Keir Starmer

Starmer might look good next to Truss, but he has no answers to the crisis – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on the Tory shock-and-awe implosion and the action plan our side needs
Starmer is rewarming Blairism. Why are some on the left applauding?

Starmer at the Labour Conference broadcasted his commitment to free markets and fiscal austerity, argues Chris Nineham
Labour conference: Reset to Blairite orthodoxy

Starmer’s return to Blairism at the Party conference offered nothing but feeble responses to Tory class war, argues Michael Lavalette
Why Starmer's 'mature' politics is getting him nowhere

Starmer is barely audible from inside the Gilded Palace of Westminster argues Mike Wayne
Starmer breaks his silence but falls way short

Terina Hine argues that the Labour leader’s proposals don’t come close to matching up to the crisis
How low can Starmer go?

Just when you think he can’t get any worse, Starmer finds a way, argues Terina Hine
System failure: What should socialists do? A discussion with Lindsey German and James Schneider - video

A discussion with Lindsey German, author and Convenor of Stop the War, and James Schneider, co-founder of Momentum and author of the upcoming book Our Bloc: How We Win, on the crises we face and strategy for the left
Step up the action: All out against the Tories - Counterfire Freesheet August 2022

Uniting against a weak and divided Tory party, the NHS at breaking point, China and Pelosi, climate catastrophe, uprising in Sri Lanka and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet
How to turn a strike wave into a tsunami

We need class logic - co-ordination, escalation and decisive action - to generalise the growing strike wave and take on the Tories, writes Unjum Mirza
Starmer backs the wrong side again…and again

A hat trick of own goals from Keir Stammer and his inability to support the unions should concern us, writes Lindsey German
Starmer promises fudge, waffle and betrayal

The direction Starmer has set out for the Labour Party is a reminder why he is not up to the job, writes Sean Ledwith
Solidarity with Sam Tarry: Sack Starmer

Sam Tarry, shadow transport minister has been sacked by Keir Starmer for joining a picket line. This is an absolute disgrace. It is Starmer that needs to get the boot not Sam Tarry, argues Terina Hine
Audrey White: Why I confronted Keir Starmer - video

Audrey White, who recently confronted Labour leader Keir Starmer in Liverpool, speaks to Counterfire's Shabbir Lakha on Starmer, Labour and the fight for change
Starmer’s picked his side: against the unions – CounterBlast

Keir Starmer has chosen to side with the Tories against the RMT, but for all his forensic electoralism, the public are broadly backing the workers, writes Terina Hine
Paul Mason: blinded by the right - weekly briefing

Counterfire has temporarily suspended access to this article after Paul Mason threatened us with legal action. We are consulting our lawyers.
How the right took back control of Labour: The Starmer Project review

Oliver Eagleton’s The Starmer Project shows the Labour leader to be a devious, self-interested defender of the conservative establishment, finds Terina Hine
Beergate: Starmer’s ‘honour’ and cynical games - CounterBlast

Starmer has left the leadership of the official opposition to the opaque machinations of the Durham constabulary, writes Terina Hine
The war abroad, the war at home

The opposition to the attack on working people and the drive for more war - which go hand in hand - will come from the streets
Starmer's war on Corbyn and the anti-war left

Starmer's latest conditions on Corbyn's readmission to Labour underline his commitment to making Britain safe for war again, writes Chris Nineham
Is Starmer’s warmongering a betrayal or business as usual for Labour?

History shows why nobody should be surprised that the Leader of the Opposition is backing the dogs of war, argues Sean Ledwith
Ukraine: it’s Johnson and Starmer versus public opinion – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on imperial brinkmanship and the anti-war majority
Starmer smears Stop the War to side with the warmongers

Starmer is cosying up to the warmongers while the Prime Minister is risking a catastrophic war in Ukraine to deflect attention from his domestic political problems, argues Sean Ledwith
The ghost of Christmas parties past – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on Tory double standards and Sir Keir’s relentless rightwards steer
A deck full of jokers: Starmer shuffles out the last of the left - CounterBlast

Keir Starmer's latest lurch to the right has cemented Blairism at the helm of the Labour Party once again, writes Terina Hine
Voting Labour after Corbyn

