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Home Featured

Can this breakaway party ‘Fix Britain’? SDP rallies in Reading

James Aldridge, local democracy reporter by James Aldridge, local democracy reporter
Monday, February 23, 2026 7:41 am
in Featured, Politics, Reading
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William Clouston, the leader of the Social Democratic Party speaking at a conference. Credit: SDP

William Clouston, the leader of the Social Democratic Party speaking at a conference. Credit: SDP

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A political party that is socially conservative but economically left-wing is hosting a meeting in Reading to ‘fix Britain’.

The Social Democratic Party (SDP), which was founded in 1990 in a split from the Labour Party, has called a meeting in the town for like-minded people who want to reform British politics.

Party members note with serious concern the continued state of British political decline.

From scandals to incompetence and inertia, the two-party system is fracturing. Voters are seeking new alternatives.

A spokesperson said: “This begs the question – how do we fix Britain? Join us in Reading on February 28 for an exclusive opportunity to hear from the SDP party leadership on how we propose to achieve positive change for the nation.

“This is a time for pragmatism, transparency, and strategy. We are therefore offering policies that align with the majority, are evidence-based, and that are in the national interest.

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“Some of our core topics of discussion will include:

“Cultural renewal. From selling off our most prized companies and institutions, to indifference to mass immigration and the need for reindustrialisation, cultural ideologies are at the root of the nations’ problems. Our party leader, William Clouston, will make the case that most of the social and economic problems we face are downstream from our cultural outlook. In addition to identifying this, we need to face these cultural issues to allow working families to grow and prosper.

“Action over apathy. From reviving our industry, to generating cheap and abundant energy, these areas are critical to our long-term prosperity, and they are currently hindered by a bloated and overly procedural bureaucracy. We must fix this. Our regeneration spokesperson, Alastair Mellon, will focus on how we reform this system of governance so we can get back to making decisions with efficiency.

“Defence and security. Our defence spokesperson, Henry Bolton, will be discussing the emerging spheres of influence around the globe and what that means for the European region and especially the position of Britain. He will also discuss the primary defence-related challenges we face at home, including the parlous state of our armed forces, critical infrastructure vulnerability and protection, collaboration with NATO and our allies in NATO and further afield.

“Finally, he will cover the similarly porous condition of our borders and our proposed solutions in conjunction with our bold new immigration policy update that we launched earlier this month.”

Mr Clouston, the party leader, said: “Most of our difficulties have cultural roots – indifference, complacency and lack of confidence. If nothing can be done about cultural causes, then nothing can be done about anything else. Our mission in the SDP is to promote a culture centred around a strong, united Britain based on secure families, productive industry and good governance.

“We welcome you to attend with us on February 28 for an afternoon of optimism, pragmatism, and good faith discussion.”

The meeting will begin at 2pm, with refreshments and sign-in from 1.30pm at the Wesley Church Hall in Queens Road.

Alastair Hunter was the SPD’s candidate for the Earley and Woodley constituency during the 2024 general election.

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