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Starmer’s two most senior frontbenchers – and potential replacements – imploded this week (video)

Keir Starmer’s two most senior front-benchers – Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Shadow Home Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds – both managed to implode on LBC radio this week in the space of a few days.

Reeves was reduced to gibberish when asked about transphobia in the party, while Thomas-Symonds didn’t know the current minimum wage as he tried to defend Starmer’s betrayal of low-paid workers and yet another breach of faith with his leadership campaign promises.

The results were embarrassing and profoundly comedic – but also expose just how bereft of substance any centrist successor to Starmer – Reeves is a particular favourite of the Blairites – is likely to be:

What a dried-out shell of itself Labour has become in just 18 months of the Starmer regime.

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60 comments

  1. The motion demanding a minimum wage of £15ph has passed on a ‘unanimous’ show of hands.

      1. Doug – The same as the number of nominations required to get on the ballot paper in any Labour party leadership election, regardless of whether there is a vacancy or not.

      2. SteveH
        Confused.com
        Your lot are telling the MSM and toilet papers it’s enough to stop another JC
        Methinks not

      3. Doug – Then we’ll have to agree to differ, time will tell.

      4. Doug, right now 20% of the PLP is 40 Labour MPs, less that the total number of members of the SCG.

      5. Doesn’t matter Doug,the socialist group have been too shy to do anything about this bunch of parasites at the Top….middle….bottom and a good number of the members…and its to late now….Look at the NEC kangaroo court when the so called left were in the majority and Weep.Thats why the arrogant wee fellow is laughing all the way to the bank.They couldn’t give a monkeys about the Labour party.and even less about the Peasants…!

      6. JFK
        Think not what your party can do for you, but what you can do for your party

      7. Ask not what your country can do for you,but what you can do for your country. “John Fitzgerald Kennedy” The murdered USA President.Doug you will have to do more than misquote a great man like Jack Kennedy to resurect the Zombie Labour party.Did you enjoy the “Wake” at the Conference?

      8. I see that now you are back after a few days off you are once again attacking the left that you claim to support. Nasty. You don’t fool me Joseph.I have you well and truly sussed.

      9. Smartboy….We all know what got your knickers in a twist and its not the Labour party.And making silly allegations about myself who can be easily validated because I actually use the name I was born with and campaigned with and was elected a Labour councillor with..and appeared on TV with and the media reports across the UK.as a Labour party socialist.So get your best frock on and stop the silly nasty untrue allegations.I hate the Labour neo liberal alliance.. and love the left wing democratic socialist movement.

      10. Joseph
        What’s the dream before I go to that great Cheltenham Festival in the sky
        Now what do we need to do to, get from here to there
        Unison, GMB and Unite
        600,000 members
        12 million supporters
        Demographics tell us we are the future
        JC legacy, 2017 and 2019 manifestos were a good baseline
        Covid19 and the toxic stench coming from cheap and nasty Tory party
        Cleaning out Red Tories once and for all
        Regards

      11. Doug….we all know it’s unlikely that the democratic socialist Labour party will ever again speak for the people of Britain…because its gone and like you I never would have thought that the right wing representing the neo liberal alliance across the main parties would ever take complete control. I still believe in miracles doug but even the ones representing us in the socialist group don’t seem to “get it”. I admire your tenacity and would hope you succeed in your quest to resurrect the dead which surprisingly to many I do believe in and repeated at mass every Sunday or thereabouts in this Buddhist country were Catholics are as common as a socialist in the PLP…..I will pray for you and the dog 🐕of course comrade.

      12. Joseph
        Making mocking trans/ homophoblic comments in response to my pointing out that you constantly undermine Jeremy Corbyn and the Left simply demonstrates that you can’t defend your position and exposes you up for what you really are – a rather nasty Troll

      13. Serios accusations smartboy and we all know what the trawlings about now…Transphobic?….Oh well you can make silly accusations that frankly dont stand up.Where have I seen that before in the Labour party.I yes so you can’t have me thrown out so whats the next step smart boy?.Maybe a complaint to Steve Walker?.Why don’t you really come out and make the serios accusations in your real name instead of hiding behind the keyboard and making the similarities between the right wing and you obvious.You don’t thought control me smarty or anyone else who comments here so crawl back into the dark side from which you came

      14. Reply to Joseph okeefe
        I am just a very ordinary Socialist member and Trade Unionist Joseph who quietly goes about my business but I recognise you for the right wing Troll that you are. You don’t fool me .

