By Lennon Airey (Levelling Up Correspondent)
Edited by Albie Armitage (Politics Editor)
Many Labour Party supporters in the United Kingdom have been left shocked and disheartened by Labour Leader Keir Starmer’s decision to sack Shadow Minister of Transport Sam Tarry due to his appearance at a picket line for a rail strike- acting as a potential symbol that Keir Starmer is trying to redefine the Labour Party, moving away from the Corbyn era but, is his position on the rail strikes and the his willingness to sack a shadow minister as a result of supporting a strike too much for the Red Wall to continue supporting him as Labour Leader, moving into the 2024 General Election…
Think back and imagine…A time in which union members weren’t represented, weren’t considered and were severely undervalued by the state. A time when capitalism ruled over the rights and demands of regular working people, of whom were in desperate need of help and proper pay. Well, thankfully, we only have to imagine that because the UK has moved on, right? Well, not exactly.
Since its’ formation in 1900 and its’ early leadership by Keir Hardie, the labour party has prioritised its people; the working class and union workers have formed the very backbone that provides not only support but also success for the centre-left party. This strong support for Labour as a result of its’ prioritisation of the trade unions and the working people ultimately formed The Red Wall, helping wannabe Labour Prime Ministers, such as Wilson in 1964 and Blair in 1997.
Yet, there comes a point, in any political party’s evolution, in which it has to change and move as Labour saw a drastic shift to the left in 2015 under Jeremy Corbyn and saw wholesale changes to the party when a Blair-led, centrist standing ‘New Labour’ convincingly defeated the Tories in 1997. However, one thing remained absolutely clear throughout Labour’s evolution: the leaders recognised the importance of the Red Wall for any hope of election success.
Workers say they are striking against job losses, stagnant pay, work conditions and threats to their pensions. Many have taken to social media to express solidarity with each other and share the reasons why they feel this action is necessary.
One railway worker, Jessica Leather, mentioned her pride in her railway role on Twitter, ahead of June’s strike, before telling what it involves above and beyond her regular duties: in the past six weeks, she notes, she has aided domestic violence victims, stayed with sick passengers, into the early hours, and has dealt with people experiencing mental health issues.
Crucially, she stated, she is fulfilling these duties without any changes in salary, despite the increasing cost of living: “Tell me I should suck up the pay freeze and have to choose between heating my house and feeding my child this winter. Tell me my job shouldn’t exist. Tell me I’m wrong to strike.”
In a society in which ordinary, working people feel so out of touch with the government due to Partygate, creating a sense of distrust within the British public and the failure of the Conservative Government to effectively deal with the cost of living crisis, the Labour Party (theoretically) should be latching onto this issue, roaring support for the union strikes and echoing the views of those in need. For many, this would be the perfect strategy for labour to regain the Red Wall, which was taken from them by an overwhelming Conservative majority in 2019. Although people and workers’ misery shouldn’t be used for political advantage, Keir Starmer has an open goal to resonate and mirror union member’s fury at the government. On the contrary, Starmer appears to be not only distancing himself and desperately avoiding this issue, but as of 27thJuly 2022, Starmer has laid his cards on the table and has sacked his Shadow Transport Minister due to his breach of cabinet collective responsibility with his appearance on the rail strike picket lines, potentially alienating the traditional Red Wall seats as Labour, the party of the workers, has, in the eyes of some, turned its back on the very workers it was formed to represent and advocate for.
Oh and, about that open goal that Starmer had, rather than score the tap in- through supporting the strikes, he has stumbled, tripped and potentially missed the goal altogether, making Britons up and down the country question just what it is the Labour Party stands for but worse still, has Starmers’ neglect and condemnation of the strikes just broken down the Red Wall once more, creating confusion and anger at the party.
Built by Hardie, developed by Attlee and revolutionised by Blair, has Labour lost its’ identity? And, if so, who does it appeal to and most importantly, how does it plan to do so, with a potentially broken Red Wall…
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