Former general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) Mark Serwotka brought BBC Question Time to a standstill on 5 June. He launched a devastating critique of Keir Starmer’s government:
“When people lobbied Rachel Reeves on the Winter Fuel Payment she was not for turning… but when she was lobbied by the non-doms.. “They make a strong case and I’ve decided to change my mind” Mark Serwotka #bbcqt #WealthTax pic.twitter.com/8NR6UhqyD4
— Fintan McCarthy (@MccarthyFintan) June 6, 2025
“Understatement of the year” – live on the BBC
The former trade union leader opened on BBC Question Time by setting the scene for the beginning of the Labour government:
So to be clear the years of Tory government were desperate for most people in this country. They crashed the economy, we saw a rise in poverty, wage stagnation, no more building of council houses – chronic problems in this country
Under the Tories, the number of children living in poverty increased to 4.5 million in the year 2023/2024. Wages for the majority of UK workers are still lower in real terms than in 2008. And the 2022/23 year actually saw a net loss of 12,000 social homes as more were sold or demolished than built.
Serwotka then emphasised that Labour has completely failed to undo any of it:
To say that this Labour government has been the most desperate disappointment and is letting it down its core communities in Wales and the UK is the understatement of the year
Alarming rise of Reform
He continued, outlining why this is so dangerous:
Why I think this is so serious is because I remember when Tony Blair won the election and when we were unhappy that… Blair was moving into the centre. We could see that Labour strategists took the view that our core vote has nowhere else to go and we can move as rightwing as we want. But now they’re seeing that people do think they can go somewhere else and tragically that is to Reform
Blair’s right-wing approach and Iraq invasion meant he bled votes in 2005, holding onto just 66% of those who voted for him in 2001. As Serwotka points out the issue now is Reform is there to capitalise.
He went on to take down Nigel Farage’s party:
Now I have no doubt a Reform government would be desperately divisive and dangerous in this country. These are clever politicians: Richard Tice, the deputy leader, is reportedly worth 40 million. I don’t believe he cares about people on welfare on benefits or workers in Port Talbot Steelworks. But they say they are and people are so disillusioned with the centre ground of politics, Reform are surging in the polls. And apart from the fact that the Tories have collapsed I think there is another central reason and it is because of Labour’s abandonment of its core principles and working-class communities
Labour’s mismatched priorities
Serwotka, who was president of the Trade Union Congress in 2019, then took aim at Labour:
To fill the £20 billion black hole, [Labour] could have had a wealth tax, they could have put up corporation tax, they could have chased those who had the most. But they attacked pensioners, they attack disabled people and they attack parents… who have more than two children, who are on benefits. And if your solution to our problems is to attack the most vulnerable the poorest, the disabled, rather than those who can afford to pay. It tells you the direction of travel and here’s the thing when people lobbied Rachel Reeves about the winter funeral payment she was not for turning, when she was lobbied on the two child policy she was not for turning. But when she was lobbied by the non-doms, the rich people avoiding paying the tax – what did she say ‘they make a strong argument and I’ve changed my mind’
The CEO of Blackstone, a trillion dollar asset management firm, personally asked Reeves to change her policy on closing the non-dom tax loophole. It led to Reeves watering down her plans.
Serwotka’s blistering critique of Starmer, Reform and the Tories on Question Time was very welcome.
Featured image via the Canary
