Keir Starmer says workers asking for £15 an hour ‘not asking the earth’
Sir Keir Starmer has indicated he is ready to see Labour’s far-left split from the party, declaring that winning the next general election is more important to him than maintaining internal unity.
The Labour leader is expected to use his high-stakes conference speech in Brighton on Wednesday to draw a firm line under the Jeremy Corbyn era, while attacking the smallness and triviality of Boris Johnson’s approach to government, which he will describe as “lost in the woods”.
It comes after the shock resignation of shadow cabinet ministers Andy McDonald, who alleged that the final straw came after he was instructed to vote against a campaign to raise the minimum wage to £15 an hour. In a message read out to leftwing activists at an event on Tuesday evening, during which they accused Sir Keir of “waging war” against the party’s left, Mr McDonald suggested he should seek a new “mandate” if he fails to honour pledges made during the leadership contest.
Boris Johnson has ‘set himself up to fail’, shadow cabinet minister says
With Sir Keir Starmer expected to attack Boris Johnson’s government as “lost in the woods” during his keynote speech, a senior shadow cabinet minister has told The Independent that Labour’s high command believe that the optimism and confidence that attracted voters to Boris Johnson will seem increasingly brittle in the economically difficult years ahead.
“There’s an ever-growing chasm between the optimism and the delivery,” they said, adding: “Boris has set himself up to fail with the ‘levelling up’ stuff.
“When people are told their lives are going to be levelled up, they don’t think it means a government grant to do up a couple of shops on the high street, they are expecting something transformative. It’s a very high bar to reach and a very short period of time to achieve it in.”
Andy Gregory29 September 2021 08:18
Keir Starmer should ‘seek another mandate’ if he fails to honour leadership pledges
In his latest assault on Sir Keir Starmer, Andy McDonald has suggested the leader should go back to the Labour membership and seek a new “mandate” if he fails to honour pledges made during the leadership contest.
After quitting the shadow cabinet on Monday, a message from Mr McDonald was read out to leftwing activists on Tuesday evening at an event held by The World Transformed – which included John McDonnell, Jeremy Corbyn, Richard Burgon, Rebecca Long-Bailey, and Zarah Sultana.
“My message to Keir is that he must return to the 10 pledges on which he was elected to the leadership by Labour members. Comrades, if he fails to do so, he should go back to the membership to seek another democratic mandate,” he said.
A series of MPs from the party’s left bloc stood up to criticise the leadership, with one accusing Sir Keir of “waging war on the left”, and another claiming he was “missing in action”. Our political correspondent Ashley Cowburn has the full story:
Andy Gregory29 September 2021 08:14
Bakers’ union severs links with Labour for neglecting working-class ‘aims and hopes’
In the latest show of disillusionment from the party’s left, the Bakers, Food & Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) has disaffiliated itself from Labour – accusing Sir Keir Starmer of neglecting working class “aims and hopes”.
In a statement, it said the decision had been taken by members “who predominantly live in what’s regarded as Labour Red Wall seats”, the crucial background at the next election.
It “shows how far the Labour Party has travelled away from the aims and hopes of working-class organisations like ours”, the statement read.
However, the move also follows BFAWU president Ian Hodson being kicked out of the party over his support for Labour Against the Witchhunt – a group banned for support of party members accused of antisemitism.
Our deputy political editor Rob Merrick has more details:
Andy Gregory29 September 2021 07:59
Starmer speech to put election victory ahead of party unity
Here’s more on our headline story this morning – Sir Keir Starmer’s high-stakes speech to party members, in which he is expected to seek to draw a line under the Corbyn era and declare Labour will never again go into a general election without a serious plan for government.
In what was billed as the most personal speech of his political life, he will set out how his background and his values inform the politician he has become.
Following criticism that his first 18 months as leader have been dominated by internal party battles, he will focus on his plans for Britain and his appeal to voters – with eye-catching policy announcements expected to counter accusations that he has failed to be clear about how Labour would govern.
Our political editor Andrew Woodcock has the full story here:
Andy Gregory29 September 2021 07:48
Good morning, and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the Labour Party conference in Brighton. You can follow here for rolling updates on all the latest developments.
Andy Gregory29 September 2021 07:43
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