Militant Labour was the name of the political party openly formed by members of the Militant Tendency

Militant Tendency

The Militant tendency was an entrist group within the British Labour Party based around the Militant newspaper that was first published in 1964...

 when they abandoned the Trotskyist tactic of entryism

Entryism

Entryism is a political tactic by which an organisation or state encourages its members or agents to infiltrate another organisation in an attempt to gain recruits, or take over entirely...

 in 1990.

The decision, in 1991, to take the Open Turn

Open Turn (politics)

The Open Turn debate took place in 1991, initially within the Militant Tendency. The essence of the debate was the ways of winning the support of Marxism within working masses in modern, changing, situation....

 came after Neil Kinnock

Neil Kinnock

Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock is a Welsh politician belonging to the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995 and as Labour Leader and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition from 1983 until 1992 - his leadership of the party during nearly nine years making him...

's attack on the Militant from 1985 onwards became so successful that the Militant could no longer effectively operate in the Labour Party

Labour Party (UK)

The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...

 - selling the party's newspaper, Militant, was enough to get expelled, whereas previously, the Labour Party membership had not been inclined to support expulsions.

From 1989 Militant had taken the leading position in the Britain-wide Anti-Poll Tax Unions

Anti-Poll Tax Unions

Anti-Poll Tax Unions were set up in local areas throughout Scotland, England and Wales to organise against the Community Charge brought in by Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government in 1989 and 1990 ....

 and the ferment and anger Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...

's poll tax

Poll tax

A poll tax is a tax of a portioned, fixed amount per individual in accordance with the census . When a corvée is commuted for cash payment, in effect it becomes a poll tax...

 had generated suggested that there was more to be gained as an open organisation than inside a Labour Party which opposed the Anti-Poll Tax Unions' tactic of non-payment of the tax.

A minority inside the Militant - led by former leading ideologue Ted Grant

Ted Grant

Edward "Ted" Grant , 9 July 1913 in Germiston, South Africa – 20 July 2006 in London) was a South African Trotskyist who spent most of his adult life in Britain...

 - opposed the open turn and continued to support entryism. They subsequently formed their own party/faction around the paper Socialist Appeal

Socialist Appeal

Socialist Appeal is the publication of a British Trotskyist organisation operating within the Labour Party which was founded by Ted Grant and Alan Woods after they were expelled from the Militant tendency. The organisation is popularly known as the Socialist Appeal group, and publishes a monthly...

.

In 1997 Militant Labour became the Socialist Party of England and Wales, after a lengthy debate in 1996, though in Scotland the majority abandoned formal Trotskyism as part of the Scottish Socialist Party

Scottish Socialist Party

The Scottish Socialist Party is a left-wing Scottish political party. Positioning itself significantly to the left of Scotland's centre-left parties, the SSP campaigns on a socialist economic platform and for Scottish independence....

 - a wider grouping than the original Scottish Militant Labour

Scottish Militant Labour

Scottish Militant Labour was a minor political party operating in Scotland in the 1990s and was part of the Committee for a Workers' International...

.