Skip to main content
Purged left-wingers hit back at Starmer’s ‘moribund, anti-democratic’ party
MATT TRINDER talks to the former Labour activists in Brighton and Hove who rode the wave of euphoria during Labour’s Corbyn years only to be expelled under the current right-wing regime
Damian McCarthy (right) with his step-dad, Howell John, at Anfield watching Liverpool

“I knew Keir Starmer in the early ’90s when I was a trainee barrister and he was a barrister, and people used to ask what he was like at the time because he was becoming a big name.

“I always said: do not trust this guy at all. I’ve seen his public persona and what he’s like in private and they’re very different.”

Damian McCarthy has just been expelled from Labour — one of thousands of leftists to suffer the same fate since Starmer took over the party three years ago this month, promising to largely continue the progressive agenda of his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
Jeremy Corbyn
Features / 30 July 2026
30 July 2026

In a wide-ranging interview, JEREMY CORBYN talks to Ben Chacko about the difficulties the new Prime Minister faces and why he sees no future in Labour

PRINCIPLED: Andy McDonald MP
Interview / 16 July 2026
16 July 2026

Against the backdrop of the Durham Miners’ Gala, Matt Kerr talks to ANDY McDONALD MP about Labour’s mistakes, Burnham’s leadership and why raising living standards must come first

late rage
Short Story / 10 July 2026
10 July 2026

Ron's rages are sincere and — according to his wife — healthily cathartic. But can these splenetic outbursts loosen the grip of capitalism at its most monstrous?  

THE GREAT ILLUSIONIST: Scotland First Minister John Swinney (centre) with assorted worthies at Wheatley Housing Development in Wallyford, East Lothian, apparently keen on accelerating housebuilding throughout Scotland, January 2026
Holyrood / 6 May 2026
6 May 2026

As Scotland heads to the polls, the main parties offer variations on the same script, says MATT KERR