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Andy Burnham virtually daily piles idiocy upon duplicity. So far we have had his David Brentish guitar plucking in Ukraine whilst simultaneously squandering billions as well as taking another massive step towards war and Armageddon, his u-turn on political donations, proposed scrapping of local planning control in the interests of the worst reactionary US corporations, his workfare proposal for youth and now his latest gaffe telling the Irish people what’s good for them.

The prospect for an Irish so-called border poll cannot be “off the table” because it’s written into the Good Friday Agreement which binds Britain, Ireland and the international community to a process which determines whether and when such a vote will take place.

Burnham appears way out his depth and very much like the fictional character David Brent apparently clueless as to what to do about anything and everything.

Jim McDaid, Socialist Labour Party

In my part of the country, we have a saying; “ ’Gob can say ‘owt”. Meaning that there is often a big difference between what people say and what people do.

In the case of Andy Burnham, the gap is proving to be very wide. Burnham made big promises to address the issue of Youth Employment, yet his announced response is both pitiful and worthy of contempt.

Yesterday (26-8-2026) Burnham said of young people;

“They have been let down by a system that told them there was only one route to success, and then left them without the opportunities to get their foot in the door anywhere else…The youth unemployment crisis has been ignored for too long.

That ends now.”

So, what is Burnhams magic solution to youth unemployment?

In conjunction with the supermarket company, Sainsbury’s, Burnham will create 10,000 ‘work experience opportunities’ over the next year for young people through its new programme, ironically named, ‘KickStarter’. All that is being offered, in fact, is workfare.

Sainsburys is a company that donates to all the major political parties, including Labour, (including a donation from Lord Sainsbury of almost £165,000), and it has recently shed thousands of jobs (3000+) over the last year as part of a massive £1 billion cost-saving initiative. Bear in mind also that a good proportion of its staff are likely to be already low-paid enough to be in receipt of Universal Credit, (across the UK, roughly 32% to 38% of all Universal Credit claimants are actively employed (in-work claimants). Retail and hospitality are among the sectors with the highest volume of part-time, flexible contracts that qualify for benefit top-ups.).

So, Burnham’s big initiative to help young people into work, is to offer them to Sainsburys as cheap labour.

Burnham’s great strategy will be to ‘kickstart’ the careers of our young people by forcing them to stack shelves, working for nothing, in exchange for their benefits, and in all likelihood, have those benefits removed if they refuse.

This is nothing better than indentured servitude, a work practice that should have been assigned to history long ago. Our young people deserve much better than this. They deserve proper employment, apprenticeships with good training, jobs with decent wages and conditions. The kick start they are getting, is a kick in the teeth from this Labour government.

The manifesto of the Socialist Labour Party lays out the case for decent jobs and training for our young people.

“Full employment and equal pay policies are necessary to help achieve a fair chance for all Britain’s young people. Such policies would help rebuild Britain’s industrial and manufacturing base – provided there are policies to restore Britain as an industrial and manufacturing nation.

It is essential to establish proper apprenticeship schemes, paying a full wage during the period of apprenticeship.”

What our young people need are real jobs and apprenticeships;

They need work not workfare!

Allistair Lomax (Socialist Labour Party)

Recently appointed British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is intent on following in the footsteps of not only his immediate predecessor Keir Starmer but also those Tory PM’s including the utterly appalling Boris Johnson in his slavish acquiescence to those globalist forces led by the US in the drive to control or contain those countries looking to maintain their national sovereignty in the interests of their peoples and national interests against global capitalism.

Burnham’s recent visit to Ukraine and pledging of on-going financial and military support of the US/NATO proxy war against Russia is a disaster economically for this country with £billions being wasted on destruction (and enriching of weapons manufacturing corporations!) rather than investment in our NHS, education system or productive industrial development. His policy may also shortly lead to facilities in this country involved in the production of weaponry used to attack deep into Russian territory being directly targeted militarily.

No equivalent support is ever considered for assisting Palestine whose people are subjected to ongoing genocidal attack and slaughter by Israel and in this can be clearly seen the objectives of the British government.

The Socialist Labour Party condemns the actions and intentions of PM Burnham and his vassal government and demands a halt to ongoing escalation in Ukraine urging instead a policy of diplomacy to avert war and catastrophe using available funds to support our public services and to provide essential support for those in desperate need in parts of the world like Palestine.

The Socialist Labour Party

The news from Ferguson Marine is a damning indictment of the Scottish government’s ferry procurement strategy. The yard need not face an “inevitable gap” and be “forced” to shed 70 skilled posts with proper contract management resulting in its core staff dropping from 247 to just 177 – ministers have yet to even contact the Competition and Markets Authority about the four promised new vessels. Meanwhile, the government continues to farm out vital shipbuilding contracts to foreign yards. Repeatedly, CMAL has turned to overseas shipbuilders in Poland and Turkey to construct ferries, often citing delays at Ferguson. Yet the irony is palpable: sending contracts abroad creates a self-fulfilling prophecy. By starving the Port Glasgow yard of continuity the government guarantees the very capacity constraints they claim necessitate using foreign yards.

