Thursday, February 06, 2025

‘Trump’s set out a nightmare vision for Gaza – the UK must offer an alternative’

Israeli air strikes on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Photo: Shutterstock / Anas-Mohammed

I am not sure even the sharpest of political observers would have predicted Trump Mark II putting in a bid for Greenland, let alone declaring the US takeover of Gaza in his first few weeks back in the White House. If anyone wondered what the new and improved peace loving, war ending Trump might do in office, he’s now set out his stall to the World.

He laid out his illegal claims for Gaza starkly – a Mar-A-Lago in the Middle East as one Trump acolyte in Congress called for, with Gazans being forced out and moved elsewhere.

Trump said, “The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it too. We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out.”

Trump follows through on his threats

Today, we witnessed the leader of the most powerful state in the world declare its intentions to seize another land. A land which people are just returning to – as is their right – after enduring one of the most violent, deadly and destructive periods of history for Palestinians and the Middle East.

Some may dismiss Trump’s threats as wild and unpredictable, but one thing we do know about him is that he follows through on his threats like a cornered racoon, unable to stop when disaster is about to hit.

I am relieved that the UK Government has made clear the Gazan’s right to sovereignty, with both a two-state solution and the right to return to what is left of their homes.

But how does the world deal with an emboldened Trump, backed by the richest men in the world with unaccountable powers?

Shrinking away is not the answer. Powerful men with fragile egos often prey on weakness when they see it and exploit it.

I hope the government backs its words with actions

I hope that the Government backs its words with actions and lays alternatives to the US approach, setting out a clear path to humanitarian support, the rebuilding of homes, infrastructure and statehood for Palestinians – with the aim of peace throughout the Middle East.

Trump’s nightmarish vision for Gaza cannot be left unchallenged and unmatched. There needs to be a realistic vision, a plan for peace and justice with civilians at its heart. There has been too much heartache and bloodshed in Palestine and Israel to allow things to fall into the hands of a man whose first priority was to rename the Gulf of Mexico. There are peacemakers out there. There are voices of reason. These voices must not be drowned out by Trump’s bluster, money and power.

The apparent backing by the US president for the ethnic cleansing of Gazans should send a shiver down everybody’s spine: “Instead, we should go to other countries of interest with humanitarian hearts, and there are many of them that want to do this and build various domains that will ultimately be occupied by the 1.8 million Palestinians living in Gaza, ending the death and destruction and frankly bad luck.

“This can be paid for by neighbouring countries of great wealth. It could be one, two, three, four, five, seven, eight, 12. It could be numerous sites, or it could be one large site.”

If this isn’t a description of ethnic cleansing, I don’t know what is

If this isn’t a description of ethnic cleansing, I don’t know what is. What the US President so casually reeled off was the organised removal from an area of all members of a defined group of people, to another. Trump’s ideas fly in the face of international law, and give the green light for further atrocities to occur.

I welcome the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary’s immediate, unequivocal rejection of Trump’s approach. The Government must continue to use every tool in its diplomatic operation to make our alternative case: for Gazans to return home to their land, and have a voice in their future. This must lead to both a two-state solution and recognition of the State of Palestine.

Only by making this case powerfully and standing up for our party’s values can we hope to counter Trump’s abhorrent plans.



UK cannot be silent over Trump’s ‘dangerous’ Gaza plan, Lib Dems warn

5th February, 2025
Left Foot Forward

MPs are calling on the government to recognise the state of Palestine immediately



The Lib Dems have warned that the UK cannot be silent over Donald Trump’s ‘dangerous’ and ‘bizarre’ suggestion to ‘take over’ the Gaza strip and rebuild it, making it into the ‘Riviera’ of the Middle East.

Rather than returning to Gaza, Trump suggested that Palestinians should be “resettled” in Egypt, Jordan, and other neighbouring countries.

Forcing populations to relocate violates international humanitarian law and can be defined as ethnic cleansing based on the United Nations’ definition: “rendering an area ethnically homogeneous by using force or intimidation to remove persons of given groups from the area”.

Speaking at a press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who sat smiling, Trump said: “Why would they [Palestinians] want to return? That place has been hell. One of the meanest toughest places on earth”.

Responding to the US President’s remarks Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, Calum Miller MP, said: “Donald Trump’s proposal for Gaza is bizarre but also dangerous. It shows casual disregard for the rights and aspirations of Palestinians and threatens the basis for peace at this fragile moment.

“The UK cannot be silent – we must make clear that this proposal is damaging, wrong and would amount to a severe breach of international law.

“Now is the moment for the UK to immediately recognise Palestine as a state, to make clear our commitment to a two-state solution based on 1967 borders.”

Posting on X, Lib Dem MP Layla Moran, who is of Palestinian descent, said: “Trump has clearly not spoken to a single Palestinian about this plan. Gaza is our land. Palestine is our home. Peace cannot come at the cost of our country.”