Until such time as a new parliamentary vehicle for the working class emerges, socialists should continue to vote Labour, argues Martin Hall
'A new world is struggling to be born': Pamela Fitzpatrick on Starmer, poverty and the mood for change

Pamela Fitzpatrick discusses with Shabbir Lakha current Labour leadership, the targeting of socialists in the Labour party and what the left can do to counter it
Turning insult into injury: Starmer and the endless war on the left

The Labour leadership’s latest attack on the left shows why we must turn to the extra-parliamentary movements to fight the Tories, argues Terina Hine
Why I joined Counterfire

Four recently joined Counterfire members explain why they became members
We won't pay for their crisis - Counterfire Freesheet October 2021

The Tory crisis, an interview with Ken Loach on Starmer and the next steps for the left, urgent demands to stop climate breakdown and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet
Starmer vs the members - CounterBlast

Labour's conference has been a battleground between the leadership and the members in a fight for the direction of the party, describes Terina Hine
Brighton 2021: Members speak out on Starmer, stitch ups and next steps for the left

Chris Nineham speaks to activists in Brighton and reports on the Labour Party conference and discussions about the next steps for the left
'On the road to nowhere': Leah Levane on Labour, Starmer and the expulsions - video

Chris Nineham speaks to JVL co-founder Leah Levane about her expulsion form Labour and the direction Starmer is taking the party in
Humiliated: Starmer’s attack on democracy postponed

Keir Starmer's anti-democratic electoral college plan is dead in the water in a humiliating defeat for the Labour leader, writes John Westmoreland
'We need to move fast': Ken Loach on Starmer, socialism and building a new left - interview

Ken Loach speaks to Chris Nineham about his expulsion from the Labour Party and the next steps for the left
Recovery positions: A Labour Party Conference reading guide

As Labour Conference gathers in Brighton, Mark Perryman reviews books that seek to describe what the party’s recovery might look like
Unite and the politics of Labour

It is not putting workers’ interests first to ignore politics, argues John Westmoreland, as Unite Leader, Sharon Graham, absents herself from Labour Conference
Does Starmer's Labour have a problem with trade unionists? - Interview with Ian Hodson

Counterfire's Shabbir Lakha spoke to Ian Hodson, the National President of the BFAWU, who has been threatened with expulsion from the Labour Party
The Tories' contempt for the working class knows no bounds

With the Tories revamping austerity and Starmer focused on attacking the left in Labour, the real opposition is on the streets
It's them or us: we can beat them if we fight - Counterfire Freesheet September 2021

Taking on the Tories, victory for Bexley strikers, interview with a Staff Nurse and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet
Treated with disrespect and disdain: former Labour member speaks out on Starmer’s witch hunt

After recently quitting Labour, Paddy O’Keefe describes the toxic atmosphere of smears and bullying which is hounding dedicated socialists out of the party
Afghanistan: the collapse of the war on terror – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on US imperial decline and the case of Ken Loach
Not so hidden agenda: Ken Loach and Labour's war on the left

With the expulsion of Ken Loach, Keir Starmer is escalating his McCarthyite witch-hunt against the left in Labour, argues Alex Snowdon
Blairism: first time tragedy, second time farce – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on Starmer’s Labour, imperialism and climate catastrophe
Is the party over? Starmer and the deep problems of social democracy

As the right strengthens its grip on Labour, Chris Nineham looks at the context of of Labour’s crisis.
Zero support for workers as Labour backs employers on zero-hour contracts - Counterblast

Labour's ambivalence towards workers' rights alongside its embrace of the neoliberal status quo is set to backfire, argues Lucy Nichols
Organise to resist Starmer’s attack on the left

Following Tuesday’s demonstration by left wing activists at Labour Party HQ, the entire left needs to organise to push back against Starmer’s witch hunt, writes Yonas Makoni
Tories 3-0 down in the culture wars – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on the right in retreat and the grey knight’s return to witch-hunting
Labour's last chance: can the party recover? - video

Holly Rigby and Chris Nineham discuss the state of the Labour Party and how the left should relate to it at Counterfire's Revolution! Festival
Witchfinder Starmer must be stopped: this is a fight for all the left

