What next for the left under Labour?

greennewdealdevon
Jul 11, 2024
10 min read

Updated: Jul 12, 2024

If you are visually impaired, or would rather listen than read, here is an audio recording of the blog.

After 14 years of fighting, it feels like such a relief to have a Labour government back in power. I know there are issues with the current Labour government and the platform they ran on (and I’ll address these below), but I was certainly celebrating their win and the downfall of the party that have led us down some very dark paths over the last decade and a half. Seeing the Rwanda plan scrapped on the first day of government and some excellent ministerial appointments like Angela Rayner and Ed Miliband has left me feeling much more jubilant and relieved than the election campaign had led me to believe.

Now is the time to be constructive. Yes, you could fit a cigarette paper between Labour and the Tories on many issues, but there are many excellent people in the party on both front and back benches who can move the Labour party in the direction we need. There are also four Green MPs and a large Lib Dem opposition who can provide strong pressure.

I am still deeply worried about the direction this government may take on certain issues. In the immediate term, I’m desperately concerned about human rights and lives being put at risk in the context of Gaza and trans rights. In the longer term, a lack of radical, bold change will simply perpetuate the current harms and inequality, carrying us down the same path at a slower rate. The link between centrist, austerity, neoliberal policies which improve the lives of so few, and the rise of the far right and populism is playing out across the world for us all to see. As I write this, the French are once again clawing themselves back out of the far right hole that centrist politics has dug them into.

People want change. They want to see their lives improve, and hope that the lives of their children will improve as well. Without that hope, we know that blame is pushed onto those with the least and far right reactionaries come to the fore. Alongside those wonderful four green MPs, we also have five Reform MPs who now have, for the first time, a strong base on which to make themselves a legitimate party with increasing support. This Labour government must counter that from the outset, by improving the lives of those who need it most, and by showing love and fairness – not by pandering to the language and approach of the far right.

Five years doesn’t seem like a long time – everyone who organises needs to focus their attention and help this Labour government to make the change we need. There are many areas that activists will be focussed on (NHS, housing, education), but here are five that I see as priority for Green New Deal activists, in no particular order:

Palestine

Climate

Economy

Trans rights

Immigration

You can also find a list of new and current MPs to watch, and all the local MPs now elected in Devon and Cornwall.

Palestine

The area that requires most urgency is to stop Israel killing Palestinians in Gaza. Both David Lammy and Keir Starmer have already called for an immediate ceasefire, which is positive. However, Labour’s form on this issue has been poor, taking several months to call for a ceasefire, Keir Starmer seemingly endorsing Israel’s right to commit war crimes, and a generally cautious approach which many see as playing politics rather than doing the morally right thing. Labour have faced intense pressure on the issue, with several resignations over the last six months, four independents taking Labour seats, and two very near-misses.

With a pro-Palestine protest already taking place a day after Labour’s victory, pressure will continue to mount on Starmer and Lammy. They must continue to be pushed to halt arms sales to Israel and to clarify their manifesto commitments on the recognition of the state of Palestine. Labour must show that they are bold in their foreign policy, and not simply pandering to or hiding behind US positions. Labour are terrified of being seen as antisemitic and Starmer has tried to distance himself as far as possible from the party’s previous stance on Israel/Palestine in order to avoid any accusations. However, Labour must not use any proclaimed “fight against antisemitism” as a cover for non-action on Gaza – the party can both ensure Palestinian lives are saved and statehood achieved, as well as ensuring the party is free of antisemitism. With seats now secured, and five independent pro-Palestine MPs, it will be interesting to see which Labour MPs – front and backbench – feel emboldened to take a principled stance on Palestine, and activists must support them all the way.

Climate

Labour’s proposed policies to address the climate crisis are certainly more progressive than the Conservatives’ under Sunak, but they are a world away from 2019 Labour commitments and from what’s needed. Labour have stepped back from the bold policies needed, and said little on climate over the election period. It’s possible that Labour may follow through on detailed policy changes, such as planning and energy sector reform, and achieve a measure of success, but their refusal to invest at the scale needed will significantly hamper any real efforts.

Labour need to listen carefully to what those in the climate sector are asking for – and those with the ear of Starmer, Reeves, Miliband and Reed need to be bold in what they ask for, not shy away from telling ministers the truth of what is needed. I have faith in Ed Miliband, who accelerated the UK’s action on climate change under the last Labour government. He may be curtailed by Starmer and Reeves (which I feel he has been over the last few years), but I think he will listen carefully and make the change needed. He has already put together an excellent department with appointments like Miatta Fahnbulleh and Chris Stark.

Labour really need to be taking bold action on food/agriculture and environment – areas which have been severely neglected until now from a climate perspective. Steve Reed needs to step up and work closely with Miliband, while forging relationships with the farming community to ensure a just transition which has farmers firmly on board. Climate change and environmental policy has become something of a culture war in the farming community, so this will be no easy task.

Labour also need to show greater respect and understanding for climate protestors who Starmer has consistently belittled and ridiculed over the last few years – putting him behind even some Conservative ministers who at least tried to understand where they were coming from. These protests will not stop, and ignoring the fear and desperation that leads activists to take such measures shows a complete lack of compassion, and does nothing to persuade them protest on such a scale is not necessary.

Economy

This is one of the areas I am most disappointed with Labour on, and they feel closer to Cameron/Osborne austerity economics. Not only will poor economic policies mean the UK can’t tackle the climate crisis, it will also perpetuate poor living standards and exacerbate inequality; factors which are pushing those at the sharp end to listen more openly to the populism of the far right.

