Starmer broke one pledge after another

When he wasn’t blaming the Tories for the cost of living crisis, he was scapegoating migrants and refugees

By Jude Mckechnie

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Friday 17 July 2026

Issue

The King’s Speech on Wednesday had one hell of an introduction this year. “For two decades our country has been buffeted by crisis after crisis—the 2008 financial crash, the Tory austerity that followed it, Brexit, Covid and the Ukraine war,” it reads. “The response in each case was always a desperate attempt to get back to a status quo—even though that same status quo had repeatedly made working people pay the price.” Socialist Worker wasn’t moonlighting for the Labour government. That was Keir Starmer’s forward to the King’s Speech, where the Labour government lays out its legislative plans for the coming year. If only he’d been in a position to do something about it? He didn’t—and he won’t if you look at what Labour’s really proposing in the King’s Speech. The speech came as Starmer tried to cling on amid growing calls for his resignation from Labour MPs and trade union leaders. It comes after Labour’s meltdown in the local elections in England and the Welsh parliamentary election last week. Two key pieces of legislation rehashed the promises that Starmer made in his desperate speech on Monday. • The Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill will give ministers the power to nationalise the near bankrupt company British Steel. Labour refused to nationalise the steel plant in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, for fear of upsetting big business last April. He allowed Reform UK to outflank him on nationalisation then—and his pledge is too little, too late now. • A European Partnership Bill will allow ministers to fast-track laws on co-operation agreements with the European Union (EU). By making vaguely anti-Brexit sounding noises, he vainly hopes to win back voters from the Green Party without having to make any left wing promises. Starmer may not want to tax the rich to pay for public services—but there will be money for big business. • The Regulating for Growth Bill promises to “boost innovation”. This means money for developing “defence technology”—in other words, the means of destruction and death—and AI controlled ships. • A Civil Aviation Bill will make it easier to expand airports with new powers over take-off and landing slots. There was a little carrot for working class people… • A Social Housing Renewal Bill would exempt newly-built social homes in England from Right to Buy for 35 years. • An Electricity Generator Levy Bill would slightly increase the tax charged on “excess profits” of firms that generate electricity—but not the utility giants that fleece our bank accounts. ….but there is a whole lot more stick. • The Courts Modernisation Bill will push through plans to “scale back” the use of jury trials in England and Wales. • The Immigration and Asylum Bill will make it easier to revoke refugee status. And, in a piece of imperialist posturing, the Tackling State Threats Bill will allow the government to “ban” Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). Which isn’t based in Britain. Starmer is clinging to his position amid growing calls for his resignation (Photo: Number 10/Flickr)

Keir Starmer won on a promise of a break with years of austerity (Photo: Number 10/Flickr)

How do we sum up Keir Starmer’s time as prime minister?

A fairly run of the mill appearance at Welland Academy, Peterborough, last November is a fitting memorial.

Starmer was reading a book in the classroom with pupils when one pointed out that they were on pages 6 and 7.

The prime minister made the 6-7 hand gestures. As he left the room, the headteacher told him the dance was banned.

Starmer apologised to the head, insisting, “I didn’t start it, Miss.”

It was this attitude of “It’s not us, guv!” that came to characterise his entire premiership.

Labour won the election in 2024 on the promise that it would break from years of austerity.

But before long his government had betrayed its pledges, announcing cuts to disability benefits, the winter fuel allowance for pensioners and the retention of the two-child benefit cap.

According to Starmer, these “tough choices” were always out of his hands.

And when he wasn’t blaming the Tories for the cost of living crisis, he was scapegoating migrants and refugees.

Starmer’s capitulation to the racism of the far right and Reform UK has dragged politics further rightwards.

His infamous “island of strangers” speech used the language of Enoch Powell to legitimise anti-migrant racism and emboldened fascist thugs across Britain.

He appointed Peter Mandelson, close pal of convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, as Britain’s ambassador to the US.

Again, Starmer tried to defer the blame to someone else when the scandal broke.

Starmer chose to ally himself with Mandelson, despite his links to Epstein, to ingratiate himself with Donald Trump.

Time and again, when Starmer was faced with challenges, his every answer began with “Look…” and ended with “hard choices”.

But the reality is, the hardship was always placed on working class people.

Starmer’s government repeatedly said the poorest had to tighten their belts while reassuring the rich that Labour was “pro-business”.

Even at his final outing at prime minister’s questions, Starmer was still trying to save face by proclaiming his government had “stabilised the economy”.

Apparently, if you can’t afford your rent, the solution is to admire how calm the financial markets look.

Meanwhile, Britain’s public services are crumbling.

NHS waiting lists remain enormous.

Schools struggle to stay afloat.

Councils are “balancing budgets” with all the grace of someone juggling chainsaws on a trampoline.

Yet, somehow Starmer always seemed to be able to find another few billion in the budget whenever the generals or arms companies demanded it.

We will never forget that while people marched in their millions demanding justice for Palestinians, Starmer backed genocide.

But it was the Palestine movement that broke Starmer’s leadership.

Andy Burnham will be the next prime minister.

And he promises, as Starmer once did, to bring in the “biggest change in our lifetimes”.

But we have to hold him to that promise—or send him packing too.