As Starmer prepares another round of attacks and expulsions against the left, we need a united response across the labour movement, argues Kevin Ovenden
Fighting for the NHS: Voices from the frontline in Wandsworth

Health activists in Wandsworth celebrate the NHS and call for patient safety, pay justice and an end to privatisation, reports Peter Bird
‘Blame the Muslims’ is the new cry from Labour – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on the Batley and Spen byelection and its fallout
Batley and Spen: hanging by a thread does not vindicate Starmer

Labour's narrow victory in Batley and Spen does not conceal Starmer's political bankruptcy, argues Shabbir Lakha
The anger's everywhere... Join the fightback - Counterfire Freesheet June 2021

United against the Tories, why solidarity with Palestine is critical, a socialist guide to combating climate change and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet
Tories fail, Starmer flails - weekly briefing

Lindsey German on the Chesham and Amersham result and the forthcoming Unite leadership election
Chesham and Amersham: Cracks in the blue wall, curtains for Starmer?

Labour’s dreadful showing in the Chesham and Amersham by-election deepens a crisis for Labour to which Starmer has no answer, argues Terina Hine
Palestine: return of the resistance – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on a bad week for Israel and one of its leading allies, Sir Keir Starmer
Stand with Palestine: Save Sheikh Jarrah, Stop Bombing Gaza - Counterfire Bulletin May 2021

As Israel continues to attack Palestinians in Jerusalem and Gaza, we must stand in solidarity with Palestine
Labour: how to make a drama out of a crisis - weekly briefing

Lindsey German reflects on Thursday’s voting and its implications for Starmer and the union
Is it good night Sir Keir after Labour’s bad night?

Labour's Hartlepool loss and poor performance in the local elections is a decisive rejection of Starmer, and blaming the left won't save him, argues Shabbir Lakha
Super Thursday elections: Starmer and Labour's continuing decline - CounterBlast

Polling suggests Labour is set to do badly in the elections this week, dispelling myths of the electability of Sir Keir, argues Terina Hine
The perpetual failure of Keir Starmer – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on the bad-to-worse of Labour’s benighted leader and what this means for socialist voters
Stop the Tory attack: Kill the bill

Counterfire editorial on Tory corruption, a useless opposition and the new normal to be won
Starmer has nothing to offer Teesside

With local elections looming, Starmer’s Labour continues in its failure to offer an effective alternative for Teesside, argues Alex Brooke
A year of Sir Keir: how the opposition went missing

Terina Hine interrogates a year of Keir Starmer’s leadership of the Labour Party and the disappearance of the Opposition
Labour backs Tory assault on democracy in Liverpool – CounterBlast

Labour’s backing of the Tory assault on local democracy underlines the need for the left to fight for a political alternative, argues Alex Snowdon
Vaccine bounce or Starmer slump? – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on Labour travails and the power of protest
Whose unity? Scottish Labour drops candidate after she backs Indyref2

Anas Sarwar is following Sir Keir Starmer’s footsteps in expunging every vestige of progressive thought in the Labour Party, reports Vladimir Unkovski-Korica
Sunak’s budget: austerity hasn’t gone away – CounterBlast

A few increases in state spending shouldn’t disguise a budget which offers nothing for working class people, argues Alex Snowdon
Why is Starmer to the right of the Tories on corporation tax? - CounterBlast

By opposing an increase in corporation tax, Kier Starmer’s failure to offer an alternative to the Tories has become farcical, writes Terina Hine
Starmer’s shtick: Ruthless against the left, useless against the right - CounterBlast

Preoccupied with burying the politics of the Corbyn era, Starmer’s vacuous leadership is failing to offer a coherent alternative to the Tories, argues Alex Snowdon.
It’s not the vaccine, it’s the vacuousness: polling, politics and the Starmer slump

Chris Nineham argues Starmer's poor polling can't be blamed on vaccine success
Starmer and Mandelson plot to resurrect the corpse of Blairism - CounterBlast

The nightmarish return of spectres from Labour’s past is the last thing the party needs, writes Sean Ledwith
Starmer's flag fetish: win the middle ground, don’t chase it

Rather than Starmer’s bland patriotic appeal, Kevin Ovenden argues for the revolutionary tradition of winning broad support for socialists through building mass movements
Starmer’s patriot games are a political dead end for Labour - CounterBlast