Moran, along with Green MP Ellie Chowns, called on the government to recognise the state of Palestine immediately.

Jeremy Corbyn posted on X: “The President of the United States welcomed a leader wanted by the ICC and officially endorsed ethnic cleansing.

“Now would be a good time for our government to defend international law. If they won’t say it, we will: Palestinians aren’t going anywhere.”

Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward

68 MPs and peers urge Lammy to slam Trump’s Gaza ‘ethnic cleansing’ plan

5th February, 2025
Gaza ceasefire protest at Scottish Labour conference. Photo: Tom Belger

Some 38 Labour MPs and four Labour peers have written to David Lammy, slamming President Donald Trump’s proposal that the US take over Gaza as “ethnic cleansing” and urging the Foreign Secretary to make the government’s opposition clear.

LabourList has learned 68 parliamentarians in total have signed the letter, which calls on Lammy to recognise an independent Palestine and voice the government’s disapproval “in no uncertain terms”.

It means almost one in 10 Labour MPs has signed the letter, threatening to reopen recent difficult party tensions over Israel-Palestine.

Trump said the US could take over and rebuild the Gaza Strip, with its Palestinian population resettled elsewhere to live in “peace and harmony”.

He said the US could turn the territory into “the Riviera of the Middle East”, adding: “This could be so magnificent.”

Downing Street declines to condemn Trump

Lammy said on Wednesday that “we must see Palestinians able to live and prosper in their homelands, in Gaza, in the West Bank, that is what we want to get to”.

But it comes after a Downing Street spokesperson echoed ministers earlier in the day in highlighting the UK government’s different stance, but declining to explicitly condemn Donald Trump.

Westminster journalists pressed the spokesperson at a lobby briefing on whether Trump’s proposals were good or bad, amounted to “ethnic cleansing”, were compatible with a two-state solution, or would be raised by the PM with Trump in future discussions.

READ MORE: Sarah Owen: ‘Trump’s set out a nightmare vision for Gaza – the UK must offer an alternative’

The spokesperson said that the UK position was support for a two-state solution, that Palestinians must be able to return, and that the UK would work with the US and other allies.

Other opposition parties have been more openly critical of the US President.

The latest letter was signed by 38 Labour MPs as of early evening on Wednesday: eight independents, four Plaid Cymru, two SNP, two SDLP and one Alliance MP.

It was also signed by four Labour peers, four crossbench andnon-affiliated peers, four Lib Dem peers and one from Plaid Cymru, according to co-ordinators’ analysis.

Trump comments are ‘abominable’

Starmer said in the Commons on Wednesday: “The most important issue on the ceasefire is obviously that it is sustained and that we see it through the phases, and that means that the remaining hostages come out and the aid that is desperately needed gets into Gaza at speed and at the volumes that are needed

“They must be allowed home. They must be allowed to rebuild, and we should be with them in that rebuild on the way to a two-state solution.”

Labour MP for Tooting, Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, who co-ordinated the letter, said President Trump’s plans amounted to the “forcible removal and dispossession of an entire population”.

“The comments made by President Trump last night are abominable. Let us be clear that this would not be a gesture of humanitarianism or compassion. On the contrary, it would amount to forcible removal and dispossession of an entire population. It would be ethnic cleansing.”

She said now was the time to recognise an independent Palestinian state and to bring “sustainable peace” for Israelis and Palestinians alike.

The government was approached for comment.

Full text of the letter and signatories

Dear Foreign Secretary,

Condemning President Trump’s plan for Gaza

Last night, President Donald Trump announced plans to take over Gaza and forcibly resettle the Gazan population into a different area. We would like to express our outrage and ask that you take urgent steps to prevent this, including voicing the Government’s disapproval in no uncertain terms.

This is not a humanitarian gesture of compassion – it is the forced removal of a population and a plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza. The United Nations and the European Union have both described ethnic cleansing in the following terms:

“… using force or intimidation to remove from a given area, persons of another ethnic or religious group.”

The world intervened in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s and roundly condemned ethnic cleansing in Rwanda. We must meet these plans to remove millions of Palestinians from their homes, naked as they are, with the same robust response.

Given the horrors which we have seen take place across Gaza in recent months, the international community should be focusing on ensuring Phase 2 of the ceasefire agreement materialises. These barbaric proposals by President Trump seriously risk destabilising the region and wrecking the ceasefire agreement. The result of this will be a return to war, more death and destruction in Gaza, and failure to secure the safe release of all hostages.

The war in Gaza has already severely hampered the vision of a two-state solution. The UK and the wider international community has long lauded a two-state solution as the only means for sustainable peace in the region, but, if carried out, this plan from President Trump would be its final death knell. Now is the time to finally take action, put a two-state solution back on track, and immediately recognise an independent Palestinian state in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.

