How the Labour Party Abandoned the Left
I was born in 2001- so, really, in my consciousness, I have known nothing other than Tory rule in the UK. I first became interested in politics in the mid-2010s. Therefore, the first Prime Minister I remember paying attention to was David Cameron, once he was out of the coalition years (Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition, 2010-2015), followed by Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak.
For the first time in 14 years, in July 2024, things were shaken up when the Labour Party, under the leadership of Keir Starmer, won in what, and this is important, seemed to be a landslide victory. Everyone knew the Tories were finished, due to Tory rule being characterised by austerity, political scandal, misery for the public etc... Looking back, I was in no doubt Labour would win that election. Still, as a leftist, this brought me no comfort. To say I was sceptical of Keir Starmer would be an understatement, but I never imagined things would get so bad, so quickly. So, let's take a journey right to the beginning of this nightmarish Labour government, examine who our main characters once were, who they are now, and why they pose a threat to the UK.
Starting at the top... Keir Starmer.
Keir Starmer is, in my assessment, a capricious, Machiavellian character who will do just about anything to attain and maintain political power. When he was running for the leadership position of the Labour Party in 2020, he made a series of what he called ‘pledges.’ Amongst them were:
‘Economic Justice. Increase income tax for the top 5% of earners, reverse the Tories’ cuts in corporation tax and clamp down on tax avoidance, particularly of large corporations. No stepping back from our core principles.’
‘Social Justice. Abolish Universal Credit and end the Tories’ cruel sanctions regime. Set a national goal for wellbeing to make health as important as GDP; invest in services that help shift to a preventative approach. Stand up for universal services and defend our NHS. Support the abolition of tuition fees and invest in lifelong learning.’
‘Promote Peace and Human Rights. No more illegal wars. Introduce a Prevention of Military Intervention Act and put human rights at the heart of foreign policy. Review all UK arms sales and make us a force for international peace and justice.’
‘Common Ownership. Public services should be in public hands, not making profits for shareholders. Support common ownership of rail, mail, energy and water; end outsourcing in our NHS, local government and justice system.’
'Defend Migrants’ Rights… An immigration system based on compassion and dignity.’
These are clearly influenced by Corbynism and feel a long way away from the Labour party we are currently governed by. I highlighted these pledges to demonstrate how Keir Starmer ran his campaign off the back of the work and ideas of Jeremy Corbyn and has now broken ALL of what he promised. In fact, Starmer now unapologetically derides the very ideas which helped him become a leader in the first place. When Keir Starmer was heckled by a protester at the most recent Labour Party conference, he responded, “This guy’s obviously got a pass from the 2019 conference…While he’s been protesting, we’ve been changing the party, that’s why we’ve got a Labour government.”
Ironic, seeing as the Labour Party’s founding was literally rooted in protest (such as the trade union movement and socialist parties of the 19th century). To say that they’ve moved the party away from those roots, (which they have) is not a good thing or something to be proud of: they’ve sold out to the allegedly sacrosanct dogma of neoliberalism.
Keir Starmer has ruled with an iron fist, and having totally abandoned those pledges he made in 2020, how did he respond to Labour MPs who stand by the principles he once espoused? They were suspended. Keen to show their political ‘strength,’ one of the first things this Labour government did upon winning the election was vote to keep the two-child benefit cap. This policy, instituted by George Osbourne, means households only receive child tax credit for the first two children in their families. It is a cruel policy, reminiscent of the Victorian notion that poor families are too large and there is a distinction between the ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving’ poor. The cap has inflicted misery on the most vulnerable children in society, with nearly 1.5 million children financially affected by it, driving them below the poverty line. The seven MPs who made the ethical decision to abandon the party line and vote to scrap this cruel cap were suspended, keeping in line with Starmer’s attempt to rid the party of any lingering remnants of left-wing ideals.
In the autumn the cruelty continued, this time targeting vulnerable elderly people by removing the winter fuel allowance for everyone barring the absolute poorest pensioners. The Winter Fuel Payment is a pension credit given to retired/elderly folk to help them with the price of heating their homes during the colder months. The Labour Party changed the threshold for who qualifies for these payments, introducing a means-test. So, in reality, a poor person who cannot afford to heat their home can be left out of the scheme because the goalposts have been moved so that only the absolute poorest in society qualify for this scheme.
