The formation of Respect – The Unity Coalition marked an upswing in the importance of the "Weekly Worker". The CPGB was initially divided whether to embrace the organisation, the PCC initially sided with the pro-affiliation faction led by Ian Donovan. It however reversed this position early in Respect's life to agree retrospectively with the anti-affiliation faction; Red Platform led by Manny Neira. This reversal managed to alienate both factions at different times, resulting initially in Manny Neira breaking away to form the short lived Red Party, followed by Ian Donovan after the change of position. This early debate though settled into a strong editorial line against Respect, for being an 'unprincipled unpopular front', which followed through to the split resulting in Respect Renewal and Left List. The paper's commitment to angular debate and reporting on the topic, combined with the lack of coverage from more official sources, led to increase in readership. The paper, at the height of the Respect project, reached 40,000 readers a week. This controversy has refreshed the party, seemingly leading to a new wave of confidence and generation of recruits.