Vote #YesToMotion8 to continue our partnership with the co-operative movement – Co-operative Party

We are the political voice
of the co-operative movement

The Co-operative Party was founded in 1917 by the co-operative movement. Made up of customer-owned, employee-owned and community-owned organisations, the co-operative movement were determined to change how how our economy works, and who shares its rewards.

That relationship continues today, with Co-op supermarkets and other co-operatives continuing to support our party and campaign with us on crucial issues like ending food poverty, tackling tax avoidance, and promoting Fairtrade.

Democracy is a cornerstone of the co-operative model, so each year at their AGM, eligible members of the Co-op Group vote on whether to continue its partnership with the Co-operative Party.

To help ensure that partnership continues and find out more about the Co-operative Party, sign up now to get updates on voting ahead of the AGM.

Our historic partnership with the Co-op Group

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Soon, those of us who regularly shop with the Co-operative Group (‘the Co-op’) will once again be asked to vote on continuing the partnership with Co-operative Party.

For over 100 years, the Co-operative Party and the co-operative movement have worked in partnership to build a society where power and wealth are shared. We are the political voice of the co-operative movement, taking co-operative policies and principles from the shop floor to the places where laws are made.

We are your voice at decision-making tables across the country: supporting co-operative ideas like fairtrade, food justice and protection for shopworkers. But for that work to continue, we need your vote.

To keep this historic link between our movement and our Party and to continue the amazing successes we've achieved together, vote Yes to Motion 8 as part of the Co-op Group AGM before the deadline of 15th May.

Since last year's vote, we have:

  • Supported shopworkers facing skyrocketing levels of violence, threats and abuse through the pandemic by winning further legal protections for shopworkers. In Westminster, assaulting public-facing workers like shopworkers became a specific aggravated offence. In Scotland, the Protection of Workers Act continued to provide increased protection for shopworkers from violence, threats and abuse.
  • Fought for food justice by helping to promoting the uptake of Healthy Start food vouchers; backing local food poverty solutions such as Food Champions, food partnerships and community fridges; and supporting the expansion of Free School Meals.
  • Protected and promoted the co-operative and mutual movement by supporting the introduction of the Co-operatives, Mutuals and Friendly Societies Bill by our MP Sir Mark Hendrick, which when it comes into force will provide extra protection for co-operatives and mutuals from being targeted by private equity and asset stripping firms.
  • Tackled the scandal of tax avoidance by pushing the Government to implement a register of overseas owners and close the "oligarchs loophole" in its Economic Crime Bill, and by promoting the Councils for Fair Tax initiative across the country. The Co-operative Group and the Co-operative Party continue to both be accredited by the Fair Tax Foundation, because our movement will always be proud to pay our fair share.
  • Put co-operation in power across the country by having our most successful set of elections yet in 2022, which saw our representation grow to over 1300 councillors, 11 MSPs, 16 MSs and 5 Metro Mayors, alongside our 26 MPs in Westminster.

You’re not just a shopper.
You’re a pioneer.

"The Co-op" is more than a shop: it's a critical part of a movement dedicated to changing the way power and wealth are shared.

From being the first supermarket to stock Fairtrade products to their brilliant work on tackling the climate emergency by pioneering the elimination of plastic waste, they show us a different, more ethical way to do business.

Your blue card is more than a way to earn rewards for yourself. As you shop, you are supporting causes in your local community. You are signalling your support for an ethical business that pays its fair share of tax. You are earning the right to make decisions about how the Co-op Group should use its power. You make the work we do possible.

Your card means you are part of a movement. You're not just a shopper. You're a pioneer.

Angled@4x

Co-operative values don't stop at the shopfront

Much like how the Labour Party was founded by the trade union movement, the Co-operative Party was founded by the co-operative movement to fight for our values in the places where decisions are taken and laws are made.

Because know that co‑operative values don't stop at the shopfront. The principles that lie behind successful co‑operatives – democratic control by customers and workers, and a fair share of the wealth we create together – ought to extend to the wider economy and our society.

That's why for over 90 years, the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party have worked together and stood joint candidates. Today, there are 26 Labour & Co-operative MPs alongside over 1,300 Labour & Co-operative other elected representatives right across the country, at every level of government.

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