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Labour CND statement on Gaza

Protestors gathered in Portland Place, London last Saturday to march in solidarity with Gaza. Emergency demonstrations across the UK included in Manchester, Stockport, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen. Observers put the number on the streets in London at between 100- and 150,000.

Labour CND today issued the following statement on the situation in Gaza:

In the week following the horrific attacks by Hamas which killed more than 1,300 Israeli civilians, over 2,000 Palestinians in the occupied territory of Gaza have died in retaliatory air strikes. As the first of these took place, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced: ‘We are striking our enemies with unprecedented might. I emphasise that this is only the beginning.’ Israel is now planning for an air, land, and sea attack on Gaza.

Large parts of Gaza have been reduced to rubble, and the UN estimates that almost one million Gazans are already displaced. As the situation escalates and civilian casualties mount, international agencies are warning of an impending humanitarian disaster while the media is rife with talk about the possibility of a wider war in the Middle East.

United Nations has warned against ‘indiscriminate or disproportionate action against Gaza’ and expressed concern over the ‘full siege’ of Gaza, describing shutting off electricity, water, food, and fuel supplies as ‘collective punishment’. The Secretary General has called for the immediate release of all Israeli hostages and underscored the need for ‘rapid and unimpeded’ humanitarian access to Gaza.

World Health Organisation ‘strongly condemns Israel’s repeated orders for the evacuation of 22 hospitals treating more than 2000 inpatients in northern Gaza. The forced evacuation of patients and health workers will further worsen the current humanitarian and public health catastrophe. The lives of many critically ill and fragile patients hang in the balance.’

Oxfam UK Director Danny Sriskandarajah told BBC News: ‘We work in some of the most difficult situations in the world, in Yemen, in Syria, and Somalia. But this is unprecedented. There is no way we can get things in or people out.’

Labour CND opposes all attacks on Israeli and Palestinian civilians. History has already shown that  military confrontations offer no long-term solution to a crisis which has deep roots. In the words of UN Secretary General António Guterres: ‘The most recent violence does not come in a vacuum, but grows out of a long-standing conflict, with a 56-year long occupation and no political end in sight.’

Labour CND calls for the release of Israeli hostages, for military de-escalation, and for real and meaningful peace talks, brokered by the international community and taking on board the security of Palestinian and Israeli civilians.

We do so, however, in the knowledge that the United States has already committed material support to its regional ally. This includes supplying bunker busting munitions to Israel which are banned from use in densely populated areas under the Geneva Convention due to the risk of mass civilian casualties.

The US is also deploying a second aircraft battle group to the eastern Mediterranean to join a group already in the area, and relocating a marine amphibious-ready group from the Gulf. This show of force on the side of Israel by the leader of NATO suggests escalation rather than de-escalation.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Keir Starmer have also clearly expressed their firm support for Israel’s ‘right to defend itself’. A 100,000-strong emergency demonstration on the streets of London on Saturday, together with thousands more on the streets of Manchester, Stockport, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen including Labour members and affiliates however, showed that a significant section of public opinion in Britain strongly disagrees with this bipartisan approach by the government and opposition.

Labour CND believes Keir Starmer’s statement in support of Israel, which is using disproportionate force and endangering civilians in responding to Hamas attacks, contradicts Labour Party policy which has expressed clear support for Palestinians at successive annual conferences.

16 October 2023

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Why Labour must oppose nuclear power

To order a hard copy of the pamphlet, email LabourCND@gmail.com and we will get back to you.

Alternatively you can download a PDF by purchasing below, you will be redirected to a download page.


July 2023 was the hottest on record This year has been a story of extreme and record-breaking weather:

    • heatwaves throughout southern Europe
    • fires and pollution in North America
    • record-breaking winter heatwaves in South America
    • the warmest winter ever in Australia
    • record high temperatures and rainfall in Asia
    • severe droughts in the Middle East and Africa

Despite calls for world leaders to step up action on climate change, greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise while politicians here and elsewhere bicker over climate and energy policy.

Some see the inclusion of low-carbon nuclear power as a quick fix.  Labour CND’s pamphlet, which will be launched at Labour Party conference in Liverpool, explains why the idea that nuclear power can come to the rescue is a false and dangerous mistake.

In the face of the two biggest threats to humanity – climate change and nuclear war – Sam Mason makes a powerful case against nuclear power and explains why the Labour Party must oppose it.