The last refuge of a scoundrel will never be fertile territory for the left, writes Sean Ledwith
Starmer: no leadership, no principles - CounterBlast

Sir Keir Starmer’s lack of opposition and support for the spy cops bill is letting the government get away with murder, writes Terina Hine
2020: the year the mask fell off

Shabbir Lakha reflects on a tumultuous year and what we must remember for the fight ahead
When Liz Truss speaks a truth, beware

Mike Wayne unpicks Liz Truss’s recent speech on inequality and finds that it scores some hits against parts of the left
Why Labour can't deliver

We need to dig deep for the roots of Labour’s failures, argues Dragan Plavšić
Starmer’s purge turns against Palestine solidarity

The ongoing attack on the left in Labour is increasingly targeting those who are vocal in support for Palestine, writes Sybil Cock
What is behind Starmer's war on the left?

The Labour right has always been hostile to the left, but the ferocity of Starmer’s attacks is exceptional, argues Martin Hall
Civil war in the Labour Party – weekly briefing

Alex Snowdon on Starmer’s offensive on the left and the fight for zero Covid
Is there life outside Labour?

In our continuing series on left strategy, Chris Nineham from Counterfire responds to Laura Smith and John McInally
Labour's absent opposition, the CRG and scotch eggs - CounterBlast

Instead of opposing Johnson's shambolic tiers, Starmer's abstention is letting the anti-lockdown Tory rebels and scotch eggs dominate the debate, writes Terina Hine
Tiers of a clown – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on the idiocy of Tory pandemic policy and Starmer’s witch-hunt on the march
Keir Starmer's Brexit opportunism

Starmer has confirmed that his manoeuvring on Brexit and a second referendum was always an anti-left operation used to attack Corbyn, argues Kevin Ovenden
Does Starmer want permanent war with the left?

Starmer is sidelining the left in the NEC as his purge continues, writes Terina Hine
Covid crisis: what are YOU getting for Christmas?

Boris Johnson wants to return to an ineffective tier system to save profits for shops instead of people’s lives, writes Caitlin Southern
Bombs and bosses’ bailouts while workers get pay freeze – weekly briefing

Alex Snowdon on second wave austerity, Starmer’s Labour party and Friedrich Engels
Letter to the left: gloves off, time to fight!

Natalie Strecker describes her political journey, why she joined Labour under Corbyn and has since left, and what she thinks are the next steps for the left
No money for school meals but Johnson found £16.5bn extra for the military

Boris Johnson has chosen to up defence spending over the necessary measures to protect lives during a pandemic, writes Lindsey German
Johnson's choice: no good Brexit options

Whichever way the prime minister looks, he is presented with a circle of problems that is becoming increasingly difficult to square, argues Martin Hall
Starmer, Corbyn and the Labour whip: this is a war against the left

Withholding the whip from Corbyn is unjustifiable. The left must unite and fight back against Starmer's war on the left, argues Chris Nineham
Retreating won't stop the attacks on Corbyn and the left

If the left doesn’t get on the front foot, the attacks will only keep coming, argues Shabbir Lakha
Starmer's purge continues: Bristol members suspended for supporting Corbyn

Labour members in Bristol West have been suspended for confronting Starmer’s witch hunt against the left. This is a fight for all of us, argues Tom Whittaker
Why Labour fails - video

Dragan Plavšić explains why the Labour Party fails as a party that was founded to represent the working class
Goodbye, good riddance… get ready – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on Trump’s departure as POTUS and the reality of Starmer’s Labour party
No capitulation to Starmer's witch-hunt: fight back now

The question isn't 'stay or leave', it's whether or not the left inside and outside the Labour party is going to fight back, argues John McInally
Defend Corbyn: the key thing is to fight - video

Lindsey German speaks at a mass online rally in defence of Jeremy Corbyn
Crossing red lines: why the establishment wants to destroy Corbyn

Corbyn's anti-war principles and their popular appeal are the biggest threat to the establishment, says Chris Nineham
This is a fight: there is no unity with the Labour right

You can't win a war if you don't realise you're in one. Time to fight, argues Shabbir Lakha
Corbyn suspension: seven lessons of the Starmer witch-hunt

