Labour Outlook

“This situation has always been entirely avoidable, and it is the result of a broken system that values income over student and staff welfare.“

“The media attacks on us are huge and personally unpleasant, [but] are designed to distract away from the issues of unemployment, poverty and injustice in our society, especially at this time of crisis.” - Jeremy Corbyn.

The avoidable atrocity of the Grenfell Tower fire revealed the stark truth about Kensington and Chelsea to the world. How, in what one Councillor had called ‘the richest borough in the universe’, with £.3bn in Reserves, could 72 people burn to death in a fire which, even in the earliest days, was blamed on ‘cheap cladding’? - Emma Dent Coad

“This really is a government that acts for the few not the many and Labour must offer a genuine alternative.” - Rachel Garnham.

"Changing our party is part & parcel of changing our country, because we are the people who know our communities best." - Nadia Jama.

"It’s hard to convey at times the scale of human suffering caused by poverty in this the 6th richest country in the world in the twenty first century." - John McDonnell.

"I’m standing for the NEC to bring the disabled people’s movement into the Labour Party, & ensure our voices are never shut out again." - Ellen Morrison.

" The whipping up of racism by politicians is routinely met with racist attacks on the ground." - Barbara Ntumy, Stand up to Racism.

"This "SpyCops" Bill will give power and impunity to people who are spying on behalf of the British state. It will give these undercover agents permission to commit crimes such as murder, torture and sexual offences, in Britain and overseas."

"We can’t talk about Brazil’s crisis without mentioning the huge roll-back of workers’ rights, social programs, & access to healthcare & education that have all taken place since the far-right came to power."

"Despite the success of the #GrassrootsVoice slate in topping the nominations, there is a lot of work to do if the left is to be successful." By the Labour Assembly Against Austerity Team The left came out strongest as local constituency party nominations for candidates seeking to represent ordinary members on Labour's National Executive Committee…

Continue reading ➞ Left Leads on NEC elections nominations – now get out the vote! #GrassrootsVoice #GV6

“At our 2018 Conference, it was an inspiration to be in the hall and raise my hand to join the forest of outstretched hands all voting in support of the motion for Palestinian rights.” - Nadia Jama

"From the track & trace app to the recruitment of nurses, we are watching our health service be stripped of its ability to function properly. This is not because of efficiency or cost, nor is it solely down to incompetence. It is an ideological commitment to a system rigged to favour unaccountable private businesses over democratic public ownership." - Jon Trickett MP.

Jeremy Corbyn - “We’re not alone in this. There are millions around the world who wish to see different, better world for the future.”

“They attack us for a reason. The reason is that they are afraid of our message and the popularity of it.” - Jeremy Corbyn.

"This is a further serious threat to the civil liberties of people in Britain, extending powers to put citizens under surveillance, particularly those who are involved in campaigns against actions by the British state" - Kate Flannery, OTJC Secretary.

"History shows us that refugees are the victims of human rights abuse, war & environmental disasters. We surely all have a duty to support the victims, rather than blaming & punishing them for events not of their making." - Jeremy Corbyn MP.

“We are held back by emboldened landlords & greedy developers who are socially cleansing our city.” - Apsana Begum MP.

"We should not expect care workers to do the vital work of looking after our loved ones on the cheap." - Roger McKenzie.

"The pandemic has made us all think about what we value in life and to reassess how our society and our economy operates." - John McDonnell

"The response from the two neighbours to the coronavirus pandemic are in stark contrast to one another. At a time when Cuba sends healthcare workers to some of the worlds worst affected areas, Trump insists on pursuing a policy of blame & division."

- Hugh Lanning, Labour & Palestine

"By this summer, Bolivia found itself in a deepening political, economic, social and health crisis, & has now seen months of protest in what is nothing less than a national uprising."

“Billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money is being paid to companies to help them get through the pandemic, so it is not much to ask that these companies abide by very basic good business practices of treating their employees decently, not harming our environment and paying their fair share in taxes.” - John McDonnell.

"We know that this Government are no strangers to violating international law & the bill in its current form only seeks to further diminish our global reputation. " - Kate Osborne MP.