President Trump’s plan is an affront to the values that we hold dear. Will the Government stand firm and condemn President Trump’s stated aim to take over and forcibly remove the Palestinian population of Gaza? Further to this, can you confirm that there will be no UK support or involvement in this disgraceful plan? Finally, will you work with the international community to support UN resolutions opposing any proposed ethnic cleansing of Gaza?

Alongside this, the Government must commit to honouring its commitments under international law to prevent war crimes, such as ethnic cleansing. President Trump has taken a sledgehammer to the international order and the peace process in the Middle East can only succeed with the full support of the international community, including the United States.

Best wishes,

Diane Abbott MP
Shockat Adam MP
Tahir Ali MP
Rosena Allin-Khan MP
Mike Amesbury MP
Paula Barker MP
Lorraine Beavers MP
Apsana Begum MP
Richard Burgon MP
Baroness Burt of Solihull
Dawn Butler MP
Ian Byrne MP
Irene Campbell MP
Lord Cashman
Jeremy Corbyn MP
Stella Creasy MP
Ann Davies MP
Lord Davies of Brixton
Marsha de Cordova MP
Rosie Duffield MP
Neil Duncan-Jordan MP
Colum Eastwood MP
Sorcha Eastwood MP
Cat Eccles MP
Mary Kelly Foy MP
Lord Freyberg
Claire Hanna MP
Imran Hussain MP
Kim Johnson MP
Afzal Khan MP
Ayoub Khan MP
Ben Lake MP
Peter Lamb
Ian Lavery MP
Chris Law MP
Graham Leadbitter MP
Clive Lewis MP
Baroness Lister of Burtersett
Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate
Rachael Maskell MP
Andy McDonald MP
John McDonnell MP
Frank McNally MP
Llinos Medi MP
Abtisam Mohamed MP
Grahame Morris MP
Simon Opher MP
Kate Osamor MP
Peter Prinsley MP
Yasmin Qureshi MP
Lord Rennard
Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP
Liz Saville-Roberts MP
Lord Singh of Wimbledon
Andrew Slaughter MP
Cat Smith MP
Euan Stainbank MP
Zarah Sultana MP
Baroness Thornhill
Baroness Uddin
Valerie Vaz MP
Lord Wallace of Saltaire
Matt Western MP
Nadia Whittome MP
Lord Wigley
Sean Woodcock MP
Mohammad Yasin MP
Lord Young of Norwood Green

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Israel has made a rod for its own back


HubMP2012

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

Linda Whittern reports on the work of the Hind Rajab Foundation.

During the first nine months or so of Israel’s destruction of Gaza, Israel’s government and people seemed convinced they couldn’t be prosecuted for carrying out war crimes and crimes against humanity. The blanket support given to Israel by super-power America and its UK and other allies appears central to their sense of impunity. While Israel’s government seethed over the International Court of Justice’s ruling of a plausible case of genocide against Israel and the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants for the Israeli Prime Minister and the then Defence Minister, it didn’t change course. 

Israel’s belief in its impunity from prosecution for war crimes is now shattered. That’s largely due to the work of the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF).  Have you seen anything about HRF in the UK media? I haven’t – and I’m a news junkie.    

HRF’s impact

HRF came into being in September 2024. In a few short months, HRF has earned an international public profile that matches and might exceed that of the ICC.  It’s successfully filed more than 1,000 cases for consideration by the ICC.  It’s sought arrest warrants and prosecutions of more than 50 IDF soldiers in law courts around the world – France, Sweden, Cyprus, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Ecuador, the United Arab Emirates… HRF also pursues alleged offenders when they abscond from one legal jurisdiction (for  example, Brazil), to another (for example, Argentina).  

HRF recently won an internationally important legal precedent by convincing a Brazilian court to issue an arrest warrant for an IDF soldier. He fled before the warrant could be served – escaping thanks to police delays and the aid given by Israeli embassy officials.

Because the HRF works internationally but within national court jurisdictions it has a better chance to block attempts by Israel, the USA or its allies to stop individual cases. The Western world’s relationships with countries in the Global South, Middle East and Asia are often weaker and less comfortable than those it has with longstanding allies. 

HRF uses lawyers and activists from around the world to prepare these prosecutions and relies heavily on “open source” material, such as Israeli soldiers’ videos and messages about their alleged war crimes.  This is information the IDF can’t manipulate or delete.  Israel and the IDF are doing as much as they can to stop soldiers generating new material.  They’ll fail – such attempts usually do.   

Millions of images, videos and messages are already available on which good legal cases can be built.  These forms of evidence are verified, geo-located, metadata-checked and chain of custody-checked from the soldier generating them through to the courtroom trying him or her.

