Author: LabourCND

This article was first published on Labour Outlook

This week, Labour NEC members were invited to a drinks reception inside number 10 by Keir Starmer. Arguing that, “While every day Palestinians are being killed and their homes destroyed, it was only right to remind Keir of Britains role in enabling Israel to continue this genocide,” Left NEC member Jess Barnard took the opportunity to wear a t-shirt designed by Katherine Hamnett for the Palestine Solidarity Campaign demanding the government stop arming Israel.

Jess also wore this at the Labour NEC away day, where she again called on Starmer to uphold international law, respect the ICC arrest warrants and to ban all arms exports to Israel.

Speaking to Labour Outlook, peace and Palestine solidarity campaigners, plus voices from the Left of the labour movement welcomed these initiatives in support of justice for Palestine, and echoed the importance of the call to end all arms sales to Israel.

Ben Jamal, Director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign said, “By wearing this t-shirt into 10 Downing Street and confronting Keir Starmer directly with the message that there must be no more arms sales to Israel, Jess Barnard was doing her job as a representative of ordinary Labour Party members and expressing the moral stance shared by millions of people across Britain. It is grotesque that the British government continues to supply weapons and provide diplomatic cover to a state which is not only on trial for genocide but is led by a fugitive from international justice who is wanted for arrest by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity and war crimes.”

MP Richard Burgon said, “We need to continue to press the Government to end all arms sales to Israel. It’s simply not legally or morally justified to continue exporting fighter jets parts, that are being used to kill Palestinian children, to an Israeli leader facing an arrest warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Labour National Executive Committee member Jess Barnard has again highlighted this hugely important point and we must all continue to raise it until the government takes the necessary action.”

Fellow MP John McDonnell also tweeted his support for Jess’ message.

Mads Wainman, Labour Students Disabled Students Officer, said, “Jess Barnard has my unreserved solidarity in her resistance against the sale of arms to Isreal. After a year of genocide against the Palestinian people, the Prime Minister must divest from Isreal, enforce sanctions and comply with the ICC and international law. Every day this action isn’t taken, more lives are lost. I applaud Jess Barnard’s call for justice and reiterate her stance against Britain’s role in this genocide. We must act now.”

Also speaking to Labour Outlook, Carol Turner of Labour CND commented, “Jess Barnard is one of a handful of courageous campaigners prepared to speak truth to power when it comes to the suffering and injustice in Gaza.

The terms of under which the UK grants arms export licenses make clear that no license should be granted which might be used to ‘commit or facilitate’ serious violations of international humanitarian law. By failing to turn words into action, the government brings shame on us all.

Labour’s hesitant first step is welcome. Now it must go the whole way by suspending the licensing of F35 parts which are used to bomb Gaza and the West Bank.”

Meanwhile, the Stop the War Coalition said Jess was “reflecting the ever-growing call in wider society for Starmer and Lammy to end all support for Israel and to commit unequivocally to upholding international law.”

From the Labour Left, Rachel Garnham of the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy said, “The Campaign for Labour Party Democracy supports the call for Britain to stop supplying arms to Israel. Britain should not be assisting in the daily massacres of Palestinians. It’s excellent to see Jess Barnard raising this issue at the highest level and ensuring the views of so many grassroots members are represented.”

The Arise – A Festival of Left Ideas volunteers also expressed their solidarity.

Let’s keep up the campaigning on this issue – see you on the streets Saturday!

As the war in Ukraine intensifies, at the recent G20 Summit in Brazil Keir Starmer failed to address a direct question about the risks of nuclear war with Russia. The Trident nuclear weapons system together with the UK government’s consent for the stationing of US nuclear weapons in Britain makes us a target.  

The Prime Minister and Defence Secretary continue to insist that the UK is ‘doubling down’ on support for  Ukraine. Britain commits £3 billion a year; we are the third largest donor after the US and Germany. Keir  Starmer says the UK will back Ukraine ‘for as long as it is needed’. 

The decision by the UK government to allow Ukraine to fire long-range Storm Shadow missiles into Russian territory, following a similar decision by the United States, is a reckless escalation in the conflict  which has already lasted over 1000 days and cost countless lives. These decisions risk the spread of war  across Europe with the potential for nuclear exchange. 

President Putin considers an attack by Ukraine using weapons supplied by another state will be viewed by  Russia as an attack by that third country. The Russian Ambassador to the UK has said he considers Britain to  be ‘directly involved’ in the conflict. Russian nuclear doctrine has recently changed. The nuclear threat must  not be underestimated.  

While the majority of commentators continue to back the war, downplaying the possibility of its spread  across Europe, public opinion is moving in the opposite direction. Support for a negotiated settlement to end  the war in Ukraine is growing in both the United States and West Europe.  

A large-scale survey in June this year by the US Institute for Global Affairs, for example, found two in every  three Americans and Western Europeans wanted their government to avoid escalation and prevent further  suffering of the Ukrainian people more than they wanted to deter Russia or see the restoration of Ukraine’s  borders.  

The dramatic population decline in war-torn Ukraine reveals the extent of their suffering – the combined  result of battlefield and civilian deaths, a drop in the birth rate, and the exodus of refugees. In February  2022, the population of Ukraine was 43 million. It is an estimated 35 million today  

More than 20,000 men are believed to have fled Ukraine to avoid military service. Conscription has been  described as ‘chaotic’ and ‘tarnished by corruption’. In April Ukraine introduced a controversial new law  lowering the draft age and introduced stringent penalties for evasion.  

