They say that a week is a long time in politics. Roughly a week ago, chancellor Rachel Reeves confidently stated that Labour’s plans to ‘fix the economy’ would work out in the end, providing stability in an “uncertain world”. That came crashing down with the US’s sustained attack on Iran, however.
Even without reckoning the brutal human cost, this war will cause – and is already causing – almighty chaos across the world economy. A world slump, and a depression like that of the 1930s, cannot be ruled out. Britain, being particularly vulnerable to such shocks, will not escape the chaos.
Energy prices will shoot up, hammering households that are already stretched. There will also be more ‘Port Talbots’ to come, as what’s left of Britain’s anaemic industry crumbles under the pressure.
Powder keg
British workers are already angry as it is. Millions have been radicalised through years of austerity and social decay, to say nothing of western imperialism’s previous military adventures in Iraq.
That radicalisation has only been sharpened in recent years by Israel’s genocide in Palestine and by the Epstein scandal.
Many now see the ruling class for what they really are: a gang of disgusting parasites. They also see that the Labour Party is directly defending this system, and the scum that benefit from it.
The time has never been more ripe to explain the link between the fight against imperialist war abroad, and the fight against our perverted ruling elite and their parliamentary lackeys at home.
Many people are already drawing such conclusions. A clear lead could galvanise many more. Even a strong, sustained vocal opposition by a major party or trade union could be enough to give any potential mass movement the point of reference it needs to coalesce around.
A squeak
Search through the newsfeeds and social media pages of Britain’s trade unions, however, and you’ll struggle to see even a hint of this.
Unison – Britain’s largest trade union, organising over a million public sector workers – starts by pointing out the illegality of US-Israeli strikes, before later on stating that “the future of Iran should be decided by its people, with the support of the international community working through the United Nations” (our emphasis).
The Trades Union Congress – the leading body of the entire trade union movement (in theory) – pulls the same trick. It calls for “all states and international actors to assume their historic responsibilities to support de-escalation… under the United Nations Charter.”
As well as this, both statements – Unison’s in particular – bend over backwards to condemn Iran for its “illegal and indiscriminate attacks” in the region. You would think they were talking about a playground spat between two equal parties, not a blatant act of imperialist aggression!
These statements sow pacifist illusions in international law, backed up by mealy-mouthed equivocation designed to blunt any potential controversy.
The UN, as the genocide in Palestine has shown, is absolutely powerless to restrain the USA or its allies. The same goes for the so-called “international community”, which is dominated by the great imperialist powers, above all… the USA. If this isn’t appealing to the arsonist to help put out fires, then it’s hard to know what is.
Both these statements also beg Labour to keep the UK out of the war. But appealing to the British government to resist the pressure of the American imperialists is like appealing to Frankenstein’s snivelling servant to hold the mad doctor back from creating another monster.
Some unions, including Unite the Union, haven’t even bothered to put a statement on their websites at all. GMB’s statement – that of the third most significant union in the country – is exactly five lines long, including the byline introducing its general secretary!
On top of this, there’s the elephant in the room. None of these union leaders point out that Starmer himself, having buckled under the pressure of both the US imperialists and a section of his own generals, is now committing the UK to play an even bigger role in the war!
Good news that Unison, Unite and the CWU have backed this statement against the attack on Iran.
It means the vast majority of the trade union movement is now publicly opposed to the attack that Starmer effectively supports.
In particular good to see Sharon Graham
signing. pic.twitter.com/VLrzgyLgaN— Chris Nineham (@ChrisNineham) March 2, 2026
With leaders like these, it’s no wonder the British trade union movement is stagnant, despite the huge amount of class anger that exists everywhere. This flows directly from the blinkered, narrow, and national outlook typical of Britain’s reformist leaders.
Their conception of the world – of negotiations at the top with the occasional ‘pressure’ strike to help that along – is hopelessly out of date. It was formed by the previous period of gradual capitalist upswing and stability. But that period is dead and gone.
When it comes to big events like this war, which require precisely the kind of internationalist outlook and programme that these leaders lack, all they can manage is a squeak of opposition.
Which path forward?
What is needed is a sharp turn in strategy and tactics. For starters, a mass demonstration that is properly built for would serve as the firing shot for a new movement against this war, which could revive all the anger and determination that was on display during the massive Palestine solidarity movement and the earlier 2022 strike wave.
From this, mass meetings should be held in major workplaces and communities around the country. These should explain the real reasons for the war, linking the UK and US’ predatory imperialist ambitions to the austerity, price hikes, economic uncertainty, and militarism that will be forced upon workers at home.
Above all, they should show how this all links to the crisis of capitalism itself, which has done so much damage to our lives. This could then prepare the ground for targeted political strike action at key industries, in order to halt the war machine.
Blinkered reformism has held the labour movement back long enough. If the trade unions want to maintain any authority and relevancy in the coming struggles, they must rediscover the militant traditions that built them up in the first place, and fight the class war to a finish.