HRF intends prosecuting soldiers of whatever rank against whom there is strong evidence.  Hundreds of IDF soldiers could well feel they’re at risk of prosecution. Israeli “rules of engagement” issued by their officers and government are notably lax (or else ignored).  

There are no legal limits on the timeframe for prosecuting war crimes and crimes against humanity. The 99-year old secretary at a World War Two concentration camp was found guilty last August of being an accessory to mass murder. Another concentration camp employee of similar age is waiting for the court to decide his mental competence to stand trial. 

Some IDF soldiers who are now in their twenties could spend the rest of their lives too afraid of prosecution to go outside Israel for work trips, family reunions and holidays.  

These soldiers’ long-term career prospects may also suffer. Israeli companies trading with international customers and suppliers worry about the ‘reputational’ consequences of Israel’s actions in Gaza. One of the easiest ways to protect their own commercial interests is to not hire job applicants and contractors who fail a full check on their social media posts or against whom legal action is pending.  

Israel’s response to HRF pressure: anger, confusion, concealment and snail’s pace investigations into alleged IDF crimes

Israel has only just woken up to the prosecution risks faced by their armed forces, government and state.  

HRF’s activities and progress are now widely reported in the Israeli media. The Brazilian case riled opposition party leader Yair Lapid into saying: “The fact that an Israeli reserve soldier had to flee Brazil in the middle of the night to avoid being arrested for fighting in Gaza is a monumental political failure of a government that is simply incapable of functioning.”  Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli was stung into allegedly threatening HRF’s Chairman.  Chikli’s words “Watch your pager” seemingly referenced Israel’s pager attacks that last September killed at least twelve Lebanese civilians and injured thousands more.

“Moms Up,” a group of Israeli soldiers’ mothers, has written to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the IDF Chief of Staff saying: “We see you as the sole responsible party for removing the legal risk facing our children.” The mothers’ group sounds angry but unsure about what they want or how to get it. They complain the IDF is “forced to operate within a political vacuum and under pressure from extremist groups, without the vital legal protection that would safeguard its soldiers from malicious actors worldwide.” 

The IDF has set new media coverage rules to reduce soldiers’ potential risks of being arrested should they travel outside Israel. Now soldiers below the rank of colonel must not have their faces filmed, give their names or say where they are deployed. Such a scheme only works ifthe soldiers always remember IDF rules when they talk to the media and if journalists always identify themselves as such when they talk to soldiers.  How likely is that? 

Israel ignores the biggest problem of all. Young soldiers and ex-soldiers chatting with friends and loved ones on social media will continue to give HRF – and similar organisations – all the leads they need for prosecuting war crimes.

The obvious steps Israel should take to remove the threat of HRF prosecutions are to ensure its armed forces understand and carry out their obligations under international law. All properly run armies should do just that. If Israel’s army followed their examples then HRF would shut up shop for lack of cases. IDF soldiers on holiday wouldn’t have to skip over the nearest border at dead of night fearing arrest.

Instead, Israel’s dragging its feet. 

Ukraine investigated the thoughtless gunning down of a 62-year old civilian by a Russian tank commander and put him on trial within three months of the murder. That soldier got 12 years jail. By contrast, Israel has had up to five times as long to investigate the alleged war crimes of easily recognisable, easily identifiable IDF soldiers deployed in locations known to the army.   

Given the strength of the pre-trial evidence against them and the simple nature of the ghastly misdeeds, why hasn’t Israel already tried, convicted and imprisoned at least some of the alleged offenders? 

Why are there still 85 criminal and 220 disciplinary cases awaiting IDF decision-making, as theJerusalem Post recently reported? 

Why is it taking until July 2025, up to 20 months after the IDF’s attacks on two Gazan bakeries, for Israel to decide whether to prosecute the soldiers responsible?

Israel’s failure to thoroughly, fairly and promptly investigate and punish whatever war crimes its armed forces and government commit lays the groundwork for the continuing growth and successes of the Hind Rajab Foundation.  It’s key to HRF’s global support from lawyers, human rights workers and small donors.  It’s the brutality of Israel’s attacks on the Palestinians and Lebanese that called HRF into existence and made the rod for Israel’s own back.

Now retired, Linda Whittern spent most of her working life as the Director of a small careers counselling consultancy. She is also a Quaker. Labour Hub welcomes articles covering international solidarity initiatives, the publication of which does not imply political support for any particular organisation.

Image: Palestinians inspect the damage following an Israeli airstrike on the El-Remal aera in Gaza City on October 9, 2023. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Damage_in_Gaza_Strip_during_the_October_2023_-_26.jpg Source: Correspondence with Wiki Palestine (Q117834684) Author: WAFA (Q2915969) in contract with a local company (APAimages), licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Attribution: Palestinian News & Information Agency (Wafa) in contract with APAimages

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UK Fire Brigades Union

Interview: New FBU general secretary on the danger of austerity, fighting Reform at work and socialism starting at home


New general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union Steve Wright has warned the government against “any return to any form of austerity”, warning it would endanger the safety of firefighters and the public.

