Above photo: Panel at We Demand Change summit, London, March 29, 2025. Screenshot.
And to the Far Right.
Thousands gathered in London for the We Demand Change summit, charting resistance against Keir Starmer’s austerity policies and the far right
More than 2,000 people joined the We Demand Change summit in London on March 29, taking a stand against the anti-people agenda of Keir Starmer’s Labour Party, as well as the racism and warmongering embedded across Britain’s mainstream political landscape. Organized by groups including the Peace and Justice Project, the Stop the War Coalition, and several trade unions, the summit was described as the beginning of a national resistance-building effort, with local meetings to follow.
“The government and the employers tell us that they can’t afford decent pay or afford to fund our schools and hospitals but when it comes to wars, there is a bottomless pit,” reads the summit’s statement. Throughout the day, activists condemned Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s austerity policies that are set to gut social security and welfare, even as the government announced “generational” levels of military spending. Lindsey German from the Stop the War Coalition put her evaluation bluntly, saying the current government is “the worst Labour government ever.”
Many speakers – including anti-apartheid activist Andrew Feinstein and BDS-founder Omar Barghouti – criticized the British government’s complicity and ongoing support for the genocide in Gaza, with Feinstein pointing out that the Royal Air Force has been heavily engaged in intelligence flights over occupied Palestine.
Labour Wages War On Working Class, Poor, And Disabled
Members of Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) warned of the devastating consequences of recent cuts announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, including support slashed for people living with disabilities. Sophia Kleanthous, a DPAC activist, was among the speakers who described it as unacceptable that there is funding for bombs but not for basic services. Kleanthous also rejected the argument that cutting disability benefits will save money, describing it as a short-sighted policy that will shift the financial burden – and the burden of poverty – on the health and social care systems as has happened before.
Economist and author Yanis Varoufakis reflected on the motivations behind Labour’s austerity-focused trajectory. “Why are they doing this?” he asked, before suggesting that the reason lies in the party structures’ desire to be accepted as equal members of a ruthless ruling class unconcerned with people’s well-being.
Resisting Starmer And Farage
Several speakers described Starmer’s cabinet as a “poodle” or “lapdog” of the Trump presidency, warning that Labour’s attempts to match the far-right rhetoric of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK risk permanent damage. As a consequence of Labour’s failure to break with policies designed and implemented by the Conservative Party, Reform UK has recently hit record highs in polls and membership.
Yet speakers at the summit warned that Reform UK is no alternative to the two traditional parties, despite party members trying to claim the opposite. “They are very wealthy people backed by other very wealthy people who pose to be the friends of workers,” the We Demand Change statement reads. “They will use every trick in the trade to divide us to gain more political power to pursue a pro-business and anti-union agenda.”
In contrast, dozens of trade union leaders and members were present, reflecting their understanding of the divisive tactics employed by the far right. Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), stressed the urgency of “organizing like never before” to halt the rise of far-right figures like Farage, signaling that the NEU is ready for the task. “Nigel Farage declared war on my union not once this week, not twice, but three times. But I’ve got a very clear message for that city boy spiv. If you want a war with me and my union, you can have one.”
Similarly, economist Grace Blakeley acknowledged the feeling of hopelessness that can arise from the current moment, yet encouraged everyone present to keep on building resistance and alternative visions of the world. After all, Blakeley said, left and progressive politics always emerged from people’s struggles rather than “smart policies.”