What Co-operative Party does

The Co-operative Party is a UK political party founded in 1917 that acts as the political voice of the co-operative movement. It operates under a formal partnership with the Labour Party, under which it does not field candidates against Labour in exchange for Labour's incorporation of co-operative principles into its policy programme. The party is constituted as a registered Society under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 and is headquartered in London.

The party's core activities are policy development, candidate support and training, member communications, and the publication of campaign and policy outputs. Recent products include the "Yes In Your Backyard" housing report (2026), the Community Britain campaign publication series (2025-2026), and joint publications with Hope Not Hate and the Labour Climate and Environment Forum (2025). It also runs the Chris Herries Leadership Programme and holds Fair Tax Mark certification (since 2018). It maintains operational presence across Westminster, the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood), the Welsh Senedd (Cardiff Bay), and UK local government, with 20+ staff and a network of affiliated representatives.

Revenue mechanics are those of a political party rather than a commercial enterprise: the primary income streams are individual membership subscriptions (approximately £6 per month minimum), donations from affiliated co-operative societies, and contributions from aligned trade unions and supporters. There are no product pricing tiers, enterprise contracts, or SaaS-style revenue lines; the unit economics are members-per-pound rather than customers-per-contract. The party is therefore better assessed on membership scale, policy output, and political influence than on conventional revenue growth.

Name

Co-operative Party

Legal name

Co-operative Party Limited

Website

https://party.coop

Company type

Private

Founded year

1917

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Co-operative Party is a UK political party founded in 1917 that represents the co-operative movement through formal partnership with the Labour Party. Operating across Westminster, Holyrood, Cardiff Bay, and local government, it is funded primarily through individual memberships and affiliated society contributions and produces policy reports and leadership programmes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Monthly or annual Direct Debit payments from party members. Solidarity membership at £6 per month or £72 per year, with higher tiers available.
2. Donations: One-time or regular donations from supporters. Average donation is £25. Special lapel pins and gifts provided for donations at certain levels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Co-operative Party is a UK political party, registered as a Society under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014, that represents the co-operative movement within politics. It sells individual memberships in tiered formats, develops and selects political candidates who stand jointly as Labour and Co-operative representatives, and advocates for co-operative economic models, democratic public ownership and community-led policy across Westminster, Holyrood, the Senedd, Stormont and local councils.

Product overview

The Co-operative Party offers a membership-based political organization with multiple membership tiers (Solidarity, Solidarity Pioneer, 100 Club, and 1917 Club), providing members with voting rights, participation in party governance, access to equalities networks, publications, and the ability to stand as candidates. The party's flagship initiative is the Community Britain campaign, which publishes policy reports including Stories from Community Britain, Lessons from Community Britain (Holding on to HOPE), Power in our Communities, Grassroots Growth, and Yes In Our Backyard. The party also offers training programmes including the Candidate Development Programme, Councillor Development Programme, and the Chris Herries Leadership Programme for women. Additional offerings include an online shop, events and conferences, and member networks for underrepresented groups.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Solidarity Membership Core entry-level individual membership tier of the Co-operative Party, paid monthly, providing the standard benefits of party membership for individuals who want to support the co-operative movement politically.
• Solidarity Pioneer Membership Enhanced membership tier combining the standard Solidarity subscription with an additional donation, aimed at members who wish to provide extra financial support to the party.
• 100 Club Membership Higher-tier membership including access to special events and gatherings with party leaders and elected representatives, for members wanting closer engagement with the party.
• 1917 Club Membership Top-tier membership category offering the fullest range of membership benefits and recognition, tied to the party's founding year of 1917.
• Annual Conference Yearly party conference bringing together members, affiliated co-operative societies and elected representatives to debate policy, vote on the rulebook and elect office holders.
• Co-operative Candidate Development Programme
• Chris Herries Leadership Programme Named leadership programme designed to develop the next generation of women leaders within the Co-operative Party and the wider co-operative movement.
• Member Networks (equalities communities)

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Labour PartycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormal political partnership arrangement where the Co-operative Party works with Labour to advance shared values. Candidates stand as 'Labour & Co-operative' representatives. The partnership provides access to Labour Party infrastructure, candidate selection processes, and joint campaigning activities. The party states it is 'working in partnership with Labour to spark a radical shift in the size of the co-operative sector.'

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Labour Party: The Co-operative Party's formal political partner. Labour is the dominant centre-left party in the UK and provides the electoral infrastructure under which Labour & Co-operative candidates stand. Larger scale and broader policy remit make it the most operationally comparable peer.

Direct peers

• Liberal Democrats: UK-wide political party competing for the centre-left/progressive voter. Operates with a similar membership/donation funding model, fields candidates across Westminster and local government, and competes directly with Labour & Co-operative seats in many constituencies.
• Green Party of England and Wales: Small UK political party with similar structure: membership subscriptions, regional organisers, policy publications, and local councillor base. Comparable scale and funding model, with overlapping progressive policy themes around climate and public ownership.
• Co-operatives UK: The national trade body for the UK cooperative movement. Shares the Co-operative Party's mission of promoting cooperative economics and provides the broader institutional ecosystem the party operates within. Direct overlap in policy advocacy on cooperative development.
• Plaid Cymru: Welsh national political party operating from Cardiff Bay. Comparable small-party model with membership funding, regional organisers, and policy publication output. Active in the same devolved parliament where the Co-operative Party has MS representation.
• Social Democratic Party (UK): Small UK centre-left political party with similar scale, membership subscription model (£5–£10/month tiers), and policy publication cadence. Competes for similar progressive voters and operates with a comparable lean staff structure.
• Welsh Labour: The Wales branch of Labour, with which the Wales Co-operative Party operates in formal partnership. Comparable organisational structure within Wales and shared elected representative base in Cardiff Bay.
• Scottish Labour: The Scottish branch of Labour, partnered with the Scottish Co-operative Party. Operates within the same Holyrood space with shared candidate branding and overlapping policy themes.

Regional players

• Scottish National Party: Dominant political party in Scotland, operating from Holyrood. The Co-operative Party fields MSPs through the Labour alliance; the SNP is the primary competitor in the same Scottish Parliament space, with comparable membership/donation funding and policy publication operations.

Others

• The Co-operative Group: The UK's largest consumer co-operative (food retail, funerals, insurance). Legally and operationally separate from the Co-operative Party but shares the cooperative brand and provides affiliated society funding to the party. A key ecosystem participant whose reputation affects the party's brand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/coopparty
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coopparty

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Co-operative Party