As has already been referred to, arguments to support Labour as the ‘lesser evil’ will not cease after the general election.
‘Left’ apologists for Starmer will also point to the danger of Suella Braverman, or someone like her, becoming prime minister if the trade unions don’t continue to back Labour.
In fact, of course, as discontent with New Labour II grows, the only way to prevent the right populists being the main force to take advantage of that will be the development of a mass anti-racist workers’ party fighting Labour from the left.
Reform UK currently has 8% in opinion polls, but we have not yet seen in Britain the development of the kind of far-right and right-populist parties that have grown in many European countries.
Mostly this is because the increasingly ‘populist’ Tory right wing is occupying that space.
As a hated party of government, the Tories’ attempts to whip up racism in order to gain a few votes have not worked, at least in gaining them any votes! Nonetheless, we have had a foretaste of what they or their ilk could whip up under a Starmer-led government in some of the anti-refugee protests that have taken place.
The Tory Party is the historic party of Britain’s capitalist class, but it is no longer a reliable tool for them.
Sunak is a more ‘reliable’ representative of the general interests of British capitalism than Johnson or Truss, but he is unable to consistently act on their behalf given the right-populist character of the parliamentary Tory Party, reflecting the narrow social base of the party membership.
Beyond the general election it is clear that the Tory civil war will accelerate.
The right populists aim to sweep the board, but the capitalist class will not lightly give up on a potential political vehicle for their rule.
David Cameron’s appointment as foreign secretary is only secondarily about trying to save the Tories from oblivion in the general election.
It is more about the ‘establishment’ Tories’ campaign to try and wrest back control of the party beyond the election.
It is not possible to say now what the outcome of those battles will be.
It is not even possible to say who the depleted band of Tory MPs conducting them will be; given the number who will be booted out in the general election.
A reconfiguration of British politics will be on the agenda, however.
Possibilities include a new more powerful right populist party emerging outside of the Tories, or bigger sections of ‘traditional Tories’ giving up on their party and leaving it to the ‘swivel-eyed loons’.