John Rees looks at what we’ve learnt so far from the response to the suspension of Jeremy Corbyn from the Labour Party
The SpyCops bill is an attack on us all: it must be resisted

We shouldn’t imagine that we are powerless and have to accept this assault on our civil liberties lying down, argues Shabbir Lakha
Defend Corbyn: Counterfire statement on Jeremy Corbyn's suspension

The whole of the left must unite to defend Jeremy Corbyn from this outrageous attack
The attack on Jeremy Corbyn is baseless – there is nothing to support it in the EHRC report

The EHRC report does not uphold claims that Labour under Corbyn was institutionally antisemitic and does not justify the suspension of Jeremy Corbyn, argues Chris Nineham
EHRC report: a green light for further attacks on Corbyn and the left which must be resisted

Lindsey German's statement ahead of the EHRC report into antisemitism in the Labour Party
Testing times, but no trace of a government strategy - weekly briefing

Lindsey German on the Tories’ ever-escalating Covid crisis, anti-austerity and Labour’s warped security values
Spy cops bill: Starmer helping the Tory assault on civil liberties

Starmer's tacit support for government legislation that will allow undercover police to commit crimes is a dangerous new low, argues Lucy Nichols
Covid: a Tory-made crisis - Counterfire Bulletin October 2020

Why we need a zero-Covid strategy, resistance on the frontline, carnage in America and a new direction for the left in this month's Counterfire bulletin
No country for old men? – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on systemic inequality and Labour’s identity problem
Starmer is colluding with Tories to unleash the spy cops - CounterBlast

The Labour Leader is jeopardising civil liberties in his pursuit of approval from the establishment, argues Sean Ledwith
When Towering Inferno meets Groundhog Day - weekly briefing

Lindsey German on a Tory party that cannot cope and a pitiful pseudo-opposition
Starmer’s road leads to disaster: the left urgently needs a new direction

A left in thrall to Starmer's Labour risks irrelevance, argues Chris Nineham
Protecting war criminals and torturers: the Tory bill and Starmer's shame

The passing of the Overseas Operations bill which Labour abstained on is a disservice to victims of torture and undermines international law, argues Lindsey German
Doncaster reacts to Starmer: 'We don't need another Tony Blair'

Keir Starmer's conference speech in Doncaster isn't convincing anybody, writes John Westmoreland after speaking to people in the area
Starmer's 'New Leadership': blame Corbyn, offer nothing - CounterBlast

Starmer's policy-stricken, Corbyn-bashing conference speech confirms that opposition to the Tories is only going to come from outside parliament, argues Terina Hine
Where next for the left? - Lindsey German

As part of a discussion on the next steps for the left, Lindsey German looks at the election defeat, the coronavirus crisis and how socialists should organise
Starmer’s empty new slogan

Dragan Plavsic considers what we should we make of Labour’s new slogan
Where next for the left? - Holly Rigby

As part of a discussion on the next steps for the left after the rightward shift of the Labour Party under Keir Starmer, looks at Tory failures during the pandemic and the role of union and movement organising
Where next for the left? - Mike Wayne

As part of a discussion on the next steps for the left after the rightward shift of the Labour Party under Keir Starmer, Mike Wayne looks at the need for a new party of the left and the importance of revolutionary organising
Tory failure: the explanation lies beyond stupidity - weekly briefing

Lindsey German on the return of Conservative sleaze and Keir Starmer’s unfit-for-purpose Labour Party
The official opposition isn't working: is there a new frontline? - CounterBlast

While the government is in disarray and Starmer fumbles, the opposition is building in workplaces, writes Chris Nineham
Labour adrift while the second wave builds - weekly briefing

Lindsey German on faux opposition, media sickness and Britain’s oldest colony
Counter-revolution in the Labour Party and the coming storm

John McInally, long-standing activist and former member of the PCS executive, contributes to the ongoing discussion on the future of the Labour Party and the prospects for the wider left
Why the government is to blame, not the people - CounterBlast

Boris Johnson’s Tory government should be held responsible for the scale of the coronavirus crisis, not ordinary people, argues Alex Snowdon
McCluskey: Starmer's decision to settle is a 'huge miscalculation'

