Labour activists are calling for Sir Keir Starmer to resign after he supported the Government’s security Bill.
Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to resign by Labour activists on social media. It comes after he refused to oppose a new Government security Bill.
The proposed new law would allow undercover agents, from the security forces or police, to commit certain crimes undercover without facing prosecution. Sir Keir instructed Labour MPs to abstain on the motion, which was voted through on Monday night.
However, around 20 MPs are reported to have defied this order and instead voted against the Bill. Former party leader Jeremy Corbyn, alongside his previous front-benchers John McDonnell and Diane Abbott, were among those who voted against it.
Sir Keir Starmer was asked if he was “losing control”, to which Starmer responded: “No, there are obviously strong views on this particular Bill,” adding that he wanted to see the Bill “strengthened”.
In response to Sir Keir’s decision, angry left-wing activists, many self-identifying as Labour members, got “#ResignStarmer” and “#StarmerOut” trending on Twitter. One tweet said: “A human rights lawyer that doesn’t believe in human rights #ResignStarmer”.
However, supporters of the Labour leader hit back and got “#StarmerOutstanding” trending on Twitter as well. One commented: “Corbynites are choosing this moment, of all moments, to launch an all-out attempt to shore up Boris Johnson’s position is both ridiculous as well as unforgivable.”
Another tweet reads:
RT if you think @Keir_Starmer is not fit to lead @UKLabour and should resign.#ResignStarmer
— Damian from Brighton (@damian_from) October 6, 2020
It comes as Britain’s largest trade union decided to reduce its funding to the Labour Party. Unite’s Executive Council meeting on Tuesday voted to cut its affiliation to Labour by 10%, or 50,000 affiliates. It is understood the move could reduce the union’s funding to the party by just under £1m.
Unite will instead use the money to fund other organisations, although it stressed it would still remain Labour’s largest trade union affiliate.
Announcing the union’s decision, General Secretary Len McCluskey said: “Unite is and will remain the biggest affiliate to the Labour Party, something that we are very proud to be.”
Mr McCluskey has recently warned new Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, over the direction of the party, expressing anger at the party’s decision to reach a settlement with anti-Semitism whistleblowers.