And now in a political twist that has even shocked the likes of George Osbourne, the bringer of austerity, Chancellor Rachel Reeves, has announced brutal cuts to disability welfare payments. The proposed changes will make it harder for people with disabilities to claim Personal Independence Payments (PIP), which is a payments made to those with long-term physical or mental health conditions to assist with their daily lives. In yet more cruel political manoeuvring, it is estimated that cutting funding to PIP will push 300,000 vulnerable people into poverty.
So, to take stock, this Labour government has targeted the disabled, impoverished children and the elderly in the name of making 'tough decisions.' It reeks of Tory style slash and cut austerity measures, which have been linked to over 300,000 excess deaths. With Starmer aiming to increase so-called 'defence' spending to 2.5% of GDP, the question must be asked, why is there always enough money to fund death and destruction but never enough for bread and butter? It is time for welfare, not warfare.
And of course, arguably most importantly, we have to look at Gaza. This government has presided over the worst crime against humanity of our age and facilitated the ongoing Israeli genocide against the Palestinian people. There is so much that could be said here, but here are the most crucial points. Firstly, in the early days of this grave atrocity, Keir Starmer said that Israel has the right to cut off water and power and place Gaza under siege. However, it should all be done within the bounds of International Law... as a human rights lawyer, he should know that what he is endorsing is collective punishment, a war crime. Placing Gaza under siege is not self-defence and clearly defies International Law.
So, that's the moral backdrop of Keir Starmer's views on Palestine. Once in government, again totally abandoning his so-called 'pledges,' Keir Starmer maintained arms deals with Israel. Crucially for those of us in the UK, 15% of every F35 fighter jet is made in the UK. These F35 jets have been fundamental in raining death and destruction over Gaza, and in July 2024 an F35 was used to drop three 2000lb bombs in an attack on a 'safe zone' in Khan Younis. In September, Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced the suspension of 8% of arms licenses to Israel, saying that the government concluded there was a "clear risk" the arms "might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law." Let it be noted that by August 2024, 40,233 Palestinians had been killed, 10,627 of that figure being children. There is no 'risk' of international humanitarian law being broken, it has been demolished by the Israeli forces. Finally, the UK RAF base in Cyprus, Akrotiri, has been used as part of the route to transport US weapons to Israel. There is such little transparency regarding how this base is used, underscoring the hidden truth that the UK's involvement in this genocide runs much deeper than perhaps the public is aware.
A shocking moment which sums up the current state of the Labour Party came from the MP for Swansea West, Torsten Bell. For context, Torsten Bell was essentially a plant in Swansea West for the 2024 General Election, with valid criticism being raised that he has no connection to the area nor Wales. Therefore, he does not actually know the people he is meant to represent. In April 2024 Tosten Bell wrote an article for the Guardian entitled, ‘It’s immoral to push children into poverty, but that’s what the benefits cap does.’ This article rightfully points out the cruelty of the two-child benefit cap. Despite the clear position he took in this article, Bell voted to keep the two-child cap. Why? He’s a career politician who is happy to abandon his morals in favour of towing the party line.
Exhibited here is a rare, ‘mask off’ moment, his tone is so condescending and grating, and when he says, “of course not, I have a mortgage,” he may as well be saying, “those plebs, the underclass will never understand what it means to own a home.” His contempt for the working classes is palpable, and more than that, representative of a Labour party which has entirely abandoned its roots. Torsten Bell fits in with the pattern of Labour MPs switching their political positions to climb the greasy pole and further their careers, with no consideration of the lives which will be ruined in the wake of their cruel policies.
These are the broad strokes, but they are strokes which paint a deeply unsettling picture. This is a government without morals.
A government that is happy to sell out the most vulnerable in society to further their parliamentary careers.
A government aiding and abetting the first live-streamed genocide.
We have all seen the images and know the truth, yet Starmer and this Labour government are continuing to send arms and weapons to Israel which have caused, and are causing, unfathomable death and destruction to the Palestinian people.
This is a government that shows nothing but contempt for the very people who founded their party: the working classes, the protesters, the activists, all those who had the vision to create a better society.
This is a government which, if left unchallenged, has the power to drag our society even further into the darkest places humanity can go.
Keir Starmer is holding the door wide open for Nigel Farage, Reform UK and the far-right to walk into government.
