By George Banks and Millie Collins
KEIR STARMER’S purge of anti-Zionists and socialists from the party and his blocking of them as candidates have provoked a series of left wingers to stand as candidates in protest against Starmer over this and his outrageous support for Israel. While millions of working class people will justifiably, if reluctantly, vote Labour to kick out the Tories, we also call for a critical vote for those independent socialist candidates whose campaigns can act as a focal point for rallying working class opposition to Starmer’s unconditional support for Israel and anti-working class policies.
If any of them are elected they should form a left wing opposition in parliament to every reactionary action by a future Starmer government, The remaining Labour left MPs should join them in this, no matter if this means having the Labour whip withdrawn.
The fact that there are over 400 independent candidates in this general election, far exceeding previous years, speaks to the widespread dissatisfaction with the main parties. The Greens may well attract Labour protest voters, while Reform (with arch reactionary populist Nigel Farage standing), threatens the beleaguered Sunak.
Left candidates
In a number of constituencies around the country there have been hustings meetings where independent left candidates have been chosen, most notably Michael Lavallette. Given Labour’s pro-Israel response on Gaza, many are running on a pro-Palestine platform, calling for an end to the occupation and arms sales, immediate aid to be sent to help rebuild Gaza, and prosecution of Netanyahu and his cabal for crimes against humanity. A few stand a chance of winning or slashing the votes of pro-Starmer candidates.
One is obviously former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, MP for Islington North since 1986, who has been at the forefront of the purge. Suspended as a member of the Parliamentary Labour Party, he was banned from being the candidate, although selected by his local party, and then expelled when he announced his intention to stand. Unlike most of the Campaign Group MPs, he has spoken at all the major Gaza demonstrations in London.
His video announcement outlines a programme of bringing the water, mail and transport industries back into public ownership, instituting rent controlled housing, a fully funded NHS, and an end to the genocide in Gaza. Against him, Labour will be running Praful Nagund, a business owner and Labour councillor since 2022 who describes himself as an ‘entrepreneur for the local people’. The north London district of the postal union (CWU), a Labour affiliate, has backed him as has the RMT and the Bakers’ Union (BAFAWU).
Despite our longstanding criticisms of the limits of the Corbyn programme, and the fact that its implementation relies on a parliamentary majority formed by a ‘broad church’ Parliamentary Labour Party proved to be an illusion by his years as leader, we call for a vote for him to create a voice for these necessary, if limited, policies in the new parliament.
Another supportable independent candidate is Michael Lavalette (formerly of the SWP, now Counterfire) in Preston where, for 10 years, he was a left wing councillor and used his position to build a strong local Palestine solidarity movement. He was selected by a well-attended hustings, made up half from the strong Muslim community and the rest from trade unionists, Palestine activists, students and former Corbyn-era Labour supporters.
He has clearly won considerable respect in the local movement and defends a range of working class, anti-racist and anti-imperialist causes. These include an immediate Gaza ceasefire, withdrawal of IDF troops, and recognition of Palestine as a state. He stands for increased funding for NHS and social care, affordable nursery places and the abolition of university fees. All this marks him out as a genuine candidate of struggle, to whom workers and socialists should give their critical support.
Then there is Pamela Fitzpatrick, former Labour Councillor in Harrow and the co-director of Corbyn’s Peace and Justice project, as well as a member of PSC. Fitzpatrick was kicked out of the Labour Party in 2021 for giving an interview to the paper Socialist Appeal. Since then, she has been heavily involved in local and national pro-Palestine demonstrations and been a strong critic of Starmer’s betrayals. As well as support for Gaza, she pledges to fight for policies such as affordable housing, building more council homes, ending privatisation of the NHS, increasing minimum wage to £15/hour and reforms to the benefits system.
There may well be other independent candidates worthy of critical support in the upcoming election. Our criteria for support are not just their records as individuals, but whether socialists, by participating in their campaigns, can build the movement which, if Starmer is PM, will continue to fight his anti-working class policies both nationally and internationally.
However, we do not believe that any of the lists presently circulating, such as TUSC, or Collective, in their totality, represent such an opportunity. We must see what individual candidates represent on the ground and decide according to the above criteria.