In an exclusive interview with LabourList shortly after his recent election, Wright spoke about  the union’s politics and holding Labour’s “feet to the fire” under his leadership, how to combat the threat of Reform UK, and how his father’s death contributed to his ambition to  improve welfare standards for fire crews.

‘We are on our bare bones at the moment’

For Wright, two issues – pay and conditions, and greater investment in the fire service – are front and centre of his priorities in his new role.

“I think the safety of the public has been jeopardised by 14 years of Tory rule. I have seen it first-hand – the impact it has had on our communities, our public services, and on the public sector.

“We’ve got 12,000 fewer firefighters. If you just look at the response times and attendance times, how long it takes firefighters to get to these incidents, it is three and a half minutes longer than it was in the 1990s.”

He expressed concern at Darren Jones’ recent comments that government departments will be mandated to make savings of five per cent for the upcoming Spending Review.

READ MORE: ‘Labour must deliver change voters can feel’: Fabian Society’s Joe Dromey

“We are on our bare bones at the moment and we’re taking longer to get to those incidents. That is putting not just firefighters’ safety at risk; it is putting the public at risk.

“If we’re taking longer to get to incidents, that means people involved in house fires, road traffic collisions, all these types of incidents that we attend, their chance of becoming further injured or harmed increases.

“Any return to any form of austerity is particularly dangerous for firefighters and the public.”

All options on the table for boosting pay

Pay was a major issue during the election, with calls for a greater settlement with the government to make up for years of higher inflation and wage stagnation.

Wright vowed to work to secure a better deal for firefighters – and left all options on the table to do so.

“I’ve been across fire stations in recent months and had the privilege of talking to firefighters on stations and in our control rooms – and the cost of living is still hitting them.

READ MORE: Runcorn special report: could anger at MP and Labour risk by-election loss?

“The role of a firefighter, what we do and the skills we have I don’t think is reflected in what we’re paid. We’ve seen better pay increases than we did in the years our pay was capped, but it’s still not moving in the right direction quickly enough. I am keen to progress that. 

“I’ll do that in any way necessary, and that will be industrial if we need to, it will be politically and any legal routes. We’ve got a number of avenues we can take to try and get what we want from our members.”

‘I’ve spent almost all my life living in the shadow of a fire station drill tower’

Wright has been a firefighter since the age of 18, following in his father’s footsteps by joining the service shortly after he turned 18.

“I’m 42 and for all of that bar four or five years of my life I’ve lived in the shadow of a fire station drill tower. My dad Nick, when I was born in 1983, worked at a fire brigade house; a council house if you like that you lived in and you responded to the fire station across the road.

“The first station I joined was the same sort of setup, living just across the road from a fire station.”

His dad also served in the FBU as a rep, being heavily involved in health and safety during his career.

“My brother and sister are a bit older than me and went through the strike. When my dad was on strike for nine and a half weeks as a firefighter, there’s pictures somewhere with my mum and him walking with a double buggy on some of the marches.”

Steve Wright during the FBU’s 2002 pay dispute

Wright got involved in the union himself at age 19, taking on a role as a branch rep in Gerrards Cross in Buckinghamshire a week before the 2002 pay campaign strike.

“I think they wanted someone younger chopping the wood and setting the brazier up.”

Since then, he has served in a variety of different roles within the union, including health and safety rep, membership secretary, organiser and regional chair of the South East region, before being elected onto the FBU’s executive council in 2021.

With his 20-year-old son Ben now in the fire service too, Wright said he is carrying on his father’s legacy of protecting the welfare of firefighters.

“My dad died of cancer early into his retirement early into his 60s, and firefighters are more likely to die of cancer.

“This is what drives me on with my passion about the health and safety and welfare of firefighters, and drives me daily, with my son in the job, around preparing the fire and rescue service and taking the right measures.”

Wright said that his son will be one of those holding him to account in his new job.

“He still lives at home so he’ll be holding me to account on everything, I’m sure.”

Steve Wright with his son Ben

‘We’re here to be critical friends of the Labour Party’

Despite the change in leadership at the top of the union, Wright does not see the FBU shifting away from its more left-wing stance.

“I think we are a left trade union and I do not see that changing – and anyone that knows me knows my politics.

“I’m a trade unionist – I have been my whole life. I suppose I’m a socialist – I want to see better funding in public services, I want to see better pay for workers, I think there is too much wealth at the top of our society. I stand against injustice.”

Wright, a member of the Labour Party, said he had been “very keen” to see the back of the Conservative government, and praised the trade union movement for their headway on anti-strike laws and workers’ rights.

“I want to work constructively with the Labour Party on things like national standards, response and attendance times. We need a statutory body within the fire and rescue service so we can start holding fire and rescue services to account.

“Ultimately it all comes back to investment – if we don’t get any more, we don’t get the money to make any of this happen.”

Wright said the Labour government and his appointment as the FBU’s new general secretary offers “real opportunities to progress what the fire and rescue service looks like for future generations”.

“We’re here to be critical friends of the Labour Party. We will hold their feet to the fire – and I see it as an opportunity at the moment to try and get things moving.”

‘Labour needs to be delivering for working people’

A big concern of many within the Labour Party and the wider labour movement is the threat of Nigel Farage and Reform UK. 

Wright expressed concern at the new Trump presidency in the United States and how his administration may shape discussions on our side of the Atlantic.

“I think the Labour government needs to be delivering for working people and I think their messaging needs to become clearer around doing that and let actions speak louder than words.

“I hope, with the Workers’ Rights Bill and the work of the TULO group, I can contribute to that and make sure that we’re positive.

“I think the trade unions can play a big part in this. We represent working people across the UK and there needs to be that messaging, because we know that if any void is left, people like Nigel Farage will try and grasp any element they can get.”

Wright also said that the union has a role to play in workplaces and have conversations to combat the threat of the hard right and far-right.

“I’m not sure that’s been done enough, and that’s where I talk about this empty void that is created. I think trade unions and trade unionists, and our union and all others need to play a part in that.”

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UK YouGov poll: Reform and Tories both outpolling Labour among working-class voters


4th February, 2025
Photo: Martin Suker/Shutterstock

Reform and the Tories are both polling better among working-class voters than Labour is, a survey by YouGov has found.

The latest poll found that Reform has 30% of the vote share among C2DE voters,  a widely used category based on occupations and often seen as a shorthand for working-class voters.

Labour only has the support of 20% of C2DE voters, with the Tories actually coming in second place at 22%.

The group includes  skilled, semi-skilled, and unskilled manual labourers, as well as the unemployed – groups seen historically as more sympathetic to the labour movement than the right.

Labour is more popular with the professional classes and administrative workers

Conversely Labour lead with voters in the ABC1 bracket, on 27%.

These are the professional classes – like doctors, bankers, and managers – as well as administrative and clerical workers.

Reform has the second highest vote share of these voters, at 22%, and the Conservatives are third at 21%.

The worrying trend for Labour isn’t anything new, but is likely to give senior party strategists food for thought.

READ MORE: Labour’s most marginal seats against Reform UK

It comes as The New Statesman’s Ben Walker found that Labour’s vote share was also low among voters living in council housing at the 2024 general election.

Just 43% of them voted Labour – compared to 64% in 1997. Reform were in second place at 20%, and the Tories got another 12%, giving the two right wing parties 32% of the vote.

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‘Labour would implode if Rosebank is approved’


Photo: Marcin Kadziolka/Shutterstock

Rishi Sunak’s reckless decision to approve Rosebank, the UK’s largest undeveloped oil field, has just been declared unlawful. If Rosebank’s developers wish to proceed with drilling the fields reserves then they must now seek a fresh development consent that takes into account the project’s full emissions potential. Should Keir Starmer receive such a proposal then he must swiftly reject it – otherwise he risks imploding the party. 

A split in Labour could emerge over whether to reject or allow oil and gas extraction at Rosebank. Whilst a clear divide in climate ambition between members of Cabinet was unveiled over airport expansion, the government sailed through the week with little headache. But approving Rosebank would trigger loud anger across the Labour movement, with The Guardian reporting MPs and even Cabinet members could oppose such a move.

‘Rosebank is a bad deal for Britain’

If Labour’s goal is to ensure people experience the benefits of growth and pay less for energy then Rosebank is not the answer. Rosebank’s oil, as confirmed by its developers, will predominantly be sold abroad on the open market. Households across the country will not see a reduction in their energy bill payments because of drilling at Rosebank. However, taxpayers will pay for a large chunk of the field’s development cost in tax breaks for the profiteering companies behind Rosebank.

This project is a bad deal for Britain. Rosebank’s profits will mainly land in the pockets of its developer Equinor, a Norwegian state owned energy company. Meanwhile, in the words of trade union leaders “Rosebank is betraying Scottish workers” by shipping contracts overseas to the Middle East. Not to mention that the oil field’s construction would include a gas pipeline through a Marine Protected Area threatening precious ocean life.

READ MORE: ‘A third runway would shred Britain’s green credibility’

‘Rosebank would undermine Labour’s progress’

Since entering Downing Street the Prime Minister has taken bold steps to deliver his mission of making Britain a clean energy superpower. In the first six months of Starmer’s government Britain has experienced an increase in solar, attracted billions of pounds worth of inward investment for the green transition creating jobs and won respect from governments around the world.

