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PRESS

OFFICIAL COMMUNICATIONS, REPRESENTATION AND ATTRIBUTION DISCLAIMER

Official Position of the Workers Party

All Press Enquiries should be directed to the General Secretary either through email ([email protected]), Whatsapp (@workerspartygb) or Telegram (t.me/GeneralSecretary).

The Head Office of the Workers Party is: 158 Drake Street, Rochdale, OL16 1PX. All correspondence must be addressed to the General Secretary.

Regional Offices in Birmingham and Doncaster are not open to the public without prior appointment.

This Official Communications, Representation and Attribution Disclaimer ("Disclaimer") sets out the basis upon which statements, opinions, publications, comments and other communications are to be interpreted in relation to the Workers Party of Britain (the "Party").

The Party is a democratic political organisation comprising elected representatives, candidates, office holders, members, volunteers, supporters, campaigners and other individuals who may participate in public life or political discourse. Such individuals may from time to time express personal opinions, engage in political debate, participate in interviews, publish articles, post on social media platforms, speak at meetings, demonstrations or conferences, or otherwise communicate in their own capacity.

For the avoidance of doubt, and to the fullest extent permitted by the laws of England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, no statement, opinion, representation, allegation, commentary, endorsement, criticism, policy position, interpretation, legal opinion, factual assertion, political opinion or other communication made by any individual shall be regarded as representing the official position of the Party unless it has been expressly authorised and published by the Party through an Official Party Communication.

Definition of Official Party Communications

For the purposes of this Disclaimer, an "Official Party Communication" means only a communication that has been expressly authorised by the Party and published through one or more of the following official channels:

  • the Party's official website;
  • official Party social media accounts (reposts are not necessarily endorsements);
  • official Party press releases;
  • official Party policy documents;
  • official Party manifestos;
  • official statements issued by the Party's authorised communications team;
  • official resolutions adopted by the Party through its constitutional processes; or
  • any other communication expressly designated by the Party as an official Party statement.

Unless falling within one of the above categories, no communication shall be interpreted as constituting Party policy, Party opinion or an official statement.

Personal Statements

Without limitation, the following shall ordinarily be regarded as personal communications unless expressly adopted by the Party:

  • speeches;
  • interviews;
  • podcasts;
  • panel discussions;
  • debates;
  • rallies;
  • public meetings;
  • livestreams;
  • social media posts;
  • reposts or shares;
  • comments;
  • replies;
  • blogs;
  • articles;
  • newsletters;
  • videos;
  • written correspondence;
  • emails;
  • messaging applications;
  • campaign materials produced independently;
  • personal websites; and
  • any oral or written statement made by an individual.

This applies irrespective of whether the individual is:

  • a current member;
  • a former member;
  • an elected representative;
  • a former elected representative;
  • a parliamentary candidate;
  • a prospective candidate;
  • a local government candidate;
  • a councillor;
  • an office holder;
  • a volunteer;
  • a campaign organiser;
  • a spokesperson acting outside authorised instructions;
  • an employee;
  • a contractor; or
  • any other person who claims or purports to represent the Party.

No Automatic Attribution

Membership of, association with, election under, nomination by or previous involvement with the Party shall not, of itself, give rise to any presumption that an individual's personal statements constitute Party policy.

No person has authority to create, amend or declare Party policy except through the Party's constitutional and authorised decision-making procedures.

Accordingly:

  • personal opinions remain personal opinions;
  • individual political views remain individual political views;
  • individual legal opinions remain individual legal opinions;
  • personal social media content remains personal content;
  • campaign rhetoric remains personal unless officially adopted.

The Party expressly rejects any legal or factual presumption that the views of one individual automatically become the views of the Party.

Interpretation by Third Parties

The Party expects all journalists, broadcasters, publishers, commentators, political parties, campaign organisations, regulators, public authorities, law enforcement agencies, government departments, civil society organisations, academic institutions, researchers, fact-checking organisations and members of the public to distinguish carefully between:

  • official Party communications; and
  • personal communications.