“when the Daily Mail and others have screaming headlines about refugees landing on the coast of Kent, they should spare a thought for a minute [and ask] why would somebody risk everything to get into a rubber dinghy, to cross the world's busiest shipping lanes, to try and get to a place of safety if they weren't totally desperate?” - Jeremy Corbyn

“The Government needs to recognise that having put money into local government and industry in order to keep jobs going… it has got to continue doing that as the economy begins to rebuild.”Jeremy Corbyn. In an exclusive interview with Labour Outlook to be published shortly, Jeremy Corbyn argues that if the Government doesn’t urgently u-turn…

Continue reading ➞ Jeremy Corbyn – Government Must U-Turn on Ending Furlough Scheme.

“Another world is possible, but it will be our national & global organisation that makes this happen.”

“The economic crisis we now face is set to be the worst any of us have experienced. We urgently need to transform our economy & society to ensure that people’s jobs, livelihoods & health come before private profit.”

"Some on the left are no doubt despondent at recent political events. I understand that, but I’m afraid we don’t have time for that. People need to dust themselves down & get ready for a huge fight over the coming months to force the government to change track on health & the economy. Many lives & millions of livelihoods depend on it." - Richard Burgon MP.

“Working class communities, already suffering the needless impact of austerity measures that have seen our hospitals and libraries closed, our school budgets decimated, our wages slashed and our workers’ protections and rights eroded, need the support and energy of their CLPs, not just at election time.” - Mish Rahman, #GrassrootsVoice.

" The idea that people’s health & lives could be put at risk in effort to get back to economic normality was always as misconceived as it was grotesque."

"Many people know that care homes struggled to access the PPE required to keep staff and service users safe. What people do not know is that many agency workers who knew they had potentially come into contact with COVID-19 still accepted shifts from other homes because they had no access to sick pay."

It was a privilege for me to be on the platform for the session of Annual Conference 2018 where our whole movement made a commitment to justice and human rights for the Palestinian people." - Yasmine Dar.

How can the Tories behave so callously towards the very people that have given their all to keep us safe - working round the clock in an underfunded, under prepared service with Government failures on PPE - yet unable to pay the bills or put food on the table?" - Roger McKenzie.

"Despite the overwhelming public pressure, the government is still sticking to its guns. In July, the House of Commons passed a Trade Bill which offers no protection for the NHS whatsoever." - Cat Hobbs, We Own It.

"Potentially we stand on the edge of a possible recession of a depth and scale not seen since the 1930s. The lack of preparation by the Tories to seek to prepare for this shock to the economy is criminally negligent." - John McDonnell MP looks ahead to TUC Congress.

"The coronavirus crisis has exposed the dreadful weaknesses in labour law in our country and clearly shown the need for a new framework of labour rights in Britain."

" Allende is remembered & revered for the decent visionary socialist he was. Pinochet & the Generals are detested for the violent thugs they were. " - Jeremy Corbyn.

I experienced first hand the dismissive contempt from some [Labour] HQ staff that was meted out to other colleagues in the LOTO (Leader of the Opposition's Office) campaign team throughout my time there.... We need to challenge and change this rigid control freakery that dominates much of the Party’s discourse and be honest about how it prevented us winning power in 2017 in its detail."

"Tory MP Craig Whittaker faced a fierce anti-racist backlash, after he wrongly suggested that BAME & Muslim communities were not taking the coronavirus pandemic seriously... Attention then shifted to attacking a more vulnerable target - refugees."

"Reducing the virus to minimal levels is not in contradiction to economic recovery. It is the precondition for economic recovery."Socialist Campaign Group. Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs Statement - For a Zero COVID Strategy: “Britain needs a zero Covid strategy which puts the health of the people first. And rising infection numbers mean that…

Continue reading ➞ The Government’s approach to fighting Coronavirus has been a disaster – Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs.

"The Irish people themselves have the right to protect the peace process, their freedoms & their well-being. Instead of ‘breaking international law’, the British government should live up to its commitments & not stand in their way." - Peter Leary.

“If Labour now came out and backed UCU’s call in full we could force this Government into another U turn and protect staff, students and the wider society in this public health crisis.”

" With domestic violence on the rise, racism on the increase, high unemployment, & the UK Government seeking to blame refugees for the pressure on essential services, never has the need for a radical response been greater. And women must be at its heart." - Ann Henderson

" Richard Leonard is committed to transforming the MSP group at Holyrood. And this week’s antics have shown he has good reason to."