Labour, Climate Change & Nuclear Power
available at conference from the CND stand price £3, or
order a copy from labourcnd@gmail

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Stand with Diane Abbott MP

#ReinstateDiane #HandsOffDiane #StandWithDiane

Having engaged with Labour’s disciplinary procedure for many months, Diane Abbott MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington has broken her silence to issue a statement which is a damning indictment of the ‘fraudulent’ process, insisting ‘there is no investigation’ actually taking place.

Labour CND stands with Diane who has been a loyal and outspoken opponent of nuclear weapons and war throughout her parliamentary career and before.

Labour Black Socialists has responded to Diane’s continued exclusion from the Parliamentary Labour Party saying it ‘provides further evidence that the “hierarchy of racism” continues to thrive unabated’ and that Labour ‘can no longer call itself the Party of equality, justice and democracy’. 

LBS, which launched a petition in April to reinstate Diane, is campaigning for Labour to:

    • Lift Diane Abbott’s suspension and restore the whip.
    • Openly defend Diane and other Black MPs from racist and misogynist abuse, taking appropriate action against Labour staffers, members, Councillors and MPs who engage in such abhorrent behaviour.
    • Fully acknowledge that a hierarchy of racism exists within the Party and take immediate steps to implement the recommendations of the Forde report in relation to anti-Black racism and Islamophobia.
    • Restore its commitment to implementing the Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) structures within the Party Rule Book and which resulted from the 2018 Democracy Review.
    • Challenge racism and misogyny within the media and wider society.

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Support Centre-Left Grassroots Alliance candidates in Labour’s internal elections

Labour CND urges you to vote for Centre Left Grassroots Alliance candidates in this year’s internal elections. Details, including candidate statements are available on the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy website, CLPD

The six candidates for National Women’s Committee have also published a joint platform, including committing to: ‘support for an ethical foreign policy with peace, conflict resolution and nuclear disarmament at its core. Labour must support women struggling against oppression across the globe.’

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Starmer removes Peace and Disarmament role from shadow team

The decision by Sir Keir Starmer to abolish the post of Shadow Minister for Peace and Disarmament is a backwards step and must be reversed. 

Fabian speaks at the CND fringe meeting at Labour Conference in 2019 – alongside current Shadow Foreign Sec David Lammy

Fabian Hamilton had carried out the role with distinction from its creation in 2016. Not only did he build links between the Labour Party and civil society working on issues around militarism, peace and disarmament, but he also engaged with the United Nations on issues including the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Fabian has been a strong advocate for peace and nuclear disarmament, which perhaps ultimately led to him being asked to stand down. Without a dedicated voice for peace and disarmament in the shadow Foreign Office team there is a real danger of losing focus on non-proliferation and arms controls that are necessary to address Britain’s real security needs.

Labour must be a party firmly rooted in international law. The next Labour government must recommit to our existing international Treaty obligations on nuclear disarmament as well as engaging constructively with the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Labour Party members will not allow the party to further embrace militarism and pro-war policies while turning its back on the path to peace.

In thanking Fabian Hamilton for his work on nuclear disarmament, Labour CND calls on Sir Keir Starmer to immediately reverse this decision and reinstate the Peace and Disarmament role on the front bench.

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Labour CND’s 2023 conference focuses on military spending and austerity

Our online conferfence this year focuses on high military spending in a time of austerity, with panel discussions on the rising costs of militarism and workers security. Join Warren Smith Maritime Union of Australia, Sam Mason PCS Policy Officer, Peter Evans UCU NEC, Economist Mick Burke, and more.

Register in advance here

Wages Not Weapons Conference is followed by our online AGM, 13.30 to 15.00. This is a members only meeting, open to CND members who are members of the Labour Party. Email labourcnd@gmail.com to register

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Labour’s climate promises melt in the heatwave

In her latest climate blog, Sam Mason argues that Labour must have a strategic climate plan from day one of taking office. The watering down of Labour’s recent commitment to block new North Sea oil and gas licences for reasons of political expediency bodes ill for a green future.

AS THE MET OFFICE ISSUED THEIR FIRST HEAT WAVE WARNING of the summer and pictures of New York engulfed in smoke from the “out of control” Canadian wildfires fill our TV screens, you would think people were starting to join the dots on climate change.  Indeed, the announcement that Labour will block new north sea oil and gas licences was a positive step that along with the commitments for a green prosperity fund seemed to show the party was doing just this.