McCluskey is right. Union subs should not be paying off those who helped the Tories win power, argues Chris Neville
Summer Brexit report: Britain drowns beneath the waves

As the UK reels under the double impact of the pandemic and recession, the Brexit deadline is coming over the horizon, argues Martin Hall
Starmer's Panorama drama: an attempt to bury Corbyn's legacy

We repost Anna Southern's article in The Left Berlin on the continued attacks on Jeremy Corbyn and the left
The Starmer supremacy: Labour is now on the wrong side of the struggles that matter

Starmer's stampede to the right means that socialists will need to reach beyond the Labour Party to build a fighting left, argues Chris Nineham
The Labour leadership isn’t serious about anti-racism - CounterBlast

Starmer isn't fighting racism, he's fighting the left, writes Lucy Nichols
The Starmer restoration is only just getting into stride

Starmer's transformation of the Labour Party by attacking the left and pulling the party to the right is only just beginning, argues Kevin Ovenden
Jeremy Corbyn is right to challenge claims of 'institutional antisemitism'

Labour’s decision to settle with former party officials looks like a politically motivated attack on the left, writes Alex Snowdon
A wealth tax is a bare minimum, why is Labour not demanding it?

Starmer refusing to back a wealth tax shows he’s not going to fight against the Tories putting the cost of the crisis on working people, argues Shabbir Lakha
Tory policy: eat, drink, be merry because tomorrow… well you know the rest – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on government idiocy, Black Lives Matter and Starmer’s Thermidor
Starmer is moving Labour to the right 'brutally and rapidly': a CLP secretary’s resignation statement

Socialists should focus their energies on building the extra-parliamentary left, argues Terina Hine in her statement resigning as Cities of London and Westminster CLP secretary
‘Super Saturday’ reopening is reckless and dangerous - CounterBlast

The government’s push to reopen pubs, restaurants and much else this weekend is irresponsible and premature, writes Alex Snowdon
Starmer takes Labour right: It's time for an extra-parliamentary left

The fight is on, but it isn't going to be fought in the Labour Party
The battle is on: and the left can’t win in Labour - weekly briefing

Lindsey German on Labour, the left and taking on the Tories
Sacking Long-Bailey accelerates Labour’s drive to the right - CounterBlast

The sacking of the shadow cabinet’s only prominent socialist is a milestone in Labour’s move to the right, argues Alex Snowdon
Starmer’s ruthless at rooting out the left, not antisemitism - CounterBlast

In a week where the Tories are covering for corruption and risking working people’s lives, Keir Starmer is attacking the left instead of the government says Penny Hicks
Starmer plays to the right: where now for the left?

Starmer has signalled war on Labour's left with the sacking of Rebecca Long-Bailey. It is a deliberate attempt to root out Corbynism from positions of influence
Sacking Long-Bailey is a disgrace: it's proof Starmer is leading a witch-hunt against the left - CounterBlast 25 June

There can no longer be any doubt, Starmer is leading a witch-hunt against the left in Labour at a time when the Tories are in maximum disarray, writes Chris Nineham
Johnson is gambling with our lives. Why is Starmer backing the bet? - CounterBlast 24 June

Boris Johnson is lifting the lockdown when it is patently unsafe to do so, and the opposition's going along with it, writes Shabbir Lakha
The Tories are at each other's throats, why isn't Labour seizing its chance? - CounterBlast 11 June

When the Tories are caught between their donors and the polls, we deserve better than the present docile opposition, argues Chris Nineham
Keir Starmer, don’t pander to Modi's fascist regime and its allies in Britain - SASG statement

A statement from Indians for Labour and South Asia Solidarity Group
Set up to fail? Labour’s not so independent inquiry

Nick Fitzpatrick finds glaring issues with the panel put together by the NEC and its remit to investigate #LabourLeaks
Starmer’s foreign policy and the spirit of Blairism

Dragan Plavšić considers what Labour’s foreign policy will look like under Starmer’s leadership
Who pays? Socialists and state intervention part 2 – long read

In the second part of his article, Chris Nineham examines the recent development of the state and how the Coronavirus will impact on government policy and the left
Starmer's Labour: the opposition's gone missing

Kevin Potter explores whether Labour's attempt at constructive opposition is actually opposition at all

In order to provide you with the best online experience this website uses cookies.