"The government’s 'hostile environment' pits people against each other by blaming migrants, refugees & asylum seekers for low pay and poor housing, education & access to health care, rather than the real culprits – the policies implemented by the Tories."

"There is a lesson from those days long ago.  That is that the leopard never loses its spots. The bosses today are once more at it. They are launching an all-out attack on the incomes of working people using the pandemic as an excuse."- Jon Trickett MP

"The Palestinian people have suffered decades of occupation and siege. The Labour Party must speak up for their right to self-determination – a right denied to them for so long."

"This attack by Rees-Moggs... was a stark reminder that national crisis or no national crisis, the Tories are not going to govern in any wider interest. They will serve the 1% as they always have done." - Richard Burgon.

"Members & affiliates are understandably furious that these shenanigans may well have cost Labour the chance to form a government. Sadly, that can’t be undone. But what the party can do is get to the bottom of this by commissioning a forensic audit, & we must then take action against those responsible." - Steve Howell

"The establishment’s fear is the fact that large numbers of people are looking for something better than the neoliberal consensus that has dominated politics for so long." - Laura Smith.

"The attacks on the living conditions of the majority of people we have seen are not from refugees fleeing persecution, death & famine. They are from the billionaires who stash their wealth in tax havens & the Tory Government that represents their interests." - Claudia Webbe MP.

"Trump, meanwhile, is doing his best to make Biden look palatable. His repressive reaction to the Black Lives Matter upsurge foreshadows a campaign that will play strongly to white supremacism."

" A fair & equitable society will require us to continue and deepen radical socialist policies." - Gemma Bolton, #GrassrootsVoice NEC candidate.

"Unless we can address the power balance within the existing housing market, whether someone is decently housed will always be at the whim & under the control of the corporate housebuilders & landlords." - John McDonnell.

"Clearly, this government’s instinct is to defend the interests of the wealthy few. But there is hope - remember that they have been forced into an incredible number of u-turns this year."

"The Tories need to look very hard at our future generation and take heed, because the clear message is that that these young people will not forget this Tory blunder for a long time." - Kate Osborne MP

"Young people of all backgrounds want to be supported to achieve their dreams - the Tories have shown yet again that they only care about themselves." - Luca Powell, GCSE student

" A genuine socialist like Corbyn does, of course, expect media hostility, resistance from the rich & scaremongering about national security by former intelligence chiefs. All of that goes with the territory. But it was outrageous that people employed by the party used their positions to work against their own party & aid the Tories in staying in power."

"As we emerge from this crisis, let’s make sure everyone has a decent place they can call home as part of a better society” - Jeremy Corbyn.

"To be an effective, fighting opposition to the Tories & to win a transformative Labour Government, real party democracy & the rights of members to discuss important matters & hold the leadership to account is absolutely crucial.” - #GrassrootsVoice NEC candidates.

"The ongoing attacks on Jeremy Corbyn are not personal, but about driving socialism out of the Labour Party to avoid any future threat to the establishment."

"While the Conservative government & their billionaire press baron allies try to whip up fear about a “migrant crisis”, we know that the real crisis is the war, poverty & persecution that forces people to flee their homes & take dangerous journeys in search of a better life." - Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs.

" To avert the worst of the jobs crisis, we need an urgent extension of the furlough scheme & real investment in green industries." - Zarah Sultana MP.

"The pandemic has shown the reality of leaving institutions at the mercy of market forces. Universities are places of learning & research. They are not businesses; they should not be places run for private profit where Vice-Chancellors draw six-figure salaries."

"The scale and intensity of the challenges facing working class people here and across the world need to be treated with the seriousness and urgency they deserve." - Laura Pidcock.

After depending on NHS workers to save lives through the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic, and cynically clapping them each week, Johnson's government are now refusing to give them the pay rise they need.

69% of the British public believe all NHS staff should get an early pay rise before the end of the year.

" It is as vital as ever that the left continues to campaign for the Labour Party to put peace, de-escalation of conflict and nuclear disarmament at the heart of an internationalist foreign policy, and to pressure the Government to do likewise ."

