THE civil war that has been simmering within the Labour Party erupted this weekend following the decision by Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) to bar Andy Burnham from standing for the seat in the upcoming by-election for the Gorton and Denton constituency.
Burnham, Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester, applied to the NEC for permission to stand in the by-election in what was seen by Labour prime minister Keir Starmer as a threat to his leadership.
In order to beat off the threat, Starmer used his band of hand-picked loyalists on the NEC to block Burnham’s attempt to become a Labour MP and so block any attempt to mount a challenge to him.
Immediately following this vote, it was reported that, while Burnham appeared to accept Sunday’s decision, rebel Labour MPs were busy gathering signatures for a letter demanding a full meeting of the NEC to ‘re-evaluate’ this decision.
This demand was dismissed out of hand, with one Starmer supporter telling the Daily Telegraph: ‘No. It’s done.’
Starmer may believe he has seen off the threat to his premiership, but Labour MP John McDonnell told him: ‘If you think it strengthens you, I tell you it will simply hasten your demise’ warning Starmer ‘do not underestimate the depth of anger people will feel about this disgusting decision.’
Criticism of the manoeuvre to deny Burnham the opportunity to return to Parliament as an MP, essential for any challenge to Starmer, was not confined to the ‘left’ wing of the party with one, unnamed, minister saying: ‘This is a bad call by the NEC. It makes the PM look weak and factional – and misses the chance for him to unify.’
It doesn’t just make Starmer look weak – it exposes the fact that he is weak, and clinging on to his job by the fingertips while the vultures circle him.
Burnham and the right-wing health secretary Wes Streeting have made no secret of their desire to claim Starmer’s job.
Last September, Burnham claimed that Labour MPs were queuing up urging him to stand against Starmer and call a halt to the disastrous plans by his government to ‘rescue’ British capitalism from bankruptcy by slashing benefits and the Welfare State.
It comes as no surprise that the Starmer government, torn apart by the demands of the capitalist class and the revolutionary upsurge of workers refusing to sacrifice their lives to keep British capitalism from crashing into bankruptcy, is collapsing and Labour MPs are desperately searching for another leader.
While Burnham, Streeting and others are squabbling amongst themselves for what amounts to the job of managing the capitalist crisis and carrying the can for the bosses and bankers to make the working class pay, the leaders of the trade unions remain spectators.
Andrea Egan, newly elected general secretary of the largest union Unison, warned Starmer not to block Burnham before Sunday’s vote.
Starmer ignored the warning from the union that is the main financial donor to the Labour Party, in his determination to hang on as prime minister.
Simple warnings are useless, and the time has come for the trade union movement to spell it out that the working class has had enough of Starmer and this Labour government, and must take action.
The immediate issue for the working class is to demand an immediate recall of the TUC to organise a general strike to dump Starmer and the Labour government into the bin and to bring in a workers’ government.
A workers government will nationalise the banks and major industries placing them under the management and ownership of the working class as part of a socialist planned economy.
The time has come to put an end to bankrupt capitalism with the victory of the British socialist revolution. This requires the building up of the WRP and Young Socialists to provide the leadership necessary for victory.
Force the TUC to call a general strike at once to start the British Socialist Revolution. This is the only way forward.