The people of Russia have also been hard hit. The Pentagon estimates there are more than 600,000 Russian  casualties of war. While sanctions have not had the impact the Nato allies were hoping for, present estimates 

put the cost of war for Russia at between $500 million to $1 billion. It is reported that Russia spends  approximately one third of its GDP on the war effort. 

The spread of war across Europe and the potential for nuclear confrontation can only be averted if the war is  ended by a negotiated settlement. The outstanding question is how long that will take and how many more  deaths there will be in the meantime. 

WE CALL ON THE GOVERNMENT TO:

Take a lead in ending the suffering of the people of Ukraine!
Stop promoting endless war!
Support de-escalation, ceasefire, and negotiations now!

As the war in Ukraine continues and escalations risk a much wider war, London Region CND Chair Carol Turner wrote the below article for Labour Outlook on the need for de-escalation.

The call by President Zelensky to be allowed to use long-range cruise missiles supplied by its NATO allies deep within Russian territory posed an imminent threat of a Europe-wide war between nuclear armed states. The announcement by Prime Minister Starmer, that talks with President Biden resulted in no decision permitting Ukraine to do so is a welcome though temporary respite in this rapidly escalating conflict.

In a statement at the end of the talks, Starmer reiterated his ‘ongoing’ and ‘unequivocal’ support for Ukraine, and emphasised the discussion had been ‘productive’ and concentrated on ‘strategy’, rather than a ‘particular step or tactic’. The White House issued a similar statement. Behind the scenes, the talks also signal the UK government is positioning itself to become the NATO lead amongst European allies. This will put Britain on the front line.

This current phase of the Ukraine conflict started on 7 August when Ukraine launched a ground incursion into Russian territory for the first time, after the US and other NATO allies gave the go-ahead for weapons they’ve supplied to be used against military targets within Russia. This permission is needed because many of these weapons require access to guidance systems controlled by the US.

Russia responded to the August incursion with heavy bombardment of Ukraine’s second city, Kharkiv, and stepped-up its military action in the Donbas region. This prompted Zelensky to seek US and UK agreement for long-range cruise missiles, including the Anglo-French Storm Shadow system.

The summer escalation in the Ukraine war took place against the backdrop of a NATO Summit in July that signalled further steps towards ‘globalising’ the role of the North Atlantic Alliance –beyond its Euro-Atlantic axis, to further extend its growing presence in the Indo-Pacific. Note for example, increasing references to a Russia-China-Iran-North Korea axis, when discussing the Ukraine war. More tangible manifestations at the July Summit of globalisation the Alliance included:

• announcing plans for long-range US cruise missiles to be deployed periodically in Germany from 2026, and
• identifying China as the ‘decisive enabler’ of Russia’s military action in Ukraine.

Britain’s role

There can be little doubt that more calls to intensify the conflict will follow in the weeks and months ahead. The anti-war and labour movements must remain alert to the dangers of Ukraine becoming a Europe-wide war. Not only NATO but also Russia is preparing for this. In May, for example, Russia concluded an agreement to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, the first deployment of Russian nuclear weapons outside its territory since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Intensification of the war creates a particular danger for Britain. The UK recently agreed to become one of NATO’s European nuclear bases. Earlier this year, US nukes were cleared for delivery to locations in Europe. Lakenheath airbase in Suffolk already has the facilities needed to house them. The F-35 fighter bombers which will deliver them to their targets are already stationed at Lakenheath and pilots trained to fly them.

This not only puts Britain on the front line of a European war, it also makes us a direct target for retaliation. The situation remains extremely dangerous and should be treated as such.

Missile diplomacy

At present NATO and Russia are engaged in what might be termed missile diplomacy. In response to Zelensky’s threat of a long-range cruise missiles attack and the discussion taking place between the US and UK, President Putin said (quoting the English translation used by the BBC):

‘If this decision is made it will mean nothing other than direct participation by NATO countries, the United States and European countries, in the war in Ukraine. And this of course changes the very essence of the conflict. This will mean that NATO countries – the United States, European countries – are fighting with Russia.’

The Russian Ambassador to the UN has reiterated this.

Putin’s response has been widely interpreted in the West as a declaration of war by Russia. However, the English translation of Putin’s statement suggests his language is crafted to avoid making such a clear and definitive declaration.

The US and its NATO allies have both conventional and nuclear superiority over Russia, although the number of US and Russian nuclear warheads are approximately balanced. It must also be borne in mind that a direct military confrontation between Russia and NATO would be likely to prompt other states to engage on the side of Russa.

Divisions over strategy

The Biden administration was seen as divided over Ukraine’s proposal to escalate – unsurprisingly, perhaps, in the run up to a presidential election. It is already being pointed out that this doesn’t mean Ukraine won’t get the green light for Storm Shadow missiles in future, It does suggest though that the US would seek to take a back seat and, if the OK were to be given, Britain would likely take the lead.

The relentless war propaganda in the UK media and across Europe serves to cover growing unease amongst the movers and shakers – different assessments between NATO countries, as well as between military and political leaders.  

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made a call to rekindle diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine, for example, though Deutsche Welle Germany’s leading international broadcaster points out reception has been ‘muted’. Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday with Kuenssberg programme General Sir John McColl, former NATO Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, said ‘the question of winning or losing is not something we will be able to achieve’. Ukraine will result in ‘some kind of  stalemated negotiations’.

The UK is particularly exposed and vulnerable to the dangers that a war in Europe between nuclear armed combatants presents. The crisis which loomed at the end of last week should leave us in no doubt of the immediate and urgent task for the anti-war movement which is to:

• alert the public to the real and present danger that intensifying the war in Ukraine brings
• put pressure on the UK government to encourage de-escalation, and
• step up the call for a ceasefire and negotiations before it’s too late.