Clause Four Group

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The Clause Four Group was a grouping in British Labour student politics in the 1970s and 1980s set up largely on the initiate of Fergus Nicholson, the student organiser of the Communist Party of Great Britain, who later led a faction within that party known as Straight Left.[citation needed]

It controlled the National Organisation of Labour Students for a number of years, and was involved in a severe faction fight with the Militant Tendency for control of that organisation.

People who were involved at the time include Labour MPs Mike Gapes, John Mann, John Denham, and Mark Lazarowicz, and MSPs Margaret Curran, Johann Lamont, and Sarah Boyack.

It was sometimes colloquially known as "Operation Icepick" - the operational name it chose when it was founded after the Militant briefly won control of NOLS.