The Labour leaders’ attempt to cut welfare benefits has exposed the rottenness of this Starmer government.
On the first anniversary of its 2024 election victory, Starmer’s Labour is reeling in crisis, despite its massive parliamentary majority.
Starmer made every effort to force through savage cuts in welfare payments to the most vulnerable in society. These would have put hundreds of thousands in desperate hardship.
Terrified of losing the vote on cuts, Starmer sent out his shock troops to pull the mutinous Parliamentary Labour Party into line. Threats were made to deselect MPs, ruin their careers, and similar measures. But to no avail.
Come Tuesday this week, as MPs assembled and debated in the House of Commons, a damaging defeat for Starmer and his ministers still looked to be on the cards.
@metrouk Kemi Badenoch described Rachel Reeves as looking ‘absolutely miserable’ at Prime Minister’s Questions after a tough day for the Chancellor. Reeves appeared to cry on the front bench as Keir Starmer responded to the Conservative leader’s questions – and notably failed to confirm she would stay in her role until the next election. Her sister, Labour Party chair Ellie Reeves, was seen holding her hand as they left the chamber together at the end of the session. A Treasury spokesperson described the situation as ‘a personal matter’, adding it was something ‘we are not going to get into’. #ukpolitics #news #rachelreeves #crying ♬ Scott Street (Slowed Down) – Phoebe Bridgers
This forced the Labour leader to make a number of concessions, dropping many key measures from the government’s Dickensian welfare bill.
This may have saved Starmer’s bacon for now. But he is a lame duck prime minister, who has lost control of his own party benches.
This retreat therefore represents a humiliating blow for the PM and his government.
And importantly, more votes will be held on this – and other – legislation down the line, where further rebellions are certain.
Servant of the establishment
This humbling of ‘Sir’ Keir Starmer, the right-wing scumbag leader of the Labour Party, is a sight for sore eyes. This revolt represented a well-deserved kicking, delivered by members of his own parliamentary party.
This knight of the realm has disgustingly defended his practice of receiving luxury freebies from his rich friends. Yet he has no qualms in attacking the supposedly ‘workshy’ disabled. The sick and infirm must be given an ‘incentive’ to work, the Labour leader asserts.
Starmer continually stresses how he is the son of a toolmaker. In reality, he is a loyal servant of the billionaire establishment.
He is a stinking hypocrite and slimy careerist. And he looks the part – a cross between a bank manager and an undertaker.
Britain’s Prime Minister loves to swan about on the world stage, particularly at western imperialism’s G7 meetings and NATO summits. Last summer, he hosted the great and the good of Europe at Blenheim Palace.
At such events, Starmer has had no difficulty finding billions for the war in Ukraine and his pal Zelenskyy. He is proud to stuff the pockets of the arms manufacturers by boosting defence spending.
At the same time, he is happy to rob pensioners of their winter fuel allowance or cut overseas aid, which he deems wasteful.
Hitting rock bottom
This wretched man is quite prepared to sell his principles – if he ever had any – to climb the greasy pole and further his sleek career.
This former director of public prosecutions was prepared to ‘support’ Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader when it suited him – only to then stab him in the back when ordered to, so as to seize the crown.
Starmer is such a shallow figure. He did not win the general election, the Tories lost it. There was no enthusiasm for Starmer or his party, as shown by Labour’s low share of the vote.
Today, his standing has hit what many assume to be rock bottom. In fact, it could yet fall further.
The opinion polls are currently predicting a Labour wipeout at the next election. And all this after just one year in office for Starmer.
No wonder there is such enthusiasm amongst ordinary workers and youth towards the announcement of a potential new left party by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana.
Authority shattered
This week’s shambles in Parliament represents a potentially existential political crisis for Starmer’s leadership. This is clear for all to see.
The shattering blow to Starmer’s authority was delivered by an unexpected group of people: backbench Labour MPs.
These careerists had all been carefully vetted as candidates by the Labour machine – selected on the basis of their subservience to the ‘Leader’.
Given the tough measures Starmer knew he would be forced to undertake, Labour HQ worked overtime to weed out any ‘troublemakers’, in order to prevent the possibility of any embarrassing rebellions.
But this has evidently failed. Even these handpicked Starmer sycophants and loyalists can’t stomach the savagery of the war on the poor that the Labour leaders are conducting.
Backbench revolt
PM Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves tried everything to avoid this calamity. They have dressed up their Dickensian welfare cuts as necessary ‘reforms’ – a much abused euphemism – that will supposedly benefit the unfortunate and vulnerable.
Those on the receiving end of Starmer’s austerity attacks are told that they should be grateful!
But the Labour leaders face a problem. The disabled and sick do not see it like this. Their income was set to be slashed by thousands of pounds. Many would be pushed into grave difficulties – even destitution.
Constituents rightly revolted and protested; complained and shouted. All this served to exert pressure on their public representatives – namely Labour MPs, who were threatened with losing their jobs.
These ladies and gentlemen never entered politics to lose their seats…or their heads!
This was the real reason for the rebellion.
Too little, too late
In a last desperate attempt to turn back the tide, Starmer made a series of ‘concessions’. Labour’s chiefs caved in. But these U-turns were a case of too little, too late.
Starmer may have ‘won’ the eventual vote. But this is a Pyrrhic victory. His credibility – both with his MPs and with the capitalists – has crumbled and collapsed.
Furthermore, the proposals put forward simply serve to kick the can down the road. The ruling class is still demanding billions in cuts to social spending.
This means that more explosive parliamentary clashes are inevitable, as the pressure of the markets hits up against the pressure of an enraged working class.
Crisis of capitalism
Labour’s attempt to balance the books on the backs of the poor has fallen apart at the first real test. Reeves will now be forced to come back with further cuts in her Autumn Budget.
No doubt, there will be scapegoats. Even the likes of Morgan McSweeney – the snake in the grass, otherwise known as Starmer’s chief of staff and key political advisor – are not immune.
The spell has now been broken. This Labour government – a government of crisis – will enter a protracted death spiral. At some point, even Starmer himself could be replaced. But this will not save them.
The crisis of Starmerism is a political reflection of the crisis of capitalism.
Workers and youth must have no trust in Starmer’s Labour. Instead, we must organise and mobilise to overthrow this whole bankrupt system, fight for revolution against the billionaires, and end the austerity and misery of capitalism once and for all.