Any assessment of the Party's position should be made by reference only to Official Party Communications.

 

Prohibition on Misrepresentation

Any attempt to attribute personal views to the Party without proper basis may constitute a serious misrepresentation.

This includes (without limitation):

  • selectively quoting individuals;
  • quoting statements out of context;
  • editing audio or video to alter meaning;
  • misleading headlines;
  • implying endorsement where none exists;
  • describing personal opinions as Party policy;
  • falsely asserting that the Party supports, approves or endorses a particular statement;
  • relying upon historic statements after they have ceased to represent Party policy;
  • relying upon statements made after an individual's membership has ceased;
  • aggregating comments from multiple individuals so as to suggest an official Party position.

Such conduct may amount to the publication of materially false or misleading information.

No Waiver

The Party's failure to respond immediately to any inaccurate attribution shall not constitute:

  • acceptance;
  • ratification;
  • approval;
  • acquiescence;
  • waiver of rights; or
  • confirmation of accuracy.

The Party reserves all legal rights at all times.

Media Responsibilities

Media organisations are expected to comply with accepted standards of responsible journalism, including verifying whether a statement represents official Party policy before publication.

The Party encourages journalists to seek clarification from the Party's authorised communications representatives where uncertainty exists.

Failure to undertake reasonable verification may be relied upon in any subsequent legal proceedings where appropriate.

 

Public Authorities

Nothing in this Disclaimer is intended to interfere with or restrict the lawful functions of any court, tribunal, regulator or public authority.

However, the Party respectfully requests that all public authorities distinguish between:

  • official Party policy;
  • authorised Party communications; and
  • the personal opinions of individuals.

Reservation of Rights

The Party expressly reserves all rights available under the laws of England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in respect of any false, misleading or defamatory attribution.

Where appropriate, the Party may seek one or more legal remedies including:

  • immediate correction;
  • clarification;
  • publication of a right of reply;
  • retraction;
  • apology;
  • removal of online publications;
  • removal of social media posts;
  • takedown requests;
  • cease and desist correspondence;
  • undertakings;
  • injunctions (including interim injunctions where legally available);
  • declarations as to falsity;
  • damages;
  • aggravated damages where available;
  • special damages where recoverable;
  • recovery of legal costs;
  • interest;
  • delivery up or destruction of offending material where permitted by law; and
  • any other remedy available under statute, common law or equity.

The Party reserves the right to commence proceedings without further notice where considered appropriate.

 

Relevant Legal Principles

This Disclaimer shall be interpreted consistently with applicable law, including, where relevant:

  • the Defamation Act 2013;
  • the common law of defamation;
  • the law relating to malicious falsehood;
  • the law of passing off where applicable;
  • the tort of unlawful interference where applicable;
  • the Human Rights Act 1998, including Articles 8 and 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights;
  • the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK GDPR where personal data is involved;
  • the Representation of the People Acts where relevant;
  • the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000;
  • applicable electoral legislation;
  • common law principles of agency;
  • the law relating to publication and republication;
  • and any other applicable legislation or common law principles.

Nothing in this Disclaimer excludes or limits any rights or remedies available to the Party under applicable law.

Constitutional Position

Official Party policy is determined only through the Party's constitutional governance procedures and authorised decision-making mechanisms.

No individual may unilaterally establish Party policy.

Any inconsistency between an individual's personal views and Official Party Communications shall be resolved in favour of the Official Party Communications.

Entire Statement of Attribution

This Disclaimer constitutes the Party's formal public statement regarding the attribution of communications.

Where any third party seeks to characterise an individual's personal statement as representing the Party without reference to Official Party Communications, such attribution should be treated as unauthorised unless the Party has expressly confirmed otherwise.

Readers, journalists, regulators and public authorities are therefore requested to verify all alleged Party positions by consulting the Party's official website and official social media channels before drawing conclusions or making public statements concerning the Party's policies or views.

Governing Law

This Disclaimer shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws applicable within the United Kingdom. Any disputes arising from or relating to this Disclaimer shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts having competent jurisdiction.