Skip to main content

Is British PM Starmer redefining labour, abandoning its values?

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak* 

The Labour Party and its leader, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, are highly unpopular, much like the previous PM,  Rishi Sunak, and his Conservative Party. The latest YouGov poll result, released on October 8, 2024, reveals that more than six out of ten people in Britain dislike Starmer as Prime Minister, with 63% holding a negative opinion of him. Starmer and his leadership are now more unpopular than both Rishi Sunak and Nigel Farage. Such an ignominious fall is no accident but rather a result of Starmer's own making. His political positions are indistinguishable from those of other reactionary, right-wing, and conservative political leaders in the UK and across Europe. His leadership manifesto, electoral promises, and actions as Prime Minister suggest that   Starmer is suffering from multiple personality disorder in politics.   Starmer often says one thing and does exactly the opposite. No amount of political or ideological intervention will change the course of the Labour Party under his leadership, as he remains committed to his donors—his corporate masters.
The Labour Party government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, has imposed austerity measures by cutting welfare budgets, including reductions to child benefits, winter fuel allowances for the elderly, and other welfare supports for vulnerable populations. However, while implementing these cuts,   Starmer, as Prime Minister, enjoys personal gifts and support worth more than £100,000. Such entitlements for a PM are incompatible with the realities faced by the vast majority of citizens in Britain. While   Starmer enjoys privileges beyond his means, the country grapples with increasing food bank use, rising unemployment, and escalating child poverty—threatening the basic rights of citizenship. This disparity reflects   Starmer's lack of a moral and political compass to lead the country. Under his leadership, the Labour Party has also been significantly weakened due to his corporate-driven politics, which stand in stark contrast to the traditional labour values of working-class politics.
Working-class politics is rooted in a moral framework shaped by everyday life—stemming from and founded on principles of work, cooperation, solidarity, equality, justice, liberty, peace, prosperity, and the collective happiness of people, regardless of their backgrounds. These ideals form the foundation of internationalism, which is grounded in local working-class cultures and shapes the values of local, regional, national, and international politics through solidarity and cooperation. The working people of Britain have a long history of fighting against British feudalism, colonialism, imperialism, fascism, Zionism, and apartheid regimes, extending their solidarities beyond borders in the pursuit of justice, equality, liberty and fraternity while deepening democracy at home. 
Labour Party government has imposed austerity measures by cutting welfare budgets for vulnerable populations
Such ideals and values have no place in the Labour Party under the leadership of   Starmer, whose politics, "unburdened by doctrine," is far from value-free. In reality, he has betrayed and abandoned the working-class values and principles of labour in pursuit of corporate interests aligned with the demands of capitalism, all under the guise of promoting economic growth.   Starmer’s politically untenable positions on NATO, nuclear weapons, the Ukraine-Russia conflict, and the genocide in Gaza reflect his continued embrace and celebration of colonial, imperialist, and Zionist doctrines, all under the guise of politics and governance "unburdened by doctrine." Mr Starmer as a labour PM and current Labour Party is without any form of labour values. These further underscores the disconnect between his leadership and the working-class values of justice, equality, and solidarity that once defined the Labour Party. This political and ideological hypocrisy from a Labour leader breeds reactionary politics both in Britain and abroad.
There is nothing progressive about the Labour Party under   Starmer’s leadership today. Labour leaders, such as Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield, have quit the Labour Party and exposed the hypocrisies of   Starmer and his government’s "cruel and unnecessary" policies against working people. While resigning from the Labour Party is a significant political act, it is not enough to create alternative politics to revive Labour values and uphold the interests of the working class. It is time for working people in Britain to save and reclaim their values and fight for their citizenship rights by rejecting the politics and ideology of leaders like   Starmer. The survival of life and deepening of democracy in Britain depends on the struggle of working people, as this is the only viable alternative to celebrate working class values in politics.
*Scholar based in UK 

Comments

TRENDING

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor*  This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

What's behind Donald Trump's 'narco-state' accusation against Venezuela

By Manolo De Los Santos  The US government has revived its campaign to label Venezuela a "narco-state", accusing its top leadership of drug trafficking and slapping hefty bounties on their heads for capture. This campaign, which only momentarily took a backseat, is a strategic fabrication, not a factual assessment. This accusation, particularly amplified under the Trump Administration, is a calculated smokescreen to justify a long-standing agenda: the overthrow of the Venezuelan government and the seizure of its vast oil and mineral resources. A closer examination of the facts reveals a country that has actively fought drug trafficking on its own terms and a US government with a clear and consistent history of destabilizing independent countries in Latin America.

1857 War of Independence... when Hindu-Muslim separatism, hatred wasn't an issue

"The Sepoy Revolt at Meerut", Illustrated London News, 1857  By Shamsul Islam* Large sections of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs unitedly challenged the greatest imperialist power, Britain, during India’s First War of Independence which began on May 10, 1857; the day being Sunday. This extraordinary unity, naturally, unnerved the firangees and made them realize that if their rule was to continue in India, it could happen only when Hindus and Muslims, the largest two religious communities were divided on communal lines.

Two more "aadhaar-linked" Jharkhand deaths: 17 die of starvation since Sept 2017

Kaleshwar's sons Santosh and Mantosh Counterview Desk A fact-finding team of the Right to Feed Campaign, pointing towards the death of two more persons due to starvation in Jharkhand, has said that this has happened because of the absence of aadhaar, leading to “persistent lack of food at home and unavailability of any means of earning.” It has disputed the state government claims that these deaths are due to reasons other than starvation, adding, the authorities have “done nothing” to reduce the alarming state of food insecurity in the state.

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

Epic war against caste system is constitutional responsibility of elected government

Edited by well-known Gujarat Dalit rights leader Martin Macwan, the book, “Bhed-Bharat: An Account of Injustice and Atrocities on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-18)” (available in English and Gujarati*) is a selection of news articles on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-2018) published by Dalit Shakti Prakashan, Ahmedabad. Preface to the book, in which Macwan seeks to answer key questions on why the book is needed today: *** The thought of compiling a book on atrocities on Dalits and thus present an overall Indian picture had occurred to me a long time ago. Absence of such a comprehensive picture is a major reason for a weak social and political consciousness among Dalits as well as non-Dalits. But gradually the idea took a different form. I found that lay readers don’t understand numbers and don’t like to read well-researched articles. The best way to reach out to them was storytelling. As I started writing in Gujarati and sharing the idea of the book with my friends, it occurred to me that while...

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...

Ground reality: Israel would a remain Jewish state, attempt to overthrow it will be futile

By NS Venkataraman*  Now that truce has been arrived at between Israel and Hamas for a period of four days and with release of a few hostages from both sides, there is hope that truce would be further extended and the intensity of war would become significantly less. This likely “truce period” gives an opportunity for the sworn supporters and bitter opponents of Hamas as well as Israel and the observers around the world to introspect on the happenings and whether this war could have been avoided. There is prolonged debate for the last several decades as to whom the present region that has been provided to Jews after the World War II belong. View of some people is that Jews have been occupants earlier and therefore, the region should belong to Jews only. However, Christians and those belonging to Islam have also lived in this regions for long period. While Christians make no claim, the dispute is between Jews and those who claim themselves to be Palestinians. In any case...

Fate of Yamuna floodplain still hangs in "balance" despite National Green Tribunal rap on Sri Sri event

By Ashok Shrimali* While the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday reportedly pulled up the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for granting permission to hold spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's World Culture Festival on the banks of Yamuna, the chief petitioners against the high-profile event Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan has declared, the “fate of the floodplain still hangs in balance.”