THE traditional Christmas message of peace on Earth is unlikely to be heeded by the British government and its allies in the coming year.

If the declarations of Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Foreign Secretary David Lammy are anything to go by, then we will see continued warmongering, increases in arms spending and a militant form of militarism which regards calls for peace as akin to treachery.

Anyone who expected a reprieve from the belligerence of 14 years of Tory rule will have been disappointed, not least in foreign policy. Starmer’s record on Gaza was appalling in opposition, losing Labour many thousands of votes as he continued to pronounce that Israel had the right to defend itself. In government, he has expressed repeated support for a government which is a pariah across the world.