      15. Smartyboy…..You started the ball rolling today when you jumped in with a unprovoked attack upon me when I was posting to doug and his dog 🐕.Now in the grownup world if you keep kicking the dog youre gonna get bitten.So cut out the attacks against me and the total lies and deceit and you wouldn’t then be getting in a hissy fit when you get bitten.We all know how much you care about the Labour party but dont use that excuse for the attacks against me personally because I couldn’t back you up fully on Trans people rights to dictate the agenda on thought control.Like I have always said I wasnt much interested in the Trans issues and I never wanted to be.h.So the advice to you is be careful of alienating people like me who just want to lead a normal life out of the issues that are not really on the agenda because there are many more urgent issues to deal with such as the infiltration of the neo liberal Labour party and the rest of the alliance in government.exploiting the working-class….Give it a rest!

      16. Reply To Josephokeefe at 3.47pm
        Your views on trans rights are not the issue as you are well aware.
        I strongly object to you posing as a Socialist on this site and undermining the Left, The Socialist Campaign Group members and Jeremy Corbyn in one nasty post after another. I posted earlier that I would call you and your fellow Troll, Signposts, out as and when you vilified the Left. It remains my intention to do so although for now he appears to have gone where all good Trolls go.

    1. I see that Margaret Beckett has been replaced by Alice Perry as the new chair of the NEC and Johanna Baxter was chosen to replace Alice as vice-chair

      1. Well at least the old lady wont be poping pills or admit to being a “smack head…but I worry that she’s not quite” with it in a sort of “Biden” way. Still from my failing memory I don’t think having lost your marbles has ever been a no…no for the NEC kangaroo court of no return.Ask Chris Williamson and many other victims over the years.Maybe I should apply?Oh forgot I got confused 😕and bailed out…never mind Bolton wanderers won 4….1at Charlton and absolutely peeing down….which brings me back to senile old people in important jobs?…..My wife Carol remembers chatting in the Ladys with Margaret Beckett in the Grand Hotel at conference after having a row with Primarolo the bar fly and found Margaret a refreshing change from the Blair babes….funny how age withers maybe Margaret should stick to her caravan holidays and hit the road.she used to be so much better than a stooge for Starmar.

  2. Stammer on BBC news:

    didn’t enter politics to vote and lose all the time

    No, you twerp. You abstain all the bastard time. Do one.

    1. Can we send these (Right Wing) House of Commons Amazon Astro robots back, clearly in the wrong Party?

    2. The Toffee (597), the fraudulent MR keir “erik armrest” starmer has said even worse; “winning is more important than party unity.”

      Well 1) how many councillors or mps have won since he’s been leader? (Or rather how many have lost?) and 2) the electorate never vote for parties that are not united.

  3. In 2020 Starmer said “If we can’t unify the party, we can’t win”. Today when asked “What’s more important, unity or winning?” He said “Winning”.
    Says all you need to know.

    1. Lundiel, I hadn’t seen your comment when I made mine (above) at 9pm, apologies.

  4. Stammer on ch4 news, getting it of Gary Gibbon:

    ‘We were always looking inwards because our MPs were too busy talking to their constituents and worrying about being deselected’

    That’s because those that were, were/are PROVEN LIARS, and those that those that weren’t/aren’t, were/are self-serving shite anyway.

    And this is why stammer believes once you’re elected it should be a job for life. Entitled careerist lowlife vermin that they are.

    1. I can only find one MP who was deselected under Corbyn – Roger Godsiff (me neither), whereas there were none under Kinnock and three under Blair. So that was more lies.

      1. Having the trait of compulsive liar seems to be a required job description for a large majority of mps, (there are, thankfully, some exceptions).

      2. Roger godsiff was forced out for standing shoulder to shoulder with moslem parents against the idea of teaching children as young as four about the choices on offer in having sex….Fact.!

  5. ” …our MPs were too busy talking to their constituents and worrying about being deselected ..”

