LRC statement on bans and proscriptions
We condemn in the strongest terms the decision of the Labour Party NEC to proscribe four left groups from the Labour Party. Those associated with these groups face auto-exclusion from the party without any right of appeal and a ban from party membership for five years. In addition the NEC set up a panel to consider whether any further groups should be so proscribed.
Keir Starmer promised in his leadership bid to bring unity to the party. He spoke of fighting for the underdog and of his track record in defending human rights. There can no longer be any doubt that this was simply a means to gain control of our party.
Starmer’s ability to upset our most loyal voters is unprecedented - from the crass statement on Black Lives Matter, the failure to tackle Islamophobia or oppose oppressive legislation to his breaching of the protocol on the Good Friday Agreement. Thousands of members are leaving the party each week, fire and rehire is being applied to Labour staff and there are reports of the party being on the point of bankruptcy. Yet the party is hiring up to 60 new staff to work explicitly within a ‘star chamber’ to speed up expulsions and investigate further proscriptions of other left organisations. In the short time that Starmer has been leader he has brought our once great party almost to its knees.
The establishment wing of the party has declared war on the membership - and, in particular, the left of the party. Through their control of the party machinery at both national and regional level they are trying to gut our constituency parties of their very lifeblood. Through stopping freedom of discussion, through suspensions, expulsions and proscriptions of members and even closing down some CLPs, through bending the rules and the rigging of annual general meetings, they have already gone some way to achieving their aim - to sideline the role of members and to ensure that the party never again veers out of their control.
To spend time attacking Labour members at a time when working class people are losing their lives, their homes and their jobs reveals the true intent of Starmer and his supporters. They will do anything to try to destroy the left in the party. Their loyalty to the establishment is greater than their loyalty to the party.
There is only one obstacle - the working class organised in our unions and constituency parties. We need to unite and resist. The future of our party is at stake. That’s why the LRC is part of Defend the Left and is working to get trade union branches and local Labour lefts to sign up to it. This is already the thick end of the wedge – no one who defends socialist ideas is safe unless we act together.