"At the root of the crisis in Yemen is a war which is being facilitated and supported by the Conservative government through the sale of billions of pounds worth of weapons." - Jeremy Corbyn.

"As a party, and as a country, we can’t go back to business as usual. There is another way, but we’ll have to fight for it together – and that’s why I’m asking for your support in this election."

"To represent the interests of the majority in society we need to democratise the party and empower individual members and affiliates."

"Labour Party members have a right to accountability and transparency of decisions taken in their name, and an effective commitment from the party to combat antisemitism and racism in all their forms. The Party’s decision to apologise today and make substantial payments to former staff who sued the party in relation to last year’s Panorama…

Continue reading ➞ Jeremy Corbyn – “Labour Party members have a right to accountability & transparency of decisions taken in their name.”

"The economic crisis we now face is set to be the worst any of us have experienced. We urgently need to transform our economy and society to ensure that people’s jobs, livelihoods and health come before private profit."

"The Trade Bill is returning to parliament on Monday, and there’s nothing in it to stop our NHS from being included in future trade deals. There’s nothing in it to stop the vultures in the US private healthcare industry getting their hands on our NHS."

"Today’s government claim is an attempt to divert attention from the threat to the NHS a Trump trade deal poses and the Tory party links to Russian oligarchs expected to be revealed in the long-buried parliamentary Russia report." - Jeremy Corbyh.

We're pleased to support these six candidates for CLP places on Labour's NEC.

"In the fight against apartheid in South Africa it was the long campaign for ‘Sanctions Now’ coming to fruition that eventually had the effect – it is clear that governments need to act."

Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs statement on a Green New Deal “The recovery from covid-19 must tackle the urgent climate crisis facing our planet. With the highest ever temperatures recorded in the Arctic Circle we cannot delay in taking action to save our planet and future generations. We believe that the necessary and urgent…

Continue reading ➞ The fight for climate action must be at the heart of everything as we rebuild after the pandemic – Socialist Campaign Group Statement

"The core and fundamental purpose underlying annexation is that it permanently puts the ‘nail in the coffin’ of a two-state solution. It leaves no room for any conceivable viable Palestinian state."Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs. “With the new Government in Israel threatening further illegal annexation in July of occupied Palestinian land, including large swathes…

Continue reading ➞ As an internationalist & democratic socialist party, Labour must give real support to the Palestinian people – Socialist Campaign Group of MPs statement

"The pandemic crisis is creating a new climate of opinion. Along with the threat of a climate crisis it has the potential to create a new political agenda. Whether it is exploited by the right to bolster some form of crisis capitalism or whether those of us on the Left can channel a movement for progressive change, the creation of a People’s Agenda that can reshape the future, is in our hands." - John McDonnell.

"After 36 years we have to support the Miner’s struggle for justice, just as we will have to fight many other working class injustices – the Tories’ hostile environment – the Windrush & Grenfell Scandals are testament to that." - Nadia Jama, Orgreave Truth & Justice Campaign.

"As we watched the moving scenes of the final public memorial for George Floyd we know that the unprecedented global movement for racial justice that his death unleashed will live on in this struggle for equality, for real social &economic change." - Rokhsana Fiaz, Mayor of Newham

"It is understandable that people in Bristol have finally become exasperated with the years of debate on having a statue of a man whose wealth was founded on slavery, as Edward Colston's was, and have taken action." - Jeremy Corbyn

"I can’t help but think that as a country, we would be better equipped if we were governed and represented by more MPs who are actually representative of the parts of the country that elect them." - Jon Trickett MP.

"As anti-racists, we stand shoulder to shoulder with all those in America and across the world who feel anger, hurt and fear after yet another instance of discriminatory state violence." - Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs.

"International solidarity is vital. The Brazilian peoples' fight for policies based on saving lives and putting public health first is our fight." - Claudia Webbe MP.

"The scandal over Dominic Cummings really does highlight that the Tories believe there is one rule for them and another for the rest us – and that they get to write both." - Diane Abbott MP.

"Within the last four and a half years, we had begun to talk about sharing our values of peaceful diplomacy, solidarity and protecting human rights. This was a break from the perspective that sought to justify the horrendous decision to go to war with Iraq."

