On Saturday 18th April, PES activist Sam Tarry was elected National Chair of Young Labour in the UK. Campaigning with his manifesto, ‘Organising to win‘, Sam has promised bi-monthly campaign training seminars, a national full time officer for Young Labour, new efforts on gender equality, a new recruitment drive, a renewed website and online TV channel and an international solidarity fund. In terms of policy he campaigned on issues such as lowering the voting age to 16, equalising the minimum wage for all and fighting for a living wage, and enhancing Young Labour’s relationship with the trades unions movement. In doing so, he plans to rebuild Labour’s youth movement ‘from the ground up’.

As a committed PES activist who came to Madrid to support the adoption of the PES manifesto in December, Sam stated his clear commitment to further involving Young Labour at the European level in his manifesto:

“In a world in which globalisation has benefitted corporations and the international bankers, with their bonus bandits being the ultimate expression of the ideology of greed, Young Labour must renew its international links with our sister organisations as we seek partners for delivering social democracy throughout the world. With European Elections on the horizon we need to campaign for a progressive majority in the European Parliament; we must work with ECOSY and our sister youth sections in each social democratic and socialist party across Europe to help deliver the MEPs we need. I will push for Young Labour to help support the campaigns of UK Labour MEPs and drive forward our international campaigns with the Party of European Socialists. But Europe should not be a fortress Europe, rather a social Europe – therefore I will lead Young Labour to take its rightful place in helping develop policy and campaigns on a global level with the ITUC and ETUC Youth Sections as well as our brothers and sisters in the International Union of Socialist Youth.”

Cross posted from the PES website.