The Workers Party of Scotland (Marxist-Leninist) was formed in October 1966, by seven members of the Scottish branch of the Committee to Defeat Revisionism, for Communist Unity,[1] including party chairman Tom Murray, a veteran of the International Brigades.
[2] Membership of the party declined in the course of the late 70s and the group became moribund with the death of Tom Murray in 1983.
[3] In 1972, founder and Gorbals electoral candidate Matt Lygate and fellow WPS(ML) member Colin Lawson were convicted (along with two non-members[1]) for armed robbery of the Royal Bank of Scotland, having been arrested the previous year following a tip off.
The WPS (ML) released a statement that Lygate's group acted without authorisation[1] although their purported aim had been to raise money for party funds.
They were originally to be prosecuted for treason, the first case since John Maclean, but the charges were later dropped to bank robbery.