CP of Britain: Starmer is the symptom, not the disease

On June 22, Keir Starmer resigned as British Prime Minister and leader of the Labour Party after accepting the lack of support for him to lead the country into the next general election. He had become prime minister on 5 July 2024 following Labour’s landslide general election victory, but recently suffered from disastrous results in local elections in early May this year.

The Communist Party of Britain sees Starmer as “a symptom of Britain’s political crisis, not its cause.” The party statement refers to how he undermined his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, cancelled Labour’s pledge of investment in new green technologies and appeased a far right US administration. 

Meanwhile, the Communist Party also warns against viewing Starmer in isolation from the crisis of the British political establishment. The statement reads: “Since the popular vote to leave the European Union exactly ten years ago, Britain’s ruling class has been paralysed and incapable of ruling in the old way. Starmer’s unpopularity is symbolic of the popular disdain for Britain’s ruling class and their efforts to serve the interests of the City of London financial sector and ensure US imperialist domination around the world.”

Considering the ousting of Starmer as “the opportunity to strike back and reverse the damage caused by 50 years of neoliberalism,” the Communist Party calls on the trade union movement, the left and campaigning, solidarity and community organisations across Britain to come together in a united front to fight for an end to austerity, privatisation and war and win real change for the working class in this country and internationally.