Keir Starmer

Keir Starmer

Lindsey German on the Tory shock-and-awe implosion and the action plan our side needs

Starmer at the Labour Conference broadcasted his commitment to free markets and fiscal austerity, argues Chris Nineham

Starmer’s return to Blairism at the Party conference offered nothing but feeble responses to Tory class war, argues Michael Lavalette

Starmer is barely audible from inside the Gilded Palace of Westminster argues Mike Wayne

Terina Hine argues that the Labour leader’s proposals don’t come close to matching up to the crisis

Just when you think he can’t get any worse, Starmer finds a way, argues Terina Hine

A discussion with Lindsey German, author and Convenor of Stop the War, and James Schneider, co-founder of Momentum and author of the upcoming book Our Bloc: How We Win, on the crises we face and strategy for the left

Uniting against a weak and divided Tory party, the NHS at breaking point, China and Pelosi, climate catastrophe, uprising in Sri Lanka and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet

We need class logic - co-ordination, escalation and decisive action - to generalise the growing strike wave and take on the Tories, writes Unjum Mirza

A hat trick of own goals from Keir Stammer and his inability to support the unions should concern us, writes Lindsey German

The direction Starmer has set out for the Labour Party is a reminder why he is not up to the job, writes Sean Ledwith

Sam Tarry, shadow transport minister has been sacked by Keir Starmer for joining a picket line. This is an absolute disgrace. It is Starmer that needs to get the boot not Sam Tarry, argues Terina Hine

Audrey White, who recently confronted Labour leader Keir Starmer in Liverpool, speaks to Counterfire's Shabbir Lakha on Starmer, Labour and the fight for change

Keir Starmer has chosen to side with the Tories against the RMT, but for all his forensic electoralism, the public are broadly backing the workers, writes Terina Hine

Counterfire has temporarily suspended access to this article after Paul Mason threatened us with legal action. We are consulting our lawyers.

Oliver Eagleton’s The Starmer Project shows the Labour leader to be a devious, self-interested defender of the conservative establishment, finds Terina Hine

Starmer has left the leadership of the official opposition to the opaque machinations of the Durham constabulary, writes Terina Hine

The opposition to the attack on working people and the drive for more war - which go hand in hand - will come from the streets

Starmer's latest conditions on Corbyn's readmission to Labour underline his commitment to making Britain safe for war again, writes Chris Nineham

History shows why nobody should be surprised that the Leader of the Opposition is backing the dogs of war, argues Sean Ledwith

Lindsey German on imperial brinkmanship and the anti-war majority

Starmer is cosying up to the warmongers while the Prime Minister is risking a catastrophic war in Ukraine to deflect attention from his domestic political problems, argues Sean Ledwith

Lindsey German on Tory double standards and Sir Keir’s relentless rightwards steer

Keir Starmer's latest lurch to the right has cemented Blairism at the helm of the Labour Party once again, writes Terina Hine

Until such time as a new parliamentary vehicle for the working class emerges, socialists should continue to vote Labour, argues Martin Hall

Pamela Fitzpatrick discusses with Shabbir Lakha current Labour leadership, the targeting of socialists in the Labour party and what the left can do to counter it

The Labour leadership’s latest attack on the left shows why we must turn to the extra-parliamentary movements to fight the Tories, argues Terina Hine

Four recently joined Counterfire members explain why they became members

The Tory crisis, an interview with Ken Loach on Starmer and the next steps for the left, urgent demands to stop climate breakdown and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet

Labour's conference has been a battleground between the leadership and the members in a fight for the direction of the party, describes Terina Hine

Chris Nineham speaks to activists in Brighton and reports on the Labour Party conference and discussions about the next steps for the left

Chris Nineham speaks to JVL co-founder Leah Levane about her expulsion form Labour and the direction Starmer is taking the party in

Keir Starmer's anti-democratic electoral college plan is dead in the water in a humiliating defeat for the Labour leader, writes John Westmoreland

Ken Loach speaks to Chris Nineham about his expulsion from the Labour Party and the next steps for the left

As Labour Conference gathers in Brighton, Mark Perryman reviews books that seek to describe what the party’s recovery might look like