The Economic Case for Port Glasgow

Building these four vessels locally is not mere sentiment; it is sound economics. Ferguson Marine supports a vast supply chain across the West of Scotland – from Glasgow’s steel fabricators and marine engineers to local electricians and logistics firms. Every £1 spent on local shipbuilding generates a significant multiplier effect that evaporates when taxpayers’ money flows to Gdansk or Istanbul. Moreover, the yard currently holds 32 apprentices. Without new orders, these apprentices face a bleak future, extinguishing a generation of Clyde-based skills that have been painstakingly nurtured. Localising the contracts ensures these high-value technical jobs remain in Scotland, bolstering the regional economy rather than subsidising competitor nations.

The Social Imperative

Socially, the stakes could not be higher. Inverclyde has already lost 1,500 jobs in recent years. Ferguson Marine is the last commercial yard on the Clyde, and its potential demise would strike a devastating blow to community morale and identity. Shipbuilding is woven into the fabric of Port Glasgow; losing it forcing highly skilled workers to seek employment elsewhere in the UK or abroad, further hollowing out the local population.The government must halt its “due diligence” procrastination. It needs to directly award the promised contracts, bypassing the failed competitive procurement models that have sent money overseas, and instead invest in the country’s own industrial resilience. To do otherwise is not just a betrayal of a “blameless workforce,” as the GMB union aptly put it, but a systemic failure to protect the economic and social future of the West of Scotland.

Jim McDaid, Leader of The Socialist Labour Party

The Socialist Labour Party is unequivocally opposed to nuclear weapons.

On this day 81 years ago America dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, killing instantly in excess of 100,000 innocent people. Many more died later because of injuries and the effect of radiation. This was the first use of such a weapon of mass destruction. A second A-bomb was dropped on Nagasaki 3 days later killing many more. America claimed it was to force Japan to surrender in WW2.

The truth is that Japan was already in negotiations to surrender. The only sticking point was the future role of the Emperor Hirohito. The use of these weapons of mass destruction was totally unnecessary. It was a show of strength by America against the Soviet Union.

Nuclear weapons do not protect. If ever used they will kill friend and foe alike. For that reason they are not a deterrent. They must never be used. America has again a war- monger as president who has shown his love for conflict. He has shown he is capable of leading the world into war. Nuclear weapons must be destroyed from the 9 countries that have them. If not the world has no future.

No to nuclear weapons.

No to militarism.

No to increased spending on weapons.

Yes to spending on the essentials of life.

That is the policy of the Socialist Labour Party.

Chris Butler – 6th August 2026

In July, the last statement of the Starmer led government told the British people to store food,water and essentials in case of a Russian cyber attack.

A huge Civil Defence exercise is planned for 2027.

Only a few years ago there were empty shelves and panic during the Covid Pandemic.

In the Cold War Era we were given such useless and threatening advice; “in case of a nuclear attack”, that many of us protested at Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp.

We are still tied to NATO,s forever wars, led by the USA. Iran is again being bombed by B1 bombers from USAF Fairford, in England.Mainstream media thinks calling them RAF Bases neutralises the demand for the USAF to leave Britain.Something long overdue, since the end of the Second World War.

Billions of £s have been spent on the Ukraine War,with no mandate to fire Storm Shadow Missiles and drones into Russia.

PM Starmer resigned when £15 billion couldn,t be found for the Defence Investment Plan.

PM Burnham says it will be found,and upholds international defence committments.

No change to the 3% GDP on Defence, with 5% promised, backing Zelensky and firing long range missiles into Russia. The complicity in genocide against Gaza,and Lebanon continues.

NATO war plans against Russia, aimed for 2030, are behind advice on Russian cyber attacks.

We are in climate crisis, with crops dehydrated, fires and drought.Gas, diesel and petrol costs are unaffordable,with two wars raging there may soon be no resupply.Winter is soon.

PM Burnham committed to these wars when he should have chosen peace.The spending on these wars is not compatible with taking care of the British people.At a time of austerity and wars, we will need food banks and emergency stores because of no change in government policy.

Kathrine Jones Socialist Labour Party, Wales.

The situation in the Spanish colony Ceuta has once again brought the question of immigration and migration to the fore. Whether or not the current incident was a manufactured, hybrid war event brought on by elements hostile to Spanish government policy towards the US and Israel is an open question.

However the matter of current British government policy on immigration and migration remains.

The SLP policy on immigration and economic migration is based on the understanding that the crisis facing Britain is caused by the EU’s adoption of the Nice Treaty in 2001, resulting in the open borders within the EU which it needs for globalisation.

