EGN NEWS DESK
In an interview with Beth Rigby of Sky News some three weeks earlier than the General Election, in reply to a query about his help for Jeremy Corbyn, Sir Keir Starmer mentioned, ‘I backed Jeremy Corbyn in 2019 as a result of I assumed he would lose.’
As context, it’ll little question be remembered that that is the person who, as quickly as he turned chief, rejected his predecessor’s far-left extremism and pledged to purge the party of anti-Semitism, as a part of which he then suspended Corbyn for anti-Semitic remarks, and subsequently refused to permit him again into the party.
‘So what?’ you may say; Starmer was simply being a politician! But it is a man who, by his personal admission, says no matter he thinks will greatest serve the second. In different phrases, he says what greatest serves his personal pursuits, which may solely undermine his trustworthiness.
So, given Labour’s current landslide victory, what can we now realistically anticipate from the brand new authorities? Starmer has been loud in his claims to have purged the party of anti-Semitism and has vowed by no means to let it seize the party once more. Really? In the run-up to the election, the nation noticed an eruption of anger amongst Muslim voters over Labour’s obvious ‘failure’ to again Palestinians within the struggle in Gaza.
Traditionally, Labour has relied on the backing of Muslim and different minority teams, which collectively have made up round 10 per cent of their core vote. But this time, enraged at what they noticed as a failure to help Palestinian pursuits, native Muslim communities fielded their very own pro-Gaza candidates – and it had an impact. The Labour vote was not simply severely dented throughout the nation in cities the place 10 per cent of the inhabitants determine as Muslim, however Labour truly misplaced 4 of what as much as then had been thought-about ‘protected’ seats.
A worrying improvement, nonetheless you have a look at it, and Starmer’s response has been swift. From sustaining Israel’s proper to defend itself towards Hamas aggression, he began to name for a direct and lasting ceasefire and is reportedly now contemplating recognition of Palestine as an impartial state, even when the US and Israel do not.
The shift in emphasis has been bolstered by a number of of the brand new Government’s ministerial appointments, equivalent to that of Shabana Mahmood as Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice. Ms Mahmood is not only a brand new MP, but additionally a vehement advocate for Palestine, dedicated to rebuilding relations with Muslim voters.
Starmer’s spouse is after all Jewish, and it’s to be hoped he’ll proceed his stand towards anti-Semitism inside Labour – however, counterpointed towards this, the Prime Minister can be attempting now to win again the Muslim vote, and it’s maybe not unreasonable to say: watch this house.
Other insurance policies now rising, and unrelated to Palestine, appear to point the same equivocal method. For instance, Bridget Phillipson, the brand new Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities, has made a lot of her dedication to recruit 6,500 new lecturers and put training again on the prime of the agenda. But she has additionally expressed help for transgender rights, and has refused to commit to implementation of the brand new steerage put ahead by the final authorities, that may ban the scientifically inaccurate and damaging instructing of gender identification in faculties. Previously, she is on file as saying that trans ladies with penises can use female-only areas, and is a champion of trans rights.
This is an method shared by Anneliese Dobbs, the newly appointed Minister of State for Women and Equalities, who will little question be working carefully with Ms Phillipson to fulfil Labour’s pledge to ‘modernise, simplify, and reform the intrusive and outdated gender recognition legislation to a brand new course of’. Despite protests from Christian and girls’s teams, the 2 collectively have been given duty for overseeing implementation of a full trans-inclusive ban on conversion remedy.
There are related issues in relation to Labour’s place on life points. Starmer has already dedicated to supporting the legalisation of assisted ‘dying’, reasserting his promise to permit a free vote when the anticipated invoice comes earlier than Parliament. And, regardless of the very fact one in three ladies within the UK help a discount of the present time restrict for abortion, it will appear that we are able to anticipate the same method to the legalisation of abortion as much as start. Diana Johnson, who earlier this 12 months tried to hijack the Criminal Justice Bill to introduce amendments that may have allowed abortion as much as start and sex-selective abortion, has now been appointed Home Secretary, and can likely sooner or later use her place to place ahead new legislative proposals that can make killing the unborn an inalienable ‘human proper’.
On prime of all this, it now emerges that half the cupboard, together with Sir Keir himself, are overtly atheist, selecting, together with 40 per cent of their colleagues, to make a secular affirmation moderately than take the non secular oath, once they have been sworn into the Commons. Of course, they’re entitled to do that. However, as headlined in The Times, we’ve got simply elected essentially the most godless Parliament in our historical past.
But what of the economic system and nationwide defence? In their manifesto Labour pledged to not increase revenue tax or nationwide insurance coverage, however the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has mentioned that to fulfill its fiscal targets, the brand new authorities shall be compelled both to chop spending or increase taxes. As a part of which, there are already rumours of tax being levied on state pensions, will increase on Capital Gains tax, and the introduction of a ‘wealth’ tax. There are additionally plans to tax personal faculties, and it already appears as if many shall be pressured to shut. So, has the federal government been solely sincere, and what extra ought to we anticipate?
There are additionally issues over nationwide defence. Military analysts warn that, globally, we face a state of affairs the place struggle may very well be imminent – for which the UK is unprepared. To counter the menace, Starmer has launched a significant assessment into the navy and has pledged to extend defence spending to 2.5 per cent. All of which is nice, however he has up to now failed to supply a date or timeline for implementation.
In the wake of the election, some have been speaking enthusiastically a few new begin and a way of hope. But within the present cultural local weather, such optimism seems misplaced. Our new authorities is secularist and can pursue a far-left agenda which is able to, no doubt, carry challenges. Christians ought to put together.
