Social Democratic Party

In October 2018, the party published a New Declaration of aims and values, whose name recalls the original Limehouse Declaration of 1981 and which the party describes as putting the principles of social democracy in a modern setting. The declaration calls for a "communitarian, social-democratic nation-state". Patrick O'Flynn, Member of the European Parliament for East of England, defected from the UK Independence Party (UKIP) to join the SDP in November 2018.[4] He cited UKIP leader Gerard Batten's appointment of Tommy Robinson as an adviser as a key reason for his departure from the party.[17] O'Flynn became the first MEP affiliated to the current-day SDP. In April 2019, O'Flynn stated that the SDP would not be standing in the upcoming European Parliamentary elections.