Rachel Reeves has been shaped in the standard economic thinking with experience in finance and the Bank of England. Her first speech rightly spoke to the need for action and quick reform, but was heavily focussed on growth, as Labour have been throughout their campaign. Relying on poorly defined ‘growth’ and trickledown economics will do nothing to improve living standards, reduce inequality, and give people the public services they so desperately need.

Labour need to think beyond growth of GDP as a way of improving the economy and thereby living standards. I would like to see this government exploring ways of measuring and improving the economy beyond the reductive measure of GDP, exploring what ‘growth’ actually means to real people, not simply a basic mathematical calculation. I’d like to see Labour seriously looking at how the economy and environment sit in balance, linking the climate crisis and economics much more explicitly.

Reeves is strong on national investment, already having set up the National Wealth Fund, and of course GB Energy is a key plank of the Labour offer, but as detail comes out, it seems much more focussed on private sector investment, not government-led investment. Publicly-owned services and significant government investment in infrastructure needs to be a much more serious part of the new government and we need to make the case for this.

None of the above are quick reforms – I wouldn’t expect any new government to announce sweeping, radical economic reforms without a lot of research and consultation, but we need to push Labour to be bold enough to take on that research and look beyond the basic economic model that is simply not working for people or for climate.

Trans rights

The discourse around trans rights has been called a ‘culture war’, but the rights and lives of real people are at stake. Towards the end, the Conservatives fully leant into the appeasement of ‘gender critical’ activists and transphobes, making the Labour position look relatively reasonable in comparison. And while the Labour leadership have at times made positive statements about trans rights, they also seem eager to pander to the GC movement and its major figures. Several members of the new cabinet, including health secretary Wes Streeting and Starmer himself, have been drawn into reductive, offensive questioning about the genitalia of trans people. Rosie Duffield has seen no admonishment of her views and Starmer very recently stated that trans women should not be allowed in women’s spaces.

There is a real danger that Labour could be drawn towards some of the loudest (and most obnoxious) voices in this debate, in an effort to come across as the ‘sensible’ party. Some of the hopefuls for the Tory leadership have very disturbing positions on this subject and in opposition, could push Labour to be more extreme.

Labour need to listen to actual trans people, to young people who are going through this right now, and to medical experts who fully understand what is at stake. Instead of focussing on red herrings like women’s spaces and the genitalia of people they don’t know, the new government need to be improving mental and physical health provision for trans people (and reducing waiting lists), ensuring young people get access to the right sex education and support they need, banning conversion therapy and modernising the Gender Recognition Act. Most importantly, Labour need to play a leading role in dousing the flames of the dangerous rhetoric around trans people, who have been put in increasing danger in recent years. People have a right to change their gender be afforded the same rights and respect as anyone else in society.

Immigration

Reform won 14% of the vote share in the election and with both Conservatives and Reform running on anti-migrant platforms, that’s a large percentage of the country who appear to have sympathies with that view. Polling has public views on immigration as fairly balanced, but the rhetoric from right wing parties and the media would have you believe otherwise, and seek to spotlight and fuel a minority view.

Labour is unfortunately playing into this narrative, with a message focussed on reducing numbers, ‘sending people back’, and improving skill shortages. The new Home Secretary (and long-time shadow HS) Yvette Cooper has taken a hardline stance on immigration, criticising architect of the hostile environment, Theresa May, for not doing enough to reduce immigration numbers. Labour’s stance coming into office seems to somewhat kinder than the Tories, but not by a lot. Scrapping the Rwanda plan has been applauded, but it’s been said that’s mainly on economic, not moral grounds. Their other big policy has been to create a Border Security Command to target smuggling gangs. No mention of whether the Bibby Stockholm will go.

There is time, and I will wait with hope that Labour show the kindness that many assume they have where the Tories lacked. However, with Reform having 5 seats in parliament and 14% of the vote share, and immigration only likely to increase, Labour need to hurry to change perspectives on immigration over the next five years – not an easy task with the media stacked against them.

The heat needs to be taken out of the immigration debate – to dispel myths about how asylum seekers are treated (while doing everything possible to ensure the reality of their horrendous living conditions is quickly fixed), to show clearly that public services can improve, and their demise is not due to immigration. The worst possible approach would be to pander to the right’s position on immigration – no matter how loudly Labour shout about reducing immigration, it will never be enough for Reform and right wing voters.

Labour need to focus on improving safe and legal routes for entry, processing applications quickly, vastly improving the living standards for those who have arrived (however they arrived), and putting in serious effort to understanding why people are fleeing their home countries, and what role the UK has played/is playing in that.

I am seeing Labour talk about some of the above, so I think there is hope. The UK public are open to a positive narrative on immigration, so Labour needs to take the helm and steer them towards it.

Ones to watch – new and returning MPs to keep on the radar

Green MPs: Carla Denyer, Adrian Ramsay, Ellie Chowns and Sian Berry

Independent MPs: Ayoub Khan, Shockat Adam, Adnan Hussain, Iqbal Hussain Muhammed, Jeremy Corbyn

New Labour MPs to watch on climate: Miatta Fahnbulleh, Luke Murphy, Katie White, Melanie Onn, Polly Billington, Yuan Yang

Returning Labour MPs: Clive Lewis, Nadia Whittome, Olivia Blake, Zarah Sultana, John McDonnell, Diane Abbott, Ed Miliband

Here is a list of all the MPs in Devon and Cornwall – a huge shift from the true blue South West of the past decade+ and hopefully plenty of scope to work constructively.

Devon