    !!!! TOO BUSY TALKING TO THEIR CONSTITUENTS !!!!!!!

    words fail ..

    For isn’t this the JOB of the MP?

    Am assuming that “talking to” includes “listening to ….”

    Ours spends a massive amount of time talking to constituents AND
    in the winter of 2019 canvassed on doorsteps in the rain and the cold ..
    and on slippy wet pavements. I know because I was there.

    result – we had an OK result in 2019 with a good majority ..

    and in the local Elections ..

    MPs should also be open to policy initiatives from their local members.
    – obviously ..

    I am NOT one for reselecting every time – but LPs should have the
    opportunity to trigger this if a certain %age votes for deselection.

  6. I recall the disgusting abuse Diane Abbott received, and continues to receive, after making one mistake in interview.

    It is a dead cert that the two reprobates, reeves and thomas-symonds, will not suffer any abuse for their inability to provide answers to the questions put to them!

    .
    I would also like to add my thanks to Skwawkbox for all his hard work covering the shitshow aka the tory labour conference.

    1. Richard everyone in politics makes mistakes dependent on the moment in time no matter how slick they maybe.Dianne was highlighted because most of the media dont like uppity black women especially.The main mistake Dianne Abbott made was like the mp Godsiff who was deselected for other reasons she used her constituents taxpayers money to get a private education for her children because she described the education of her constituents schools not good enough for her children…This to me and many others seemed hypocrisy running wild and a insulting to the members many of us socialists.that had fought for decent education for all.Even warmonger Blair realised public schools are a no go area for many of the membership at that time in the ninteys.Nowadays Labour mps see it has no problem and do not believe in leading from the front.and promote a whole raft of devisive practices as veiwed in the conference fiasco.

  7. Toffee…..this is Starmer:

    TRILATERAL COMMISSION: Sir Keir Starmer is a member of the intelligence-linked Trilateral Commission, an organisation set up in 1973 by American billionaire David Rockefeller who was then chairman of Chase Manhattan Bank.

    “Its stated aim is to “foster closer cooperation between Japan, Western Europe and North America”. It includes senior figures from US national security establishment such as former US sec of state Henry Kissinger and former US director of national intelligence, John Negroponte.

    Other members include John M. Deutch, former head of the CIA and Jami Miscik, a former deputy head. Declassified docs reveal that David Rockefeller himself had close ties to the CIA. Doc below shows preparations for a meeting between Rockefeller and the head of the CIA in 1980.

    Starmer is listed as only serving British MP who is a member. The same list, however, notes four “former members now in public service”, one of whom is also British: Tory MP, Rory Stewart, who a security source told the Telegraph was an MI6 officer before moving into politics.

    Trilateral Commission has access to highest level of the British intel establishment. At a Commission meeting in 2017, Eliza Manningham-Buller—Sir Jonathan Evans’ predecessor as head of MI5—chaired discussion with Sir David Omand, former director of GCHQ. Starmer was also there.

    THE TIMES NEWSPAPER: During his time at the CPS, Starmer developed a particularly close relationship with the Times and its sister paper the Sunday Times, papers owned by Rupert Murdoch.

    Taken from a Twitter thread by the superb Matt Kennard read it here:

    https://twitter.com/kennardmatt/status/1250344315777212416?s=21

    1. The trilateral commission, along with all similar organisations should be proscribed and membership should result in a custodial sentence.

    2. The British American Project is another organisation that is a “transatlantic fellowship of over 1,000 leaders, rising stars and opinion formers from a broad spectrum of occupations, backgrounds and political views.” with close links to New Labour. Petie Mandlson’s a member along with Ruth Smeeth’s husband. https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2016/07/22/smee-j22.html
      I feel fairly certain Smeeth will be parachuted into a safe constituency soon.

      1. And let’s not forget, Smeeth was a member of the defence sub committee. Our relationship with NATO and America cuts across political parties, it is managed and we have no say in it.

      2. They’re all bloody Spooks! It’s been like this for what? 70 years +? The curtains are drawn tighter than ever. Just peeping can see you ground to dust.

      3. ” I feel fairly certain Smeeth will be parachuted into a safe constituency soon.