"As Gaza’s healthcare system has been starved of resources due to the siege, it would be a particularly disastrous place to have a coronavirus outbreak."

"It’s time to kick the chancers and the profiteers out of our health system, and put the NHS back in charge of its own supply chain." - Cat Hobbs, We Own It,

"Over the coming days we have a huge task on our hands to stop those who want to end the lockdown prematurely from succeeding. Put simply, it’s a fight to ensure that people are put before profit." - Richard Burgon.

"When the Coronavirus crisis passes, there must be no return to the politics and economics of the past." - Jeremy Corbyn/

We are pleased to reproduce this Facebook status from Claudia Webbe MP on how Labour members stand in solidarity with Diane Abbott MP.

"Banks have been bailed out, and now the people must be." - Carlos Martinez.

"Through his ineptitude and denialism Trump is making a bad coronavirus situation at home even worse, the brunt of which will be borne by poor Americans and Americans of colour, and, at the same time, his ideologically driven foreign policy is going to wreak havoc across vast swathes of Latin America." - Adrian Weir.

"We believe people must stay & fight for a Labour Government, organise to defend out socialist manifesto and push for action." - Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs.

"The Corbyn leadership has left an inspiring legacy – a mass politics that dared to argue for the fundamental transfer of wealth & power necessary to build a better world. It falls to us to defend it." - Sam Browse.

"Jeremy has always insisted a better Britain and a better world is possible. That better future is socialism. Let’s make it happen." - Claudia Webbe MP

"We can build a society based on social justice, equality, & care for our environment. But it will not come about unless we fight for it." - Jeremy COrbyn

"Humanitarian assistance beats sanctions and war any day ,and certainly during a pandemic threat." - Murad Qureshi AM.

"The test for our society is whether we come through this strengthened, with greater solidarity forged in the heat of a crisis; or whether we emerge diminished, having failed to do everything possible to support each other." - Jeremy Corbyn

"These funds are vital for Palestinian refugees to survive and used for essential core services, including infrastructure, health and education."

Coronavirus is creating an economic crisis and, for far too many, a deepening social crisis. But it can not be resolved without addressing the public health crisis." - Richard Burgon MP.

"The major crises we face as a society cannot be solved by the market. Cornonavirus, the climate emergency, huge levels of inequality.. these can only be solved by people working together, & not against each other." - Jeremy Corbyn.

"A difference between now & in WWII was the emergency powers during the War allowed the government to requisition property. The current Government though is only interested in the regulation of people... Absent from the Bill is any infringement on the so-called rights of the holders of private property." - Adrian Weir, Campaign for Trade Union Freedom.

"What the Government has proposed so far for people whose work lives are affected by coronavirus is inadequate."

"Rent needs to be suspended for those adversely affected by the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. The government’s three-month ban on evictions should be extended to six months."Jeremy Corbyn Dear Prime Minister, Thank you for our meeting on Monday evening and for sharing with me the draft emergency legislation in response to the coronavirus outbreak.…

Continue reading ➞ Jeremy Corbyn – We must ensure the most effective action is taken to protect people in every community, for reasons of public health as well as social justice #covid19

"At a time like this we need to urgently come together to protect each other, no matter what it takes, but for those at greater risk and those who are already financially insecure we need to start moving mountains - and fast."

"Labour must take on vested interests, not accommodate them." - Rebecca Long Bailey.

"Our communities, in all their diversity, need a Labour government. Whoever is Leader, I’ll be a team player laser-focused on winning back power." - Richard Burgon MP.

" This Government, a Government for the super-rich, the oligarchs the tax dodgers, are still trying to divide our communities based on the colour of our skin." - Claudia Webbe MP.

"I caution the Chancellor, you are sowing the seeds of disappointment and disillusionment which could stir up a form of politics none of us wish our country to experience." - John McDonnell.

"The Conservative Party will never stand up for working class communities. They will always put the interests of their wealthy friends first." - Jeremy Corbyn.

"I hope that the government has woken up to the state of our public services and the poverty and insecurity in which so many of our people live." - John McDonnell.

"Now is not the time to retreat on support for Palestine but to speak up and organise to defeat both Trump’s plan and organise to defeat Johnson’s plan to keep us quiet on the issue."

