Keir Starmer threw protesters to the wolves at PMQs

Keir Starmer showed he’s no friend of the activists currently taking on capitalism. The Labour leader used Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) as an opportunity to throw protesters like Just Stop Oil to the wolves. Little surprise, really – given he can barely support trade unions.

PMQs: rent-free and solidarity-free, too

PMQs on Wednesday 9 November was a torrid affair, not least with Rishi Sunak showing former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was right when he said he lived “rent free” in the PM’s head:

#RentFree #PMQs @jeremycorbyn pic.twitter.com/fZmFWPNlfN

— Canary (@TheCanaryUK) November 9, 2022

However, Starmer didn’t come off well either. During the slanging match, the subject turned to the Tories’ windfall tax on energy companies. Starmer accused Sunak of fudging it and letting companies like Shell off the hook. The PM responded by saying:

[Starmer] talks about working people. The Right Honourable Member voted against legislation to stop strikes disrupting working people. He voted against legislation to stop extremist protesters disrupting working people. That’s because he’s not on the side of working people

So, did Starmer defend himself against these anti-activist and anti-trade union accusations? Of course not. He merely played into them.

Starmer responded to Sunak by saying:

I’m against all of those causing chaos, damage to our public services and to our economy – whether they are gluing themselves to the road or sitting on the government benches.

Watch below from 11 minutes 45 seconds:

Wonderful. Not only has the Labour leader refused to support his own party’s affiliated trade unions – now he agrees that protesters like Just Stop Oil are “extremists”, and says he’s against them. What’s the point in Labour, you may ask? At this point, very little it seems.

Featured image via BBC iPlayer – screengrab

Comments 3

OookLout says:

4 years ago

Keir’s reply should have been a question along the lines of, “Does the PM know why these protests are occurring? These are ordinary people who are putting themselves on the line to make you realize how bad things are becoming outside this House!”
Disappointing that Keir fell for Rishi’s smart debating-style riposte, was it that easy to gainsay Keir when he was in court?

Graham Bundigly says:

4 years ago

Do you think these protests are happening just at the time that the government (including starmer of course – he’s a puppet like all the rest) are looking for public support for the bill that will curtail all protests for any reason? These poor dolts protesting are being controlled and funded for by the richest people in the world and are being pushed to extreme measures not to save the planet (man made climate change is utter bullshit of course) but to support total control of us all by the richest on the world.
The Canary are fully onboard with this con like they are with every single globalists agenda – they are the yellow version of the BBC. Look how they support the continued west v Russia war in Ukraine just like the BBC, are fully behind the global warming con like the BBC and never question any of the covid con narrative – just like the BBC.

- Red Star says:
  
  4 years ago
  
  “These poor dolts protesting are being controlled and funded for by the richest people in the world”
  
  Of course they are (rolls eyes). Workers and other “little people” obviously don’t have the intelligence or organizational ability to organize protests against things they actually feel are wrong and need sorting.
  
  So obviously they’re being manipulated of by the rich, intelligent people. Stands to reason, don’t it ?