Unfortunately, what we have seen is that a week is indeed a long time in climate politics. Both commitments have been melting away in tune with the rising thermometer and the Labour Party is bowing, not to the realities of climate change, but political expedience.

Watering down the committment on North Sea
oil and gas licences is bowing to
political expediency

The GMB’s General Secretary Gary Smith was quick to call out the oil and gas announcement as “naïve” and populist.  A strange statement given we are on the verge of exceeding the Paris climate agreement ‘limit’ of 1.5C degrees of global heating in the next few years, which will and does threatens all workers.

Unite similarly attacked the announcement as headline grabbing and a promise of “jam tomorrow” but, with an important difference. Unite emphasised need for detailed transition plans for workers in the North Sea led through a process of collective bargaining that guarantees jobs, pay and conditions for all workers and supporting industries. A demand they are right to insist on together with public ownership of energy.

IN THE FIGHT TO TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE – life and livelihoods cannot be decoupled.  Whether that is for workers in the north sea or the millions in East Africa who have been impacted by the worst drought for 40 years. A war of words on yet to happen pledges of action won’t put food on the table for any worker or address the urgent need to take serious action to decarbonise the economy.

Rachel Reeve is back-tracking on Labour’s
green prosperity spending

As the oil and gas ‘pledges’ get watered down, Rachel Reeves has decided to start rolling back on the party’s green prosperity spending commitment. Far from fiscally responsible, it shows that Labour really isn’t thinking about the kind of detail and plan trade unions are calling for in the much-needed energy transition. Further, it helps to re-enforce the cynicism that unions have in the promised jobs of renewable energy.

The science of climate change doesn’t care about fiscal responsibility, and its impacts on the economy will only increase the further we are from taking action.  Damage to infrastructure and social consequences such as on health all bring additional costs and burdens on already struggling public services. Investment in the work needed for both mitigation and measures to adapt to the impacts of climate change will not only be good for the UK, but also globally.

While the UK has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions in the transition from coal to natural gas in the 1980’s it remains one of the largest contributors to cumulative CO2 emissions.  This underlines the historic responsibility of the UK to fulfil its “fair share” in climate funding for countries on the frontline of climate impacts, namely in the global south, and to ensure a transition rooted in justice that recognises the disastrous impacts on communities here of the past deindustrialisation. This funding means having a plan and putting serious investment behind it from day one.

Reversing Labour’s commitment to nuclear weapons could free up billions for strong public services and a just transition for workers

And if Rachel Reeves is concerned about where they will find the money from, there are two obvious places they could start with – nuclear. Reversing the commitment to nuclear weapons and Trident renewal would free-up billions to invest in energy transition, warm homes, strong public services and a just transition for workers that would secure jobs and ensure protections of livelihoods.

This second is removing the fetish with nuclear power, the most expensive form of energy. Whilst Keir Starmer has said the Tories have been a “shambolic failure” in delivering on nuclear energy, the historic failure of nuclear power projects to deliver on time and budget should be enough in itself to say it provides neither energy or climate security. Hinkley Point C backers EDF have announced further delays and billions of cost increases.

Keir Starmer asserting such delays would be avoided because they would have a “strategic plan with real purpose” is to the contrary. Any plan including nuclear power would continue to add to the delays in accelerating the renewable energy transition, developing storage capacity, and reducing energy consumption by transforming buildings and public transport. All of which would be jobs rich.

In what could be a long, over hot summer, the only ‘lobby’ the party should be listening to is the climate, which is telling us through our lived experience of climate impacts not least on workers across the globe, we are running out of time for politician’s lack of strategic vision on this.

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Wages Not Weapons: Labour CND model conference motion

Despite the severest cost of living crisis in most of our memories, the Chancellor’s Spring Statement increased the Ministry of Defence budget by £5 billion in the next two years, with a total increase of £11bn over the next 5 years.

Forecast organisations are predicting the UK will be the worst performing economy of all G20 countries in 2023, and will have shrunk by 0.3% by the end of this year. Funding nuclear weapons and war are being pursued at the expense of workers wages.

Labour CND’s model motion for this year’s Labour Party conference argues that high military spending restricts the action governments can take in defence of the public sector and workers pay. We’re calling  for an in-coming Labour government to:

    • increase investment and promote growth
    • improve public services
    • provide an emergency support package to off-set the cost-of-living crisis, and
    • take effective action to tackle climate change.

