CWU Dissafiliation Petition
Since coming to power the Labour government has shown that it does not represent the interests of workers. We have seen our cost of living rise while Labour continues the politics of austerity. We have seen that Labour will continue to line the pockets of the rich while making life harder for the most vulnerable in society.
We the undersigned believe that the CWU should disaffiliate from the Labour Party so that our funds can support representatives who will act in the interests of workers and support the values of the CWU whether they are Labour candidates or not.
Labour is not going to save the NHS
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has accepted significant funding from donors tied to private-health interests, and his policy agenda aligns closely with those commercial priorities. His backing for expanded outsourcing strengthens companies such as Centene/Operose, Virgin Care, and Serco, while echoing the disastrous PFI model that enriched firms like Carillion, Skanska, and Balfour Beatty and left the NHS burdened with long-term debt.
Streeting’s position also accelerates the NHS’s dependence on Palantir, the US data-analytics giant now embedded at the heart of the NHS Federated Data Platform Under his leadership, Palantir’s footprint in NHS infrastructure has grown — a shift that critics argue hands unprecedented control over patient data and operational planning to a private, profit-driven corporation.
Taken together, Streeting’s donor profile and policy direction show a clear trajectory: deeper outsourcing, increased corporate influence, and the entrenchment of private actors — from traditional service contractors to powerful data firms like Palantir — at the core of our health system. This approach risks hollowing out publicly delivered care and driving the NHS further into a model shaped by corporate profits rather than public need.
Labour are not on your side
Since Labour took power in 2024, wealth inequality has continued to rise because the government has largely preserved the economic framework created under years of Tory austerity. Labour’s commitment to “fiscal discipline” has meant real-terms cuts in services, public-sector pay restraint, and no redistribution of wealth from the richest to the rest. Meanwhile, asset owners have continued to see gains from rising property values and investment returns, widening the gap between those who already hold wealth and those who don’t. In practice, Labour’s approach has extended the same policies that entrenched inequality, leaving working people facing growing financial insecurity.
No Support For Genocide!
Our campaign is clear: CWU should stop funding the Labour Party. Labour’s actions in Gaza are not an aberration — they are a stark demonstration of why workers’ money should no longer be handed to a party that acts against the principles of justice and solidarity.
Declassified UK has shown that the Labour government has actively enabled Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza. Under Keir Starmer, the UK authorised over 100 spy flights over the territory, providing intelligence that supported Israeli military operations. Arms-export approvals continued throughout the onslaught, ensuring components for F-35 jets and other weapons reached Israel. This is direct, taxpayer-funded support for mass civilian suffering.
Labour’s refusal to impose a full arms embargo — even as international courts warned of the risk of genocide — meant public money continued to facilitate intelligence cooperation, military alignment, and diplomatic cover. Legal experts argue that these decisions represent a misuse of public resources with potential implications under international criminal law.
Trade unions have contributed millions of pounds of members’ money to Labour. CWU members in particular expect their subs to back a political force that stands with oppressed peoples, not one accused by Palestinian human-rights lawyers of potential complicity in war crimes.
Keir Starmer and David Lammy, long criticised for their proximity to pro-Israel lobbying networks, symbolise a leadership fundamentally misaligned with trade-union values.
Our position is simple: the CWU and other unions must stop funding Labour. Gaza is not the only reason — but it is a defining example of why continued financial support can no longer be justified, just like Blair’s catastrophic and illegal war on Iraq, Labour's actions on Gaza expose the danger of backing a Labour Party willing to support mass violence abroad and austerity at home.
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