Corbyn's appearance at a counter-conference looks set to 'antagonise' Keir Starmer. Boo-hoo.

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, North of Tyne mayor Jamie Driscoll and the founder of think tank Compass, Neal Lawson, are appearing at this year’s The World Transformed (TWT) festival. So, with these speakers and more, plus the chance to (as TWT put it) “antagonise” the Labour leadership and Keir Starmer – what’s not to like?

TWT: ‘antagonising’ Starmer with Corbyn?

As the Canary previously reported, this year’s TWT festival will take place from 7-10 October in Liverpool. The yearly programme of culture and politics continues to run alongside the Labour conference. However, it has come to contrast starkly with the party’s policy platform. Moreover, conference season could be a tricky time for Starmer – because he’s likely to find himself confronted by those he’s betrayed.

The Labour leader has U-turned on almost all of the ‘ten pledges’. These formed the basis of his campaign to succeed Jeremy Corbyn. Plus, along with expelling him from the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), he’s also:

blocked Driscoll from standing for re-election.
gave notice to Lawson in June that he may face expulsion from the Labour Party – after 44 years of membership. This is because in May 2021 he retweeted support for tactical voting in some local elections.

So, TWT said in a press release:

As Keir Starmer reshuffles his cabinet to reflect the most dramatic metamorphosis of any political party in recent memory, three of the figures who have found themselves persona non grata in Starmer’s Labour Party are all set to appear at a festival promising to be the ‘most newsworthy yet’.

Corbyn, Driscoll, and Lawson’s attendance is, the group said:

set to risk further antagonising the Labour leadership by appearing at The World Transformed (or TWT), a political festival which has taken place at the same time as the Labour Party conference since 2016, but has adopted a more adversarial attitude towards the Labour leadership as Sir Keir Starmer has purged left wingers from the Party and junked a series of progressive policies.

A big lineup of speakers and events

Overall, there’ll be enough establishment antagonism to fill a centrist think tank. Other guests include cop-defying Just Stop Oil:

With the political class having closed ranks to make sufficiently radical action on climate a political impossibility for now, purely parliamentary politics is surely a dead end for climate activists at the moment.

🎟️: https://t.co/myYcaUCDvH #TWT23 will be hosting delegations… pic.twitter.com/kxmDU0XGtn

— The World Transformed (@TWT_NOW) September 6, 2023

Everyone’s favourite corporate hack-scalping trade union leader Mick Lynch will also be in attendance:

TV Journo’s fear him, the print media loathe what he stands for, the Government are at war with him, but we love him.

🎟️: https://t.co/bHGp7x17vh @RMTunion leader Mick Lynch will be in Liverpool for #TWT23 this October!

Speaking about the fight against poverty and for worker’s… pic.twitter.com/y01LCgsX59

— The World Transformed (@TWT_NOW) September 7, 2023

And there are even some brave Labour MPs on the lineup. Will suspensions be incoming afterwards?

Socialist working class MP’s like Nadia?

We want more and more, people just want more and more!

Lover of dance, former care worker & breath of fresh air to the dingy halls of Westminster, @NadiaWhittomeMP will be at #TWT23!

See you there: https://t.co/bHGp7x17vh pic.twitter.com/JFroD7OHi9

— The World Transformed (@TWT_NOW) September 3, 2023

Plus, there are going to be dozens of workshops – including “General Election 2024: no one is coming to save us”, “Starmer in government”, and “Lessons from France”: