Vote working class!

The Tory gang of grubby careerists who have wrecked the country for 14 years are finally on their way out. The problem is, however, that they are about to be replaced by another gang of grubby careerists: Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party.

Starmer’s slogan is “change”. What a pathetic joke. There is basically no difference between Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer. Just like the Tories, Starmer has made clear that a Labour government will be a government for the rich, big business and the City of London, serving those very parasites who have driven the country into the ground. And just like Sunak, Starmer has made clear that he will unconditionally back the US and its wars — from increasing contributions for NATO to supporting Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians.

Starmer has spent the last three years purging the Labour Party of anyone supporting workers, Palestine and socialism while abandoning every single promise he made to win the party leadership. In power, the clique of Starm-troopers, these technocrats without any vision, will prove utterly incapable of solving any of Britain’s problems. Their only way to shore up the economy will be to further grind down public services and living standards, which will pave the way for the far right. “Vote Labour to get the Tories out” is the most cynical phrase of the year. In this election, they stand for the same damn thing.

No vote for Labour!

Starmer has drawn a clear line against the working class. So, the working class must respond: no support for Starmer’s Labour! As for left-wing Labour candidates like Zarah Sultana, John McDonnell and Diane Abbott, while they can speak for “peace” and “socialism”, they are campaigning for a Starmer government. Unless they openly stand against him, no vote for pro-Starmer Labour “lefts”, too!

What is needed is to build a working-class opposition to Starmer’s Labour. To advance this aim, we call to support the Workers Party, the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) and independent candidates so long as they stand on a pro-working-class platform (that is, not the Greens). Where none of these options is available, we believe spoiling your ballot is the “lesser evil”. Voting Labour as a last resort means helping Starmer get into office.

Despite our criticisms of each of these options (see the articles in this issue), the stronger the success of a working-class opposition to Starmer, the better it will be for organising the fightback against a Labour government. This goes for everything from defending public services and trade unions to advancing the fight for Palestinian liberation.

The left’s failure and our task

It is evident, however, that the left opposition to Labour is weak and divided and has not yet succeeded in establishing itself as a factor in this election. Instead, Nigel Farage is filling the vacuum, posing as the main opponent of the political establishment and channelling anger at the status quo into anti-immigrant bigotry.

The reason for this is that no one in the socialist left wants to organise a solid struggle against the ruling class and its politicians. Instead of fighting for what workers actually need, most so-called socialists, like all the trade union leaders, will support Starmer’s Labour because it is supposedly a “lesser evil” than the Tories. Starmer has made clear that all he has to offer is more of the same. For socialists to support him will only make them complicit in the next government’s attacks.

On the other side are those socialists who oppose Starmer’s Labour. That’s a start, which is why we must support them. Yet there, too, no one approaches this election with a real plan to battle the ruling class. Independent candidates like Corbyn do their own little campaigns in their own little constituencies, trying to be popular in their own liberal bubbles. Then you have TUSC, who are trying to be popular among the trade union bureaucrats and left-wing Labour voters and so won’t say anything too radical. Finally, there is Galloway’s Workers Party, which is trying to be popular over Palestine while at the same time pushing British patriotism and social conservatism, which can only divide the working class.

Rather than advancing a real socialist strategy that can unite all of the working people in a struggle to fix broken Britain, everyone is appealing to this or that sector of the population. This is why the left opposition to Starmer is so divided and disorganised.

Look at how no left option raises opposition to the monarchy in their campaign. If you really want to shake things up in Britain and clear the way for progress, start with the fact that the head of state is a medieval institution! The silence on this issue demonstrates the absence of any perspective to challenge who is running this country.

What should be done? As a starting point, fight as hard as possible for the success of those working-class candidates who stand against Labour. Despite all their problems, a strong working-class voice against Starmer’s Labour can only help the struggle against the coming government. At the same time, the anti-Starmer left must get its act together around a strategy that can unite workers and beat the ruling class. This is the only way to prepare for battle against Starmer and undercut Farage’s growing appeal.

The programme socialists should put forward in this election is one promising such a fight. We advocate the following:

• Free Palestine!
• Expropriate the banks!
• Down with NATO!
• Citizenship rights for immigrants!
• Down with the monarchy!

Holborn & St Pancras

Andrew Feinstein is running as an independent against Sir Keir Starmer himself. Feinstein is a long-time ­supporter of the Palestinian cause and is running on a pro-Palestine platform against Sir Kid Starver. In South Africa he was an ANC member of Parliament from 1994 to 2001. He resigned in protest against the ANC government’s corruption over an arms deal and then be­came a renowned expert on the arms trade. Every socialist must join his campaign to beat Starmer in his own seat!

Sign up to volunteer at andrewfeinstein.org

Hayes & Harlington

Rizwana Karim has attracted a lot of criticism for running against left-wing Labour MP John McDonnell. For all his talk in support of Palestine, McDonnell is campaigning for a Starmer government, which will fully back Israel. Also, since the start of the Ukraine war, he has been a staunch supporter of arms to Ukraine and NATO’s war aims. We back Rizwana Karim and encourage real socialists in West London to give her a hand as she faces a lot of flak from Labourites. As a professional chef, we hope she can put some heat on John McNATO.

Donate and follow her on X: @Rizwanakarim1

Walthamstow

A long-time member of the Socialist Party and a leading figure of TUSC who has stood many times against Labour and the capitalist parties, Nancy Taaffe is running against Labour candidate Stella Creasy. Creasy is a staunch anti-Corbyn Blairite and now pro-Starmer backbencher. We urge all socialists in North and East London to help her campaign and stick it to Labour!

We do note that it is unfortunate that the Workers Party is also presenting a candidate in Walthamstow. We hope an agreement can be reached in favour of Taaffe’s campaign.

Support and donate to TUSC at tusc.org.uk