It you agree with us, please encourage your local party to send this motion for debate at Labour’s 2023 conference. Download our motion which includes an explainer with some facts, figures, and arguments to help you make the case in your CLP.

And don’t forget to let us know by emailing labourcnd@gmail.com

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Restore the whip to Diane Abbott

Labour CND joins the many organisations and individuals across the Labour movement and beyond calling for the Labour whip to be restored to Diane Abbott MP., the first black woman in parliament. Labour Black Socialists outlines Diane’s record in an eloquent and compelling call to restore the whip.

Diane has been as staunch an opponent of nuclear weapons and war as she has been a campaigner against racism. She has joined many Labour CND platforms for over 30 years.

LBS has launched a petition pointing out Diane record at the forefront of anti-racism campaigns and supporting communities and families who have been victims of racist policing, school exclusions, deaths in custody, racist attacks, murders and the hostile environment policies

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Labour CND condemns ban on CLP affiliations

In a further attack on the rights of members, local Labour Parties are being banned from affiliating to Labour CND and a number of other progressive peace and justice campaigns. Labour CND campaigns within the party for the global abolition of nuclear weapons, including Britain’s Trident system, and for peaceful foreign policies. These ideas merit discussion, these principles deserve support, and we believe the overwhelming majority of party members agree.

Labour CND committee unanimously agreed the following statement in response to the ban. The basis on which the Labour Party has introduced this ban is outlined below.

2023 is the centenary of the birth of Walter Wolfgang. Walter was a childhood refugee from Nazi Germany and later became a member of the party’s National Executive Committee. Walter devoted his life to nuclear disarmament, particularly campaigning in the Labour Party against nuclear weapons as a founding member of Labour CND which works within the party for the global abolition of nuclear weapons, including Britain’s Trident system, and a peaceful foreign policy.

Walter campaigned for a progressive foreign policy and spoke out against the Iraq war. New Labour quickly expressed its regret at the ejection of Walter Wolfgang from the Labour Party Conference in 2005, and the event cemented Walter’s place as a figure in the party. In 2018 the Labour Party awarded Walter a merit award which was presented by then leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Walter died in 2019, but Labour CND’s work continues. For many years Labour CND has campaigned, held fringe meetings, drafted motions, and gained affiliations from Constituency Labour Parties, Branch Labour Parties, and affiliated trade unions.

Labour CND regrets the decision of National Executive Committee to end CLPs’ right to affiliate to Labour Party orientated campaigning groups like Labour CND. We thank all the local parties and affiliates which have supported us over the years. Our work for peace and justice will continue.

A few hours before one London CLP was due to hold its 2023 AGM, a message was received from Labour’s Head of Internal Governance that the CLP could not renew its affiliations without approval from the NEC. To do so would breach party rules.’ The following organisations were listed:

    • Labour Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
    • Palestine Solidarity Campaign
    • Stop the War Coalition
    • Republic
    • London Irish
    • Abortion Rights Campaign
    • Jewish Voice for Labour
    • Somalis for Labour
    • Sikhs for Labour
    • All African Women’s Group
    • Health Campaigns Together
    • Campaign Against Climate Change Trades Union Group
    • Peace & Justice Project

The email also warned that organisations which are nationally affiliated to the party are eligible to affiliate to any CLP provided they pay the appropriate fee and the CLP cannot debate or decide on their affiliations.

This is yet another attack on the rights of local parties. The basis was laid at 2021 Labour Party conference which passed a series of rule changes promoted by the General Secretary. They included a catch-all rule change which bans local parties from affiliating or donating to organisations without the approval of the National Executive Committee.

Chapter 7, Clause XI .5 of Labour’s 2023 Rule Book now reads: ‘This CLP and units of this CLP shall not enter into affiliation with or give support, financially or otherwise, to any political party or organisation (or ancillary or subsidiary body thereto) without the prior permission of the NEC. Nor shall they give any such support to individuals ineligible for membership of the Party.’

Under CND’s constitution, only members of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament who are also members of the Labour Party are eligible to participate in Labour CND. We have operated under the same rules and constitution for four decades without experiencing any objections, which provide for affiliations from CLPs, Labour Branches, and Labour affiliates.