Labour won nearly 4 times as many seats as the Tories, but with fewer than 38% of those who voted. This election has evidenced a Tory debacle, not a Labour victory.
From 2008 onwards, capitalism stopped itself from crashing by imposing decades of austerity. In every big capitalist country, and in the UK in particular, the mass of the population responded with strikes, demonstrations and protests – many still going on today. In these legislative elections, the electorate has managed to remove from office one of the Tory governments most viciously prepared for State repression against the population.
After its double-faced coup against Corbyn in 2019, the Starmer Labour clique made no secret of its wish to keep the Tories’ austerity programme. It repeatedly demonstrated its support for Israel, and for Nato’s takeover of Ukraine. In April and again in June, Starmer reiterated his disposition “to press the nuclear button” should the (capitalist and imperialist) United Kingdom feel itself under attack, particularly from Russia.
And so, for those who rejoice in the Tories’ demise and hail what they call ‘the Labour landslide’, it can still be a case of ‘from the frying pan into the fire’.
The press commented that Gaza “was the hottest issue in this election”. Indeed, these elections mark the time when a movement, with origins generally in the Labour Party and trade unions, has become strong enough to stand against official Labour candidates not only on an anti-austerity programme, but on burning international issues such as support for Gaza, decolonisation and opposition to Palestinian genocide. Hundreds of such candidates stood against labourite imperialism – rather separately, but throughout the country.
These candidates won 5 seats in parliament, and almost another 7. They unseated arch Labour imperialists like Jonathan Ashworth; and they dented the majorities of others, now pro-austerity and pro-war ministers in the warmongering Starmer government. They achieved this thanks to the existence and growth of supporting popular layers now growing at the base of the Labour Party, in the trade unions, in the general left and the population.
Five ‘independents’ unseat labourites and another 7 come close.
It is not a small matter when five of the pro-Palestinian Independents who stood against Starmer’s ‘Labour’ (with all its money, electoral machine and ‘intelligence’ support) managed to win their seats anyway. They are Shocket Adam in Leicester South; Adnan Hussain in Blackburn; Iqbal Mohamed in Dewsbury & Batley, and Ayoub Kham in Birmingham Perry Barr. Although this is only a start, it gives a measure of the depth of comprehension not only among the Muslim and pro-Palestinian voters, but in layers of the electorate large enough to support them and win the seats, against all the odds.
In addition to this, another seven Independents came close to unseating several key ‘Labour Friends of Israel’[2] stalwarts whose majorities have been slashed. Some of these ‘stalwarts’ are now in Mr Starmer’s government, like Wes Streeting in Ilford (now Health minister), who won by only 500 votes in front of Independent Leanne Mohammad; Liam Byrne in Birmingham Hedge Hill (a minister under Gordon Brown) just scraped through. So did Rushanara Ali in Bethnal Green & Stepney (now Housing Minister) along with Shabana Mahmood in Birmingham Ladywood (now Lord High Chancellor of GB[3]). Jess Phillips of Birmingham Yardley (now minister for Women & Girls) won against Independent Jody McIntire by only 693 votes !
Andrew Finstein stood as Independent against K Starmer.
In the London Constituency of Holborn & St Pancras, ‘Labour’ Keir Starmer lost some 9,000 votes compared with 2019. Independent Andrew Feinstein had only 3 weeks to campaign against Starmer, with no money, and only the popular assemblies and street meetings that his team had organised. He still managed to win 7,312 votes. This was due to the passionate support of a large part of the community, and of the Labour voters, incensed on hearing their MP Starmer speaking of his disposition to press the nuclear button (and in defence of imperialist UK !), and his declaration that the Palestinians of Gaza can die of no food, no fuel and no water (because ‘Israel has to defend itself’)! Starmer lost some 2,000 votes to the Greens and others, which means that the days are disappearing when ‘Labour’ could count on a ‘Labour vote because the Tories are worse’. There is a parting of the ways in Labourism. The fear of ‘voting against Labour’ disappears where the Labour apparatus embraces war and genocide.
Five hundred candidates stood as Independents in this election. Even if they were not all of the left, it is the first time in Labour history that dozens of pro-Palestinian Independents, with their origins mostly in Labour, have stood (although separately) against the official Labourites – and won five seats. Corbyn was the most prominent example. He won as an independent with a huge majority in Islington, against the Labourite boss of a private health company that Starmer had deemed suitable for the job.
