost of living crisis as millions struggle to make ends meet. The national and global backdrop is of rising militarism and war, an accompanying rise in reaction and the emboldening of the far right, the intensified oppression of the most marginalised in society, and the repression and criminalisation of protest.
It doesn’t have to be like this. The working class has the power to shift the balance of forces in our favour. Division and hate can be faced head on with working-class unity and solidarity. The ‘Together Against the Far Right’ national demonstration which is taking place in London on 28 March could attract hundreds of thousands. It has the potential to be an important flashpoint which could shift the current dynamic, but it must be built for amongst a broad layer of workers and youth. Your Party will have a crucial role to play in mobilising to make sure that it outnumbers ‘Tommy Robinson’s’ ‘Unite the Kingdom’ racist demonstration of last year.
The trade union movement also has a duty to take a lead in this struggle. The end of 2025 brought a groundbreaking development with the incredible victory for the left in UNISON, as Andrea Egan won the General Secretary election. Fundamental to the victory was the role played by the broad left group within Unison, Time For Real Change, including members of Socialist Alternative who work within it. Not only is this an opportunity to transform the historically right-wing led UNISON into a fighting union, but to inspire activists in other unions to drive for the change that is needed.
Workers and young people entering into struggle will be crucial if we are to face what the capitalist class will continue to throw at us this year and turn things around. The working class is the only force that has the potential power to change things. If we mobilise and get organised, we can make 2026 a year of fightback.