When the Nice Treaty was signed in 2001, the population of Britain was 59 million and the number of asylum seekers and immigrants roughly equalled the number of people emigrating from Britain. The policy introduced by the EU removed border controls, resulting in people from 25 countries being able to freely enter other EU countries.

This has been the major factor in increasing the British population to 70 million, having a dramatic effect on budgets and public spending designed for a smaller population.

Other countries have also been affected by problems created by overcrowding – problems which include the intensified rise of right-wing elements, which we warned would happen.

The Socialist Labour Party policy on immigration/emigration is clear. A sensible and fair immigration policy should give priority to asylum seekers, citizens of countries previously ‘ruled’ by Britain, limited to the number of people emigrating each year.

Socialist Labour Party July 2026

The slaughter of innocents, ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and genocide in Palestine/Gaza has been condemned by the United Nations, supported by the overwhelming majority of countries throughout the world. The SLP welcomes the January 2024 judgement of the International Court of Justice condemning the genocidal action of Israel in Gaza. We also welcome the May 2024 call by Karim Khan, prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. We support the isolation of the Apartheid Israeli state, Britain should withdraw diplomatic and all other relations, refuse to have any financial dealings with and indeed fully sanction the Israeli state until a Palestinian state is established with the right of full return for all exiled Palestinians and their descendants. The SLP stands in full solidarity with the Palestinian people.

The world is in a perilous state – in danger of nuclear annihilation. We have been driven to this situation by increasingly desperate, warmongering elites and governments. The conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine have their roots in this approach by western governments and there is the potential for more war and destruction because of US aggression towards China. The SLP opposes all this madness and stands for internationalism, friendship between nations and peoples and against war.

The SLP does not adopt a position in support of any capitalist country. However, we are aware of the origins of the Ukraine – Russia conflict. In short, it is because of NATO expansion, the 2014 CIA organised coup against the democratically elected Ukrainian President and government, and the civil war launched by the Ukrainian coup leaders against their own citizens in the Donbass region of that country. Even after Russia’s intervention in 2022 the then Ukrainian government had an opportunity to come to a settlement with the “Minsk” accords. Their own negotiators signed but goaded by then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (seen recently in a leaked video lauding the openly fascist AZOV brigade) the agreement was reneged on by President Zelensky. Unfortunately for Ukraine any future deal is likely to be so much less agreeable.

The SLP is clear; we oppose globalisation as we do NATO expansionism and US aggression – we say stop funding war. Let us begin working towards a world truly at peace with liberty, justice and prosperity for all.

Socialist Labour Party
11th of July 2026

Farage calls it a personal gift, others call it a bung, an undeclared bung. Bung or gift it will cost the British taxpayers £250,000 to run the by-election his resignation has now caused, a by-election that will probably be only contested by Farage and Count Binface. This is nothing short of contempt and abuse of the electorate in what passes for a so called democratic electoral system that’s rapidly resembling the illusion of democracy in the USA, where donors and lobby groups have far more influence over government policy than millions of voters.

Today here in the UK we have property magnates, Bio Pharma entrepreneurs, Supermarket chains, Health Tech companies, Hedge Funds who have millions of pounds invested in arms companies selling arms to genocidal states such as Israel. Aside from these organisations we have former government ministers lobbying on behalf of the arms industry and oil and energy giants, all buying government influence and shaping policy that the ordinary man and women in the street have no hope of competing against.

The five million quid Farage pocketed is a sum of money beyond most people’s dreams, but it’s a part of the process of what buys influence, government taxpayer funded contracts into everything from the NHS to the Ministry of Defence and to local government.

Who owns who and what today in Britain, who do politicians work for and on whose behalf, it’s certainly not for us!

By SLP member Denis Doody

US President Trump threatens to invade Cuba yet again and completely occupy the whole island as the United States did from 1899 to  the 1950s.

In 1961, the US invaded Cuba  in an operation which became known as “The Bay of Pigs”, seeking to restore the island to the millionaires and gangsters who for decades had regarded Cuba as their playground.

The attempt in1961 was defeated, yet the United States managed to keep a base in the part of Cuba known as Guantanamo Bay  – which, shockingly and shamefully,  it still occupies today.

In 1962 the Soviet Union provided Cuba with nuclear missile sites to defend Cuba from U.S. attack.  US aggressive reaction nearly led to a nuclear war.  Conflict was averted by negotiations between the Soviet Union and the US.

Today, the Socialist Labour Party calls on Russia and China to make clear that any invasion of Cuba by the United States will be met with an attack on the U.S. by Russia and China  – even if, tragically, it leads to nuclear war.  Donald Trump’s United States will recognise no other language.

Arthur Scargill

Socialist Labour Party

5 July 2026