Whig Party (British political party) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Whig Party
Leader	Waleed Ghani
Founded	October 2014; 10 years ago (October 2014)
Headquarters	London, England
Ideology	Pro-Europeanism Social progressivism Whiggism (self-declared)
Political position	Centre
Colours	Light blue
Website
(Inactive)
Politics of the United Kingdom Political parties

The Whig Party is a political group in England that aims to bring back the ideas of an older political party called the Whigs. The original Whigs were active in the United Kingdom from 1678 to 1868.

This new party was started by Waleed Ghani in October 2014. It follows the ideas of Whiggism, which was the main way of thinking for the old Whigs.

History of the Whig Party

How the Party Started

Waleed Ghani and Felicity Anscomb applied to officially register the Whig Party in May 2014. The party was officially registered with the Electoral Commission on September 15, 2014. The Electoral Commission is like a government office that makes sure elections are fair.

The Electoral Commission lists Waleed Ghani as the party's leader. Felicity Anscomb is listed as the party's treasurer, who manages its money. Ghani started the party because he felt there was a missing voice in British politics.

What the Whigs Believe

When the party first started, it didn't have many specific rules or plans. Instead, it focused on a group of important values. These values included human rights, loving one's country, and diversity. For diversity, they even used the Swedish word mångfald, which means "variety" or "multitude."

In March 2015, the Whig Party shared their plans for the 2015 general election. A general election is when people vote for who they want to represent them in the government.

The party supports staying in the European Union. They also support immigration, which means people moving to live in a new country. They believe in universal childcare for children aged two to four. This means all families would get help with childcare. The party also wants to get rid of student tuition fees, which are the costs students pay to go to university. They also stand up for the rights of people who rent homes in the United Kingdom. On top of that, they support women's rights and human rights around the world.

Elections and Beyond

In 2016, the United Kingdom had a vote about whether to stay in the European Union. This was called the referendum. The Whig Party wanted the UK to stay in the European Union.

After the vote, the party decided not to have candidates in the 2017 general election. They also did not have any candidates in the 2019 general election. However, the Whig Party is still officially registered with the Electoral Commission as of March 2024.

Party Leaders

Electoral Performance

"Electoral performance" means how well a party's candidates do in elections. The Whig Party had four candidates in the 2015 general election.

Waleed Ghani ran in Vauxhall. Alasdair Henderson ran in Bethnal Green and Bow. Felicity Anscomb ran in Camberwell and Peckham. All these areas are in Inner London. Paul Bradley-Law ran in Stretford and Urmston in Manchester.

General Election, 2015 Results