Editorials from each issue of The Communist.
Since the May elections, Starmer has been a zombie prime minister: in office, but not in power; waiting for a challenger to send him to his grave. But neither Burnham – nor Polanski – will be a saviour for the left. Only revolutionary struggle offers a way out.
Nationalists. Populists. Insurgents. Independents. None of the above. These were the assorted winners of yesterday’s May elections. The losers? Labour, the Tories, and the two-party system. We are entering into a new era of heightened instability: economically, politically, and socially.
In these troubled times, spare a thought for poor old Keir Starmer. If the Mandelson affair doesn’t finish him off, the local elections might. But whoever sits in Number 10 – whether it be Burnham, Farage, or Polanski – will face the same pressures and problems.
Reason is becoming unreason, as the corridors of Number 10 look increasingly like the inside of an asylum. Keir Starmer finds himself in the straitjacket of capitalism – and this madness is preparing the way for social explosions and revolutionary upheavals.
On 28 March, a coalition of trade unions, campaign groups, and celebrities will rally against racism and the right. The politics of this demo are hollow, however. The RCP is mobilising with a clear message: to fight racism, we must fight capitalism.
The Green Party’s victory in the Gorton & Denton by-election is yet another seismic shift in the landscape of British politics, and a sign of the polarisation and instability to come. We welcome this humiliating blow for Starmer’s Labour – but the Greens’ reformism offers no way out of the crisis.
The Epstein scandal has set off a stack of dynamite at the heart of British politics, exposing the rot throughout the entire capitalist establishment. Workers and youth must mobilise to kick out Starmer and overthrow the decrepit system he represents.
Starmer’s future lies in the balance following sordid revelations about his Blairite ally, Peter Mandelson. The fallout from the Epstein scandal could drag down this crisis-ridden government, opening up a new chapter of instability in British politics.
Donald Trump’s desire to seize control of Greenland and its resources has brought US imperialism into conflict with Europe. This puts Starmer in a quandary, as he and the British establishment attempt a delicate, unsustainable balancing act.
Global turmoil. Economic weakness. A crumbling establishment. Widespread radicalisation. As 2026 gets underway, Britain is hurtling towards further decline and disarray. RCP general secretary Ben Gliniecki sets out the Marxist perspective for the coming year.
Yesterday’s Budget highlighted the precarious balancing act that Starmer’s government is having to attempt: trying to appease both the bond markets and voters. Ultimately, neither will be satisfied – and British capitalism will continue its decline.
Since the collapse of Corbynism round one, there has been a notable vacuum on the British left. Now, like London buses, two left-wing electoral alternatives have arrived at once. What attitude should revolutionaries have towards this new left revival?