With its Nationally Determined Contribution committing to 81% of emissions reductions by 2035 Labour is setting the pace for international climate action. In particular, the government’s commitment to become the first G7 producing nation to end licenses for new oil and gas, a position backed by a majority of British business leaders, makes it well placed to work with like minded partners such as Denmark, through the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance, to help facilitate a fair and orderly global transition away from fossil fuels.

However, if Rosebank were to ever go ahead then Starmer’s hard graft would be undermined. Green investors would likely be swayed away from Britain. And because burning Rosebank’s oil and gas reserves would create more than 200 million tonnes of CO2 (more than three times the emissions saved by Labour’s Clean Power Plan), Labour’s diplomatic gains on climate would be instantly eliminated.

READ MORE: Heathrow – Labour’s environment group speaks out

‘Avoid red on red’

Reform and the Conservatives want Labour to combust over Rosebank. They will push myths that Starmer is responsible for job losses. They will pit Labour as green extremists. But it is their ill understanding of the North Sea’s geology, which shows depleting oil and gas reserves, and desire to remain locked into volatile fossil fuel markets which is leaving communities behind. 

Labour inherited an oil and gas industry in terminal decline. Analysis by Uplift shows jobs under the last government more than halved despite hundreds of new licences being issued. In fact voters punished the Conservatives for their misguided promise to ‘max out’ the North Sea’s fossil reserves. Labour must be more confident in communicating this. 

Should Starmer need it then political support across the Labour movement for stopping Rosebank will not be hard to find. Multiple Cabinet members and several government ministers as well as senior backbenchers have all stated their past opposition to the project. Beyond Westminster the Welsh Labour government and Scottish Labour MSPs have too. Labour Metro Mayors across England have argued against new oil and gas licenses as the route to fixing Britain’s broken energy system.  

By saying no to Rosebank Keir Starmer can avoid senseless red-on-red, show voters that he is a Prime Minister who stands up for their interests and that his government is committed to real change. 

Rosebank oilfield ruled unlawful



FEBRUARY 1, 2025

“The decision to greenlight a giant new oilfield off Shetland has been ruled unlawful by the courts in a major win for environmental campaigners,” reports the Guardian.

“The proposed Rosebank development – the UK’s biggest untapped oilfield – had been given the go-ahead in 2023 under the previous government.”

The ruling

The court ruling, from the court of session in Edinburgh, was in response to cases brought by two environmental groups, Uplift and Greenpeace, who argued the UK government had acted unlawfully when granting consent for the field.

In a 57-page judgement, Lord Ericht said a more detailed assessment of the fields’ environmental impact was required, taking into account the effect on the climate of burning any fossil fuels extracted. He said work on both fields could continue while the new information was gathered but no oil and gas could be extracted unless fresh approval was granted.

Importantly, the ruling stated: “The public interest in authorities acting lawfully and the private interest of members of the public in climate change outweigh the private interest of the developers.”

The go-ahead for the oilfield was originally given by the previous Conservative government. But last June, in a dispute about oil wells near London’s Gatwick Airport, the UK Supreme Court ruled that environmental impact assessments had to also include downstream emissions as well. Today’s judgment is in line with that ruling.

An important victory

Campaigners hailed today’s ruling as an important victory. “Burning Rosebank’s oil and gas would produce more CO2 than the 28 poorest countries do in a year,” declared Stop Rosebank. “Claims that Rosebank is compatible with a safe climate don’t add up – and we proved it in court.”

Lauren MacDonald, from the Stop Rosebank campaign, said the oil and gas companies did not have Scotland’s interests at heart. “Almost all of Rosebank’s oil would be sold overseas, doing nothing to lower our bills or make us more secure, with most of the profits going straight to the state-backed Norwegian firm, Equinor,” she said. “It’s not fair that people here are now suffering the impacts of climate change, which is driven by fossil fuels and which will get worse as long as companies are allowed to open huge new drilling sites.”

Despite not benefiting from future oil exports, the UK public would nonetheless effectively carry almost all the costs of developing Rosebank, with the field’s owners receiving billions of pounds in tax breaks. Nor would the development protect UK jobs for oil and gas workers. In fact, its drilling ship is currently being built in Dubai.

Tessa Khan, executive director of Uplift said: “This is a significant win which means that Rosebank cannot go ahead without accounting for its enormous climate harm.”

She added: “Rosebank is not the answer to energy security, lower bills or jobs. It would simply make obscenely rich oil companies even richer, while increasing the dangers for the rest of us.”

Warm This Winter spokesperson Caroline Simpson agreed: “We need to stop drilling to bring down bills for good so we are obviously pleased by today’s verdict. The UK has 6.5 million people in fuel poverty and one of the main causes is the fact energy prices are based on expensive gas and oil.

