Roger Bannister, Liverpool Socialist Party
When Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves and the rest of the right-wing Labour government and MPs arrived in Liverpool for Labour Party conference on 21 September, they were greeted by thousands of demonstrators, protesting against the horrendous war in Gaza, now threatening to develop into a regional conflict across the Middle East.
These continuing demonstrations of working-class people and broader layers across society show just how far removed from widespread public opinion Starmer and his allies are. Britain continues to supply weapons to Israel, and although 30 arms export licences to Israel have been suspended, 320 still remain.
20 Socialist Party members attended the demonstration, meeting protesters as they came out of Lime Street station, as they assembled, and on the march itself, selling copies of the Socialist, distributing leaflets explaining the need for working-class people in Palestine, Israel and the Middle East to be allowed to resolve the issues at stake on a socialist basis, and received a good response from many of the demonstrators.
The Labour Party is clearly no longer the party of the working class, and our calls for the creation of a new mass workers’ party were also well received. The day after the demonstration, people lobbying the conference delegates were quick to notice their middle-class appearance and, following revelations about rich big business backers providing Starmer and his wife with clothing, taunted the delegates, shouting: “Did you pay for that suit?”
