Labour — money for bombs and guns, not the NHS
Labour is once again proving itself as a reliable backer of imperialism. Keir Starmer — Labour leader — described his commitment to nuclear weapons as “unshakeable” and “absolute” in an article he wrote for the Daily Mail last Thursday. And in an interview with the i newspaper on the same day, Starmer said Labour will aim to raise Britain’s defence spending to 2.5 percent of Britain’s total production “as soon as resources allow”. It currently sits at 2.1 percent of gross domestic production (GDP). What this means is ramping up arms spending at a time when ordinary people are struggling.
By Thomas Foster
Columnist
On top of this, after Iran’s retaliation against Israel, Starmer said that Labour “continue to stand up for Israel’s security,” condemning “the Iranian regime’s decision to subject Israelis to these unacceptable attacks”.
He added, “Our thoughts are with all those in the region who want peace and security, not the fear and instability by Iran.”
There was no mention of Israel’s initial bombing of an Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria, or a condemnation of Israel’s ongoing slaughter of Palestinians.
It is Israel’s political, economic, and military ambitions that lead to instability. Starmer, with his support for Israel and Britain’s military, is siding with our imperialist ruling class.
Labour has committed to a “nuclear deterrent triple lock”, committing to building the next generation of Dreadnought-type nuclear submarines, to continuing Britain’s sea nuclear deterrent, and promising to deliver all future upgrades.
The cost of this is tremendous. Britain’s nuclear weapons programme costs £3 billion a year to run and an estimated £205 billion to renew by 2030. And increasing arms spending to 2.5 percent of GDP will cost £16.5 billion a year.
But Starmer rolled back on spending £28 billion a year on climate investments and refused to commit to free school meals or getting rid of the two-child benefit cap, claiming the policies were “too expensive”. Yet there always seems to be a magic money tree for war.
In Starmer’s article in the Daily Mail, almost every reference to Labour has the word “changed” before it — “my changed Labour Party is utterly committed to our nation’s defence.”
But Labour hasn’t changed — it’s keeping to its historical role as a party that props up the current imperialist system of economic, political, and military competition.
Even Starmer admits this, as he detailed in his article how Clement Attlee, Labour prime minister after the Second World War, created an independent British nuclear programme after the Second World War.
And Starmer explains how Labour foreign secretary at the time — Ernest Bevin — was a key figure in establishing the NATO alliance, an imperialist alliance built on war.
No matter what Starmer wants us to think, nuclear weapons and more military spending contribute to escalating rivalries and a global arms race.
What Starmer’s latest statements show is Labour is not diverging from fueling Britain’s war machine, all while ordinary people continue to suffer.
The article first appeared on Socialist Worker.