“For far too long the public have been held hostage by profiteering oil companies making billions, not just at the expense of the planet but  at the expense of ordinary people who are paying £700 more than they did three years ago on energy with too many having to choose between eating and heating.

“That’s why we need to ramp up renewables, insulate our homes and end our reliance on fossil fuels once and for all. Today is a good day as Rosebank’s oil would do nothing for UK bill payers.”

Shell’s profits dip

Putting a brave face on today’s ruling, a spokesperson for Shell, the company behind the Jackdaw field, welcomed the court decision, saying it allowed its preparatory work to continue while new consents are sought.

Shell’s profits dipped to a mere £19bn for last year amid falling global oil and gas prices,  but its investors are still in line for a multibillion-dollar dividend windfall.

Warm This Winter spokesperson Caroline Simpson commented on this too: “Shell’s obscene profits may have dipped a bit this quarter but this one oil giant has made over £88 billion since 2020, trading on the misery of 6.5 million people in the UK in official fuel poverty – and every single billpayer as we are all forking out a whopping £700 more on energy than we did since the start of energy crisis.

“Today’s profits just show once again how oil and gas firms and their billionaire supporters are attempting to keep us hooked on fossil fuels by pushing for more drilling, which means sky high prices for longer for the rest of us.

“The only way to secure the UK’s energy supply and bring down bills for good is by continuing to ramp up our supply of homegrown renewable energy. Exports of surplus clean electricity to France saw a significant boost last weekend following high winds across the UK, so it is imperative we keep ahead of this international energy trend, not cling onto outdated, expensive and dirty methods which are already on the way out.

“In the meantime, the government must deliver on its Warm Homes Plan to provide a proper programme of insulation and ventilation to ensure everyone can benefit from healthy, energy efficient homes.”

What now?

What happens next? Following last year’s Supreme Court ruling, the government ran a consultation on environmental guidance to take account of “downstream emissions” from burning extracted oil and gas, and is expected to report back in the spring.

Ahad of that, campaigners plan to keep the pressure on with a No New Oil & Gas MP & MSP Week of Action from 3rd to 9th March, ensuring that that every MP and MSP hears from their constituents on the issue.

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:North_Sea_oil_rig.jpg Source: North Sea Oil Rig. Author: Gary Bembridge from London, UK, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.


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Right-Wing Watch

Woke-bashing of the week – Trump’s attack on ‘wokeness’ and the UK right-wing echo chamber

2 February, 2025 
LEFT FOOT FORWARD


The echoes of Trump’s presidency are already reverberating across the Atlantic, emboldening right-wing commentators in the UK to rally behind a shared vision of dismantling progressive social policies.




In less than a week since taking office, Donald Trump has already declared victory over “wokeness.” At a rally in Las Vegas on January 25, he proudly announced his recent executive orders had eliminated “the woke crap” from government. Then, unbelievably, when stood before the White House press cameras on January 30, he baselessly blamed diversity in the recruitment policies of federal agencies as being a factor in the tragic plane crash in Washington that took 67 lives this week. When asked by a reporter how he could blame diversity programmes for the crash when the investigation had only just begun, the president responded: “Because I have common sense.”

Trump has certainly acted swiftly in his assault against ‘wokeism’, including signing an order declaring that there are only two sexes and taking aim at diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes, designed to support marginalised groups, particularly in workplaces.

You would think that our media might remain impartial in response to these polarising policies. But sadly no: instead, certain outlets are celebrating Trump’s swift and aggressive assault on diversity and progression.

As the Telegraph’s headline declared: “Trump’s example will help Britain finally crush the woke brigade.”

Columnist Celia Walden argues that the UK should take a cue from America to avoid becoming “slaves to Labour’s virtue-signalling lunacy.”

Walden insists the UK government should follow Trump’s lead, even citing last year’s proposal by the then equality minister Kemi Badenoch to ban gender-neutral bathrooms in public buildings. She accuses Keir Starmer’s “DEI-loving government” of “conveniently ignoring” this policy.

Why on earth would Labour waste time worrying about a deeply discriminatory proposal from a Tory government?

But the author’s scorn doesn’t end there. She points to the persistence of so-called “woke” initiatives, like the ongoing distribution of DEI guides to police forces across the UK. She scoffs at the “cretinous handbooks” provided to officers in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, and Cambridgeshire, mocking that she could create a parody version.

The echoes of Trump’s presidency are already reverberating across the Atlantic, emboldening right-wing commentators in the UK to rally behind a shared vision of dismantling progressive social policies.

But while Trump’s approach is undoubtedly energising some factions, it’s uncertain whether his style of cultural warfare will have a lasting impact on policy in the UK or beyond.

Let’s just hope Labour are bold enough to reject it, though something tells me they might not be. The saving grace is that the UK is not the US and most of the right-wing media anti-woke crusading for the great British public feels like, to quote Macbeth, “a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

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