It is not putting workers’ interests first to ignore politics, argues John Westmoreland, as Unite Leader, Sharon Graham, absents herself from Labour Conference

Counterfire's Shabbir Lakha spoke to Ian Hodson, the National President of the BFAWU, who has been threatened with expulsion from the Labour Party

With the Tories revamping austerity and Starmer focused on attacking the left in Labour, the real opposition is on the streets

Taking on the Tories, victory for Bexley strikers, interview with a Staff Nurse and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet

After recently quitting Labour, Paddy O’Keefe describes the toxic atmosphere of smears and bullying which is hounding dedicated socialists out of the party

Lindsey German on US imperial decline and the case of Ken Loach

With the expulsion of Ken Loach, Keir Starmer is escalating his McCarthyite witch-hunt against the left in Labour, argues Alex Snowdon

Lindsey German on Starmer’s Labour, imperialism and climate catastrophe

As the right strengthens its grip on Labour, Chris Nineham looks at the context of of Labour’s crisis.

Labour's ambivalence towards workers' rights alongside its embrace of the neoliberal status quo is set to backfire, argues Lucy Nichols

Following Tuesday’s demonstration by left wing activists at Labour Party HQ, the entire left needs to organise to push back against Starmer’s witch hunt, writes Yonas Makoni

Lindsey German on the right in retreat and the grey knight’s return to witch-hunting

Holly Rigby and Chris Nineham discuss the state of the Labour Party and how the left should relate to it at Counterfire's Revolution! Festival

As Starmer prepares another round of attacks and expulsions against the left, we need a united response across the labour movement, argues Kevin Ovenden

Health activists in Wandsworth celebrate the NHS and call for patient safety, pay justice and an end to privatisation, reports Peter Bird

Lindsey German on the Batley and Spen byelection and its fallout

Labour's narrow victory in Batley and Spen does not conceal Starmer's political bankruptcy, argues Shabbir Lakha

United against the Tories, why solidarity with Palestine is critical, a socialist guide to combating climate change and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet

Lindsey German on the Chesham and Amersham result and the forthcoming Unite leadership election

Labour’s dreadful showing in the Chesham and Amersham by-election deepens a crisis for Labour to which Starmer has no answer, argues Terina Hine

Lindsey German on a bad week for Israel and one of its leading allies, Sir Keir Starmer

As Israel continues to attack Palestinians in Jerusalem and Gaza, we must stand in solidarity with Palestine

Lindsey German reflects on Thursday’s voting and its implications for Starmer and the union

Labour's Hartlepool loss and poor performance in the local elections is a decisive rejection of Starmer, and blaming the left won't save him, argues Shabbir Lakha

Polling suggests Labour is set to do badly in the elections this week, dispelling myths of the electability of Sir Keir, argues Terina Hine

Lindsey German on the bad-to-worse of Labour’s benighted leader and what this means for socialist voters

Counterfire editorial on Tory corruption, a useless opposition and the new normal to be won

With local elections looming, Starmer’s Labour continues in its failure to offer an effective alternative for Teesside, argues Alex Brooke

Terina Hine interrogates a year of Keir Starmer’s leadership of the Labour Party and the disappearance of the Opposition

Labour’s backing of the Tory assault on local democracy underlines the need for the left to fight for a political alternative, argues Alex Snowdon

Lindsey German on Labour travails and the power of protest

Anas Sarwar is following Sir Keir Starmer’s footsteps in expunging every vestige of progressive thought in the Labour Party, reports Vladimir Unkovski-Korica

A few increases in state spending shouldn’t disguise a budget which offers nothing for working class people, argues Alex Snowdon

By opposing an increase in corporation tax, Kier Starmer’s failure to offer an alternative to the Tories has become farcical, writes Terina Hine

Preoccupied with burying the politics of the Corbyn era, Starmer’s vacuous leadership is failing to offer a coherent alternative to the Tories, argues Alex Snowdon.

Chris Nineham argues Starmer's poor polling can't be blamed on vaccine success

The nightmarish return of spectres from Labour’s past is the last thing the party needs, writes Sean Ledwith

Rather than Starmer’s bland patriotic appeal, Kevin Ovenden argues for the revolutionary tradition of winning broad support for socialists through building mass movements