        And a loser like Starmer (and Smeeth herself) will believe that this sends a supportive signal to the billionaires, who won’t even notice – theey’re always looking at the day-after-tomorrow’s profit, not today’s. Post-covid and the new normal, losers like Starmer matter less to the billionaire supermensch than they did pre-9/11 with people like Blaire.

      4. Lundiel…. I would like to parachute Smeeeth into the Mekong delta here with a bag of chemicals and CIA stamped on her head.I wouldn’t give her more than a couple of hours before she would meet her maker..And you wouldn’t believe the neck of these parasites that We are seeing infiltration of the CIA trained operatives into so called NGO Christian evangelical groups from the US and locally….and blow me down(very possible)The bloody Royal Navy ships sailing off our coast backed up by uncle sam and Cousin cobber….You couldn’t make it up the alleged UK is going down the Plughole with the pound collapsing along with infrastructure,No fuel…no food on the shelves and these clowns are sailing up and down the S.China sea trying to frighten the most powerful country on earth China.?

  8. Apparently the motion(s) on £15 minimum wage and statutory sick pay at living wage passed, according to what I’ve read on twitter.

    I completely agree with the words of Andy McDonald; “If the Labour leadership respects party democracy, then it must now honour the commitment to raising the minimum wage to £15 per hour & increasing statutory sick pay to a living wage.

  9. Thanks Richard and very interesting comments from Trickett,..Did anyone wonder whether john was saying a long goodbye or did I imagine it?.IF he is then one of the biggest fighters for the old idea of working together for the people would be a massive loss to Socialism and a working-class voice.

    1. Joseph – ,,,,and there was I thinking that he was being put forward as a potential leader. Ah well, yet another one falls by the wayside.

  10. Steve H Hall centrist Dad…You are basically dancing on your own grave with the knight.You are already disillusioned by the antics of the right and youve got what youve been paid for so “enjoy” its bankrupt will be the next cry 😢of alarm.

  11. We as a Socialist Party sold our SOUL firstly by electing Kinnock as Leader But much much worse than this travesty the Party then SOLD ITS SOUL in 1997 TO THE DEVIL and his myriad of Disciples, We the Grassroots had Taken back our Party under the Stewardship of a Wonderful Man with Policies For the People Policies which were aimed at Ending Poverty Making the RICH Newspaper Barons and CEOs and Merchant Bankers And Hedge Funds and the Branson’s of this World a Man with Billions a Creature so Vile he Sued the NHS because he Lost a Contract knowing full Well the Monetary situation within the NHS but HE grabbed all that TAX PAYERS MONEY meant for the NHS and put it towards his flight of Fancy Into Space, Then we and all Left MPs and Unions who History will correctly Condemn as COWARDS on the same level as the German People who Stood by Said and done Nothing to prevent the Rise of the Nazi Party and the Third Reich, Most Will think I’m exaggerating I do not believe I am
    Look at who’s running the Country at the moment a gang of Racist Thugs Led by a incompetent Buffoon who wants Britain to Go Galactic WTF IS THIS MOTHERFU**ER ON whatever it is I want some! God Help Us
    And Look at our once Great Party who gave the British Working Class The Welfare State and NHS Led by a Privileged Incompetent Lying Blairite Prick
    A Rich Knight of The Realm Sir Kier Starmer who wouldn’t know if he was Hungry because he has never suffered Hunger? This My Socialist Party Comrades IS THE END OF THE LABOUR PARTY it Died when we let These Mongrels take out Jeremy Rayner Shouted out that the Tories were Scum well Rayner it takes Scum to know Scum You and the rest of the Front Bench are Tories the Backbenchers are COWARDS and You lot of Self Serving Bastards will never FORM A GOVERNMENT and how Dare The Sleaze Bag Leader of a Rogue Party Call Scotland’s Government BAD in the same BREATH as saying The Scots are really unlucky of Having two Bad Governments what a Slavering Rich Elitist Bastard. INDEPENDENCE FOR SCOTLAND NOW FUCK 2023 NOW 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

    1. peej1952 – your problem is that the working class ran in the opposite direction and voted Tory rather than vote for Jeremy. It was quite an achievement to be so popular that for the first time ever in Labour’s history more of the working class voted Tory than voted for Labour. The sad fact is that more of the middle class voted for Labour than did the working class.

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