THE Communist Party’s executive committee meeting on Sunday May 31 declared the collapse in authority of the Starmer government is paving the way for a government of the far right. 

May 7’s election results proved disastrous for the Labour Party. Plaid Cymru now governs in Wales. The SNP failed to win a majority in Scotland but destroyed Labour’s challenge. Across England voters evicted Labour from local authorities in protest at continuing austerity policies, replacing them with a patchwork of Reform UK, Green and Independent councillors. 

Voters’ anger at Labour was honed by divisions created by politicians who elevate identity politics above the real material needs of working-class communities suffering from endless crises of deteriorating housing and health services, low pay, unemployment and debt. Identity politics have been most evident in debates over sex and gender where right-wing politicians now pose hypocritically as “common-sense” defenders of free speech and women’s rights. 

Identity politics has also paved the way for the far right. Orchestrated nationalist identity politics using St George’s Cross, Saltire and Union flags are a mirror image of the “woke” identity politics that the far right claims to oppose. Their message of fake patriotism is clear: immigrants are not welcome here. Their flags are loyalty tests, not to celebrate sporting achievements. 

Black people and Muslims are their main targets. The Together Alliance march in London on March 28 showed a mass movement can be mobilised against racism, but moving from mobilisation to political change can only succeed when we challenge the politics of austerity, privatisation and war fuelling the rise of the far right. 

The Starmer government’s Labour Together faction (now renamed “Think Labour”) has cultivated a racist, authoritarian political culture. Starmer set the tone in 2024, criticising Tory immigration policies because, “people from countries like Bangladesh are not being removed.”

In 2025, his Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, called Palestine protesters “fundamentally un-British.” These reactionary spasms are symptoms of a fundamentally racist political culture. 

The Communist Party declares that defeating this political culture is key to replacing capitalism with a socialist system. Starmer’s removal as Labour leader will be a defeat for Labour Together.

If Andy Burnham, Labour’s candidate in the Makerfield by-election, wins on June 18 the ensuing Labour leadership contest will expose Labour’s extreme centrists as failed, right-wing factionalists working for (mainly) US corporate interests. 

The Communist Party calls for a vote to block the far right in the Makerfield by-election. The candidate best placed to defeat the far-right Reform UK and Restore candidates is Andy Burnham.

Burnham’s own politics are famously opportunist; indeed the Makerfield by-election was triggered by the resignation of sitting MP Josh Simons, himself a discredited and discarded Labour Together factionalist. Nevertheless, a political battle will now take place first in Makerfield and then to sweep Starmer’s failed leadership from office. 

Trade unionists, anti-war and anti-austerity campaigners have a duty to seize the opportunity of the collapse of Starmer’s disastrous and dishonest leadership and work to build a united front against austerity, racism and war.

We need public investment in new green technologies to transform Britain instead of endless public money for war in Ukraine and profits for arms manufacturers. 

The Communist Party will work to build a broad movement against austerity, racism and war. Our comrades will work alongside trade unionists and campaigners for public services to rebuild and strengthen the People’s Assembly Against Austerity. We will work to help build the Together Alliance in communities across Britain. We call on peace campaigners and trade unionists to support the International Meeting Against War taking place in London on Saturday June 20. 

Block the far right. Bin Starmer. Build the united front against austerity, racism and war!