Sam, Tessa and Jordan, Leicester Socialist Party
Leicester West is the seat of Labour MP Liz Kendall. The mood of the working class in Leicester is particularly sour – an MP they voted in is now overseeing £5 billion cuts designed to attack disabled people.
Our Socialist Party branch has been involved in two local campaigns. The SEND campaign, which without the involvement of parents and activists could have seen school transport cut for Leicester students with special needs over the age of 16, has now been put on pause for a re-run consultation on the cuts.
Leicester Labour council also intended to cut funding for adventure playgrounds. But funding has now been secured for another year, after campaigning by parents and activists.
We decided we would hold an extra-long campaign stall to build for our public meeting. Our message – no to both government and council cuts – was a success. The following Saturday, calling for ‘welfare, not warfare’ really caught the mood.
At our public meeting, the speakers highlighted that the 350 richest individuals and families in Britain now have a combined wealth of £800 billion, while Starmer’s Labour is looking to plunge the most vulnerable in our society into even deeper despair.
The meeting discussed building the socialist opposition to Labour’s council cuts and attacks on disability benefits. Due to the establishment parties’ refusal to stand up for the working class, our call for a new mass workers’ party was well received.
