Lindsey German on Sir Keir at the precipice and pro-Palestine blowback

You can’t imagine a much more catastrophic first anniversary for Keir Starmer’s government. Chants of ‘fuck Keir Starmer’ at Glastonbury were only the least of his problems. His ‘reform’ of disability and PIP payments is in tatters. The calculations of his relentlessly right-wing advisers and sycophants were that these savage attacks on some of the most needy people would attract only minor opposition. A rebellion by 120 Labour MPs proved them wrong. Starmer and his gang have spent the last five years persecuting and eradicating the left in the party, with much success. So how much more of a shock must it is have been when all those carefully vetted and selected MPs rose against him.

They did so because these attacks affected millions either directly or through family or friends and because even quite right-wing people saw them as unjust and unreasonable. Protests from Disabled People against the Cuts and the People’s Assembly demo earlier this month helped to underline that message. But it also contrasted with a perception that there is unlimited money for war and weapons but endless cuts for other areas of public spending.

The dominant view among the Starmerites is that militarism and warmongering are popular as are the attacks on migrants and refugees. They also believe they have to target on potential Reform voters rather than those to the left. But it’s clear this has a limited scope. Firstly because Reform has positioned to its left over, for example, pensioners’ heating allowance or nationalisation and therefore is appealing to those who care about those issues. Secondly because Labour is losing votes to its left to either independents or Greens, as Labour’s popularity continues to plummet.

So Starmer is having to grovel in newspaper interviews about how he got things wrong, and there’s quite a long list. Pensioners, the disabled, and the sick have all been in his sights and they are disgusted by these attacks. But so too are millions of people after his channelling of Enoch Powell by referring to Britain as an ‘island of strangers’.

He’s had to apologise for all these. But as ever he is blaming everyone else – advisers, the distraction of foreign affairs, the arson attack on his house. He has a completely narcissistic approach. Any failings are not ever his fault, but he has zero tolerance for anyone with whom he does not agree.

This latest defeat for Starmer – for that is what it is – marks the end of any illusions over the success of his leadership. His u-turn is massive – it is of course not enough, because it concedes to those already receiving benefits while curtailing those in the future. That’s why there will still be a major rebellion on Tuesday and why many of us will be demonstrating this week against his plan. But we should not underestimate how damaging this is to him and to his chancellor, Rachel Reeves.

Already there is talk of leadership challenges in the autumn and of replacing his witch-hunting chief of staff Morgan McSweeney. But the problems here go much deeper than Starmer. He is particularly bad, and lacking any of the most basic political instincts. However, it is the insistence of boosting arms spending and allowing the rich to hold on to their wealth, while attacking working-class people who suffer from worsening conditions and lower real wages, that is making Labour so unpopular. After 14 years of the Tories, people have the right to expect better.

In the process, Starmer has created an existential crisis for Labour which opens up the end of the two-party system, the growth of Reform and the possibility of a party to the left of Labour. That is more talked about than so far realised but there is likely to be some announcement of a left formation in the coming weeks.

However, while welcoming and supporting this initiative, we need to also be sober about its role. It will not present an instant electoral alternative to Labour or to Reform. That has to be built – and it will be built mainly through struggle and through interventions. The success of the Greens and the independents at last year’s general election was largely built on the Palestine movement and success for a future project will be built on this and other issues.

What is however true is that if such a project is not launched then even the feeble left and centre opposition in Labour can begin to reassert itself and channel discontent back into the party. This brings us back to how we take the movement forward. This revolt in parliament is important but its continuation will depend on the pressure put on MPs from outside. That requires greater pressure over austerity issues, over Palestine, for welfare not warfare. Starmer is on the ropes and we need to make sure he doesn’t recover. He has to go and so do his policies.

No ban on Palestine protests

The attempted proscription of Palestine Action on grounds of terrorism is yet another sign of the gross authoritarianism of this Labour government. Non-violent direct action has no connection with terrorism and is in a long tradition of British politics. The Greenham Common women who had a peace camp against Cruise missiles would have been proscribed under the same grounds as they used bolt cutters to cut through wires. Suffragettes set fire to stately homes, postboxes and other properties, yet are now praised by MPs like Yvette Cooper who is proscribing PA.

You don’t have to agree with those tactics or support the politics of Palestine Action to recognise that this is a move which should be opposed by everyone who supports democracy, dissent and the right to protest. Even Cooper’s civil servants are apparently unhappy about this move. You can change laws, criminalise protesters, but you will not stop people opposing injustice. We should all fight against this ban, which is an attack on the whole movement.

This week: I will be speaking at the DPAC demo on Monday outside parliament saying that we want no cuts at all. I will also be doing all I can to oppose the ban on Palestine Action and the attacks on Bob Vylan for their Glastonbury gig. On Thursday, I’ll speak with Stephen Kapos at a Tower Hamlets meeting and will also be building for the protest outside Ben Jamal and Chris Nineham’s court case next Monday.