"We need a revolution in political education in the Labour Party - one that empowers Labour members to be armed up with the ideas to win people over to radical alternatives to our broken economic model that is destroying lives, communities & the planet."

In response to this attack, the traditional rallying cry of the labour movement should resound, ‘An injury to one is an injury to all!’ - DIane Abbott

"We can’t win by accepting the status quo, which fails communities across the country. We must never go back to pandering to anti-migrant racism, supporting illegal wars or voting for welfare cuts which the poorest the hardest." - Richard Burgon.

"We need a Deputy Leader who can listen, who can relate to members and who will implement a strategy that takes that hope and optimism and uses it to build a fighting party which can win voters across all types of communities. "

"Rebecca Long Bailey is the leader who can best ensure Labour is both a strong, effective opposition to the Tories and has a path to power." - Claudia Webbe MP.

"This reluctance to provide any real response shows an astonishing level of disrespect and contempt for the public."

"Richard is keen to develop organising & campaigning & engaging active Labour members in these campaigns. This will be key to connecting to the heartlands we have lost & the non voters who have become so disheartened by politics."

"Believe me, the path of despair is also the path to defeat. My plan – based on aspirational socialism, a Green Industrial Revolution, empowering our movement and a democratic revolution – is our path back to power." - Rebecca Long Bailey.

As Rebecca Long Bailey says, “We have a mountain to climb & the crises we face are stark. But we have our socialist vision, a path to victory & most importantly, we have each other.”

"Labour can’t return to the politics of printing “immigration controls” on a mug to appease the tabloids & the far-right. Labour should continue to call time on racism." - Nadia Jama.

"The Palestinian people have an inalienable right to self-determination which must be realised in practice, including their right to an independent state of Palestine." - Jeremy Corbyn.

"Climate breakdown will increasingly define our politics as impacts like wildfires, hurricanes and drought grow worse at home and abroad. Rebecca Long-Bailey is best placed to translate Labour’s proposition of a Green New Deal into the election winning common sense solution to these climate impacts. That’s why she’s the person to lead Labour into the 2020s. "

"Rebecca’s record on austerity speaks for itself. From entering parliament in 2015 she opposed the Tory Welfare Bill on both second and third readings. That takes guts. She knows that we must remain an anti-austerity party because we have 14,000,000 people in their country barely surviving."

"Many imagine a politician as being completely removed from popular culture, self-interested and contemptuous of the electorate, Long-Bailey however comes across as a normal person who is fighting for her class rather than as member of the privileged elite who is out to protect their own interests. "

"We can’t wait five years for a chance to transform people’s lives. We must begin organising in our communities now." - Rebecca Long Bailey,

"We must defend the radicalism in Labour’s policies which have developed in recent years. Newham’s community wealthy building shows how Labour in local government can play its part in defending the policy agenda Labour needs to maintain, to resisting the new Tory majority in Westminster from the front line." - Daniel Blaney

"We must not fail those children waiting in Calais and the Greek Islands in the hope that they will be able to reach their families legally and safely." - Diane Abbott MP.

There is only one choice for the left in the Labour leadership race, argues our editor Matt Willgress.

"Wherever we are in power, we have a responsibility to start undoing the disastrous legacy of privatisation." - Sakina Sheikh

"The Tories did not win votes from people in northern towns by saying they would be exposed to ever-fiercer international competition." - Paula Barker MP

"The Left has to be rooted in class politics and it needs to be well organised in the communities we seek to represent." - Laura Smith.

"There is no social justice on a dying planet. There is also no way to tackle climate catastrophe without changing the inequalities at the heart of our economy, and without redistributing power from those at the top to the rest of us." - Olivia Blake MP.

"We must oppose all attempts to drive us to war in Iran. We will argue for peace in the Middle East. And we will continue to fight for political leadership which wants peace, which finds money for health and investment and not for war." - Diane Abbott MP.

"The task now in the current Labour leadership contests is to ensure that the eventual winners are committed to the employment rights reform proposals of 2017 and 2019." - Adrian Weir

"With Trump in the White House and Johnson in No 10 fighting poverty, racism and war must be our priorities today. Whatever the setbacks, as individuals and as a movement we cannot - and will not - retreat from those duties." - Richard Burgon.

Our editor looks at the challenges for the year ahead.