Jamal Elaheebocus makes the case for voting for Michael Lavalette in the Your Party CEC election

Michael Lavalette, a Lancashire county councillor in Preston, is standing for one of the four public office holder roles on Your Party’s central executive committee (CEC).

During the nominations process, Michael received just under 3,000 endorsements, vastly exceeding the 150 required and making him the independent candidate with the most endorsements from the public office holder section.

Several prominent figures on the Left have endorsed Michael’s candidacy, including Ken Loach, Tariq Ali, Andrew Feinstein, Stephen Kapos and Lindsey German.

Here are a few reasons why you should vote for Michael Lavalette for the Your Party CEC:

• Michael is standing as an independent candidate and is not part of any slate. He will be a crucial voice that can unite the party, oppose factionalism and build the broadest party possible. Key to his campaign is increasing grassroots democracy; Michael will advocate for strong branches rooted in community activism to be built in every area of the country.
  
• If elected, Michael will work to unite Your Party around clear political demands, including ending the cost-of-living crisis, welfare not warfare, Palestinian liberation and defending civil liberties. The momentum of Your Party has been slowed by a focus on internal processes but Michael’s focus on the key issues facing ordinary people will help move the party forward.
  
• It is crucial that Your Party is rooted in struggle and amplifies the social movements against war, the far right and for Palestine solidarity. Michael will argue for this, having helped organise the local anti-war movement and protests against care-home closures in Preston.
  
• Michael has stood against the mainstream political parties and won. He has won four out of the five local elections he has stood in, representing Respect, the Socialist Alliance and now as one of three Preston Independents. In the 2024 general election, he came second with 22% of the vote.
  
• As part of the Progressive Lancashire coalition, Michael is part of the official opposition to the Reform council and has been fighting and winning locally. He played an important part in the campaign by staff and service users which has forced Reform to scrap their plans to close care homes in Preston.
  
• Palestine solidarity is central to Michael’s campaign. He has visited Palestine over twenty times and has received honorary membership of the General Union of Palestinian Writers in 2022. Since the genocide began, Michael has organised local protests and coaches to national demonstrations, helping galvanise the movement.
  
• Michael has played an important role in helping to launch Your Party, having spoken at meetings across the country alongside Jeremy Corbyn, Zarah Sultana and many others. From the start, he has sought to build a broad and fighting Your Party which can mobilise as many people as possible, and he would continue to do so on the CEC.

You can vote from your YP member portal until 5pm on 23 February. We urge you to give your first preference vote to Michael Lavalette, and to use your other votes to vote for Jeremy Corbyn, Zarah Sultana and Grassroots Left’s Grace Lewis.

From this month’s Counterfire freesheet