This could only happen because the population discusses and is aware of the Nato & war purpose behind the Starmer’s coup. Other pro-Palestine rebels joined in from outside Labour, often presenting themselves in the name of their own parties: the Workers Party GB of George Galloway presented 152 candidates, the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition TUSC presented another 40 candidates. There were 14 from Communist Party Britain, 12 from the Socialist Labour Party, 2 from Transform, and others. None of these won seats, and George Galloway lost his’ in Rochdale. But they used the election to generally explain the need for de-colonisation, social transformation and genuine working-class representation.
It must be said at this point that the Labour vote has not stopped being a class vote. This shows in Leeds, Bradford East, the City of Salford, Coventry City Council, Poplar & Limehouse, Liverpool West Derby, and Hayes & Harlington. These are constituencies where the Labour MPs won huge majorities because they are solid and traditional Labour areas. It is important to note that in those areas, Starmer has just removed the whip from seven Labour MPs (for 6 months) because they voted to lift the 2-child benefit cap[4]. This shows that Labour MPs are still involved in the struggle; one must support them as far as they go, and also address the Greens who garnered many votes from disillusioned Labour lefts.
Starmer turns labourism into the party of corporate capital
Regardless of who led it over the years, the Labourite apparatus has participated for decades in the unions-busting activities of the Labour Councils[5]. Should an anti-Labourite platform become formed (with the Independents and others, at national level), it will soon verify the fact that what produces leaders like Starmer is the pro-imperialist structure and functioning of the Labour Party itself. And not the other way round. If the Independents continue to animate the popular assemblies and their anti-imperialist supporters, their campaigns will not be able to stay at anti-Starmer level. Or at parliamentary level, either.
Regardless of who led it over the years, the Labourite apparatus has participated for decades in the unions-busting activities of the Labour Councils. Should an anti-Labourite platform become formed (with the Independents and others, at national level), it will soon verify the fact that what produces leaders like Starmer is the pro-imperialist structure and functioning of the Labour Party itself. And not the other way round. If the Independents continue to animate the popular assemblies and their anti-imperialist supporters, their campaigns will not be able to stay at anti-Starmer level. Or at parliamentary level, either.
The focus on Starmer is logical however, for the moment. Starmer’s original endorsement that Palestine should be left to starve shows the alignment of his clique on the most determined warmongers of the ruling class, those who like him, will not hesitate to ‘press the button’.
Any national anti-Starmer platform must discuss with the existing anti-war organisations (CND, StW, Counterfire), and revive the various No2Nato initiatives, and link up with the anti-war movements in the US, in the rest of Europe and in the rest of the world.
Starmer’s pro-austerity and nuclear weapons project is going to clash even with the Labour Party as it has become. One must expect more Labour rebellions against his leadership. One must prepare to support them and call on the trade unions to do the same.
These elections have shown that the Labour apparatus can no longer isolate working-class opposition and simply snuff it out of existence. The breaches that have now opened in the labourite apparatus can no longer be ignored or smoothed over. The bourgeois monopoly of Labour apparatus’ power is losing its hegemony over working class representation.
The expulsion of Corbyn and thousands of his supporters from Labour has marked the time in history when the bourgeois, reformist and bureaucratic Labourite structure has once again chosen its side. Nato’s side this time. The Starmer leadership prepares to confront the working class (in the UK, and worldwide through Nato) with the repressive political arsenal put in place by Sunak, one day to be backed by Nato soldiers. There is a job of work waiting for us to help the urgent reconfiguration of working-class political representation from Labour and Labourism over to socialist perspectives.
Posadists Today, 27.7.2024
Feature picture: Corbyn during his campaign. He had to stand as ‘Independent’ as Labour expelled him.
[1] Corbyn: 12,877.918 votes in 2017. Starmer: 9,731.363 in 2024.
[2] https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/all-four-labour-leadership-candidates-declare-themselves-zionists-or-supporters
[3] The Lord Chancellor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister and is a senior member of the Cabinet. They head the Ministry of Justice as the Secretary of State for Justice (Wikipedia extract).
[4] The two-child benefit cap was announced by Cameron and Osborne in 2015 as part of austerity measures. Now Starmer wants to keep this ‘cap’ because it saves 30 billion a year to the treasury. Starmer punished the seven rebel Labour MPs by forbidding them to vote on anything for 6 months.
[5] https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/labour-candidates-believe-nothing-gmb-conference-told
[6] https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/sir-keir-starmer-hamas-terrorism-israel-defend-itself/
