WORLD WORLDWIDE UK United Kingdom - (en) UK, ACG: Labour Government: Warmongers, Austerity Mongers (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

 Keir Starmer assured allies of Britain that it would be business as

usual as regards foreign policy. On July 9th-11th, at the NATO summit in
Washington, held to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the military
alliance,  he pledged £3billion a year towards military support for
Ukraine until 2030/31. This is a rise to 2.5% of GDP. ---- This will
follow a review of Britain's military capabilities later this year,
headed up by Lord George Robertson. This former secretary general of
NATO, has spelled out that the enemy is the quartet of Russia, China,
Iran, and North Korea. When holding office as NATO Secretary-General, he
supervised the disastrous invasion of Afghanistan, led by the USA, and
supported by its allies, including the UK. We have previously reported
on the increasing level of war fever and the urging of various generals,
retired or still in harness, for more military spending. Now Robertson
adds his voice to the clamour.

Starmer also gave a green light for the use of Storm Shadow missiles
supplied by Britain, to be fired into Russian territory by the Ukrainian
military.  These missiles have a range of 350 miles. Up to now, weapons
supplied to Ukraine have been used in a defensive capacity. This sabre
rattling was contradicted by the NATO policy of  supporting a Ukraine on
a strictly defensive basis, not because of high moral principles but
because they are concerned about escalation to a nuclear war. Shortly
after the speech The Ministry of Defence  made it clear that this was
not current policy to condone such strikes. Ever since the invasion of
Ukraine by Putin, British politicians, above all Boris Johnson,  have
lined up to adopt macho postures to show how tough they are on foreign
policy and defence. Starmer is the latest. Perhaps he should contemplate
the example of Tony Blair and Iraq. Ukraine could prove to be Starmer's
Iraq.

Money for Arms, None for Children

The Labour government is enthusiastically prepared to spend billions on
military spending. But it cannot fork out £2.5 billion to £3.5 billion
estimated by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves  that would lift
the child benefit cap. An ending of the cap would have a beneficial
effect on over a million children and their families. Seven Labour MPs
were suspended for voting against government policy on the child benefit
cap. Others, also opposed to the cap, like Diane Abbott and Kirsty
McNeill, a former director of Save the Children, were too worried about
their careers and either abstained or voted to keep the cap. Rushanara
Ali called on the Tory government back in 2019 to scrap the cap. This
time, she voted to keep it. Angela Rayner said in 2020 that "the obscene
and inhumane two child cap must go". This time, she voted to keep it.
Emily Thornberry, dropped from the cabinet by Starmer, came out with the
mealy mouthed: ""Nobody in the Labour Party likes the two-child benefit
cap...but we have just had a general election ... we have to show where
the money comes from".

Pay Claims Ahead

Rachel Reeves and the Starmer cabinet will be under pressure with
impending pay claims. The Labour government promised to sort out the
junior doctors' strikes over their pay claim. The British Medical
Association estimates that £1billion will be needed to settle the claim.

Reeves will also be challenged by the recommendations of pay review
bodies of 5.5 % pay rises for teachers and for NHS staff. These will
undoubtedly be followed by similar pay claims throughout the public
sector. Workers need to organise at grassroots levels to create
effective action to win their pay claims. They must not rely on their
union leaders, so quick to get into bed with the Labour government.
Sharon Graham, general secretary of the Unite union, has already stopped
the strike by 1,500 steel workers at Port Talbot to save jobs. It has
been revealed that the strike was called off due to the influence of
Jonathan Reynolds, now Secretary of State for Business and Trade.

Labour proclaims that  it is "the party of working people." Despite what
various Leninists, say it is not. It is a viciously anti-working class
party and we have had plenty of evidence of that in the last few weeks.

https://www.anarchistcommunism.org/2024/07/28/labour-government-warmongers-austerity-mongers/
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