by Jasper Chaplin, West London Socialist Party
Labour has seriously damaged public opinion of politicians. Nearly half of Labour voters said they expected good things of Keir Starmer, but are disappointed with his government.
The polls say people think Labour is handling nearly every issue badly, from taxes and inflation, to the NHS and housing. That’s because Starmer is acting similar to the Tories, continuing to fund Israeli state attacks on Palestine and now Lebanon, cutting public spending, scrapping the winter fuel allowance for pensioners.

Photo: Ealing TUSC
Under Labour, the working class has not seen an end to the Tory austerity of the last 14 years. People are losing trust as they see capitalist parties promise one thing, only to deliver the opposite. During our South Acton campaign, one person outside the train station told us: “All politicians are the same. They’re all liars.”
Turnout was less than 30% in all three Ealing council by-elections on 10 October. In South Acton, where the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) stood a candidate, it was 17%.
The Socialist Party has a programme for ending austerity. Instead of lining the pockets of the super-rich with profits, we say, take the wealth off the super-rich to fund the policies the working class needs.