Keir Starmer’s Labour Party has betrayed the people of one of its stronghold cities by allowing one of its shadow ministers to write an article in The Sun, days after the death of a victim of the Hillsborough tragedy that that rag misrepresented so grievously.
And Wes Streeting isn’t even sorry about it (yet). Is it because he’s an out-of-touch Londoner who thinks he’s above the concerns of people in the North?
The Ilford North MP was putting forward the latest part of Starmer’s campaign to turn the clock back to 1997, with a “tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime” attitude that focused on child poverty. But, as one commenter put it, when has any UK political party claimed to be soft on crime?
On Twitter, he said he had written an article in The Sun:
NEW: Poorest kids hit hardest after Tory cuts to policing.
It’s time to get tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime.
This is the Tories’ record. They’re the party of crime and disorder – good for criminals, bad for kids.
Me in tomorrow’s Sun👇🏻 https://t.co/kbIgD9puBc
— Wes Streeting MP (@wesstreeting) August 2, 2021
Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves then retweeted the announcement, making it clear that this was a move that had been endorsed – hypocritically, but we’ll come to that – by the Labour Party leadership.
The Tories have become the party of crime & disorder, letting down the most vulnerable kids in our country.
Labour has consistently called for the PM to scrap his vanity yacht project and use that money to tackle the rise in anti-social behaviour.https://t.co/KanYbS3CIY
— Rachel Reeves (@RachelReevesMP) August 3, 2021
The choice to write for Rupert Murdoch’s far-right hate-rag was highly controversial – and Streeting’s justification for it was risible:
Yep. Voters read the Sun and we absolutely want to talk to them.
— Wes Streeting MP (@wesstreeting) August 2, 2021
While it may once have been true that Labour-leaning voters read The Sun (most of its readership in the 1980s voted Labour and bought it to get angry at the pro-Tory bias it contained), those days are long gone. Dwindling readership means it is now a loss-making minority-interest hack-rag, written by rabid Tories, for rabid Tories.
Those are the voters Wes Streeting wants to attract to Labour.
Labour can happily do without them – and him. He has made his own political preferences abundantly clear:
Not only has Wes Streeting written an article in The S*n, he’s defended it by saying that “voters read the S*n”.
Is Starmer so desperate for voters now that he’s having to appease the readers of arguably the most hateful, racist newspaper in the world?
— Bywire News (@bywirenews) August 3, 2021
And he could not have done this at a worse time.
Remember: The Sun blamed the people of Liverpool for the Hillsborough disaster that killed 96 people, when in fact the responsibility lay with the police. Its editors and publisher (Murdoch) colluded with Margaret Thatcher’s Tory government and the police to push on us a lie that Liverpool fans caused the deaths.
The people of Liverpool have never forgiven Murdoch and his filthy little toilet-paper periodical has been boycotted there ever since. Traditionally, Labour has supported this choice – until now.
That’s a general rule – but it became far more specific this week because Streeting chose to publish his article in the sun only days after the death of Andrew Devine, who became the 97th victim of Hillsborough.
Wes Streeting’s Sun Shame;
Andrew Devine died last week. He had suffered life-changing injuries when he was caught up in the crush at the Leppings Lane end of the Hillsborough stadium. He became the 97th fatality of the Hillsborough disaster. #StarmerOut https://t.co/MA27GT9q8q pic.twitter.com/ag3cqbOQeQ— Operation Cupcake (@PhillipsBarrie) August 3, 2021
It was an act of phenomenal insensitivity, and arrogance bordering on callousness.
Any Labour MP writing in this rag defies belief but in the week the 97th victim of Hillsborough was unlawfully killed shows little understanding or worse indifference to victims & survivors.
I will be asking to address the PLP on what solidarity to my city entails.#JFT97 pic.twitter.com/TPDsGfgcT5— lan Byrne MP (@IanByrneMP) August 3, 2021
Labour – and left-wing – voices who genuinely seek to represent the people – especially when faced by Establishment lies and corruption – have leapt to condemn Streeting:
The Murdoch press are responsible for immeasurable damage to workers, to entire communities & to families. Just remember those at Wapping, Liverpool fans and the family of Milly Dowler. There is no excuse for any Labour MP, or Trade Unionist, writing in The Sxn.
— Howard Beckett (@BeckettUnite) August 3, 2021
No @UKLabour MP should be writing in the S^n.
An insult to so many. Shameful.
— James Foster (@JamesEFoster) August 2, 2021
Never forget this masterpiece from John McDonnell 🤣👏 pic.twitter.com/rHseW4NfYp
— The Left Wing Society (@LeftWingSociety) August 3, 2021
Streeting’s monumental insensitivity can possibly be best described by comparing his desire to chum up with the Conservative rag and former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s attitude – which was to have nothing to do with it and to seek to reduce the power and influence of its owner:
"I don't know what the remarks are because I don't buy the Sun newspaper." – Jeremy Corbyn.
— The Left Wing Society (@LeftWingSociety) August 3, 2021
Jeremy Corbyn wanted to take on the evil Murdoch empire.
Wes Streeting wants to cosy up to it.
Levels.#dontbuythesun #JFT97 https://t.co/2tL2vzALLl
— Frank Owen's Legendary Paintbrush 🟨🟥🥀🇵🇸 (@WarmongerHodges) August 3, 2021
And what of the current Labour leader?
Remember above, where I mentioned that Labour’s bosses have endorsed Streeting’s article and it is hypocritical? Here’s the reason: in January last year, during a Labour leadership campaign hustings in – guess where? – Liverpool, Starmer attacked The Sun, saying he wouldn’t be giving any interviews to Murdoch’s rag. However…
"However, once this campaign is over and I no longer have to fake having principles, I'll be so far up Murdoch's arse I'll be able to see Tony Blair's soul." https://t.co/AYFVWilvwq
— Frank Owen's Legendary Paintbrush 🟨🟥🥀🇵🇸 (@WarmongerHodges) August 3, 2021
… did you spot the “get-out” clause in his speech? He said he wouldn’t be giving any interviews to The Sun “during this campaign”. Labour members in Liverpool – and elsewhere – saw it as support for their campaign – “don’t buy The Sun“. They were all mistaken.
He was only saying it for effect.
He was only saying it to dupe them into voting for him.
And now he is actively courting The Sun‘s (dwindling) readership, via Streeting.
Left, Keir Starmer, last year.
Right, Wes Streeting now.‘If you don’t like our principles, we’ve got others…’ pic.twitter.com/HXc2wXbScP
— Dr Louise Raw (@LouiseRawAuthor) August 3, 2021
I wonder what good he thinks this highly-visible about-turn will do him – especially at a time when a poll of the British public shows that we want him to resign:
BREAKING: Voters think Starmer should resign
✅ Should resign: 35% (+2)
❌ Should not resign: 33% (-1)[2019 Labour voters]
✅ Should resign: 38% (-)
❌ Should not resign: 38% (-2)Via @YouGov, 2 August (+/- since 7 June) pic.twitter.com/J7PciUIPkA
— Stats for Lefties (@LeftieStats) August 3, 2021
On the basis of this disgusting betrayal, Starmer’s departure – and that of Tory suck-up Streeting – can’t come soon enough.
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