Leeds - Photo: KONP

On Thursday, March 13, Reckitt, a private global health giant for over-the-counter pharmaceuticals like Nurofen and Dettol, hosted Prime Minister Keir Starmer at its Science & Innovation Centre in Hull. It was here he chose to make what was a shock announcement on the government's "abolition of NHS England (NHSE)" [1] in remarks that he claimed were "on the fundamental reform of the British state". Some other announcements were also made such as that of the "digital reform of government", which he claimed would save £45 billion a year, while not giving any further detail. However, what became apparent is that he was really there to justify the massive increase in spending on arms and the military at the expense of an overdue and necessary increase of investment in public services, social programmes and welfare. These developments are occurring as part of the government's neo-liberal restructuring of the state to further serve the interests of the monopolies and of militarisation. Health Secretary Wes Streeting later addressed Parliament in an attempt to justify the government's plan to cut 10,000 jobs at NHSE [2], and to deflect the anger and concern that the crisis in the NHS could only intensify under his watch and that of Starmer.

Starmer, in his remarks, firstly focused on trying to justify the massive increase in defence spending. He spoke of global instability and the ongoing Ukraine war, emphasising "the impact it has on the insecurity of working people across the country". He blamed this on Putin's Russia, without mentioning the nefarious role of Britain in NATO in leading up to the war and in waging a proxy war against Russia for three years. Starmer claimed that he wanted a "just peace and lasting peace" but warned that if it continues "that means here, higher prices, higher bills and the cost of living crisis going on for even longer". You can see where this is going.

In this context, Starmer set out his stall on the NHS saying that "given what has happened globally, given the insecurity in our country, now is the time in my belief for greater urgency and to go further and faster on security and renewal". Summoning up the spectre of what he called the "bureaucracy of the state", his logic was to justify making huge cuts, and announcing that the management of the NHS would be brought back into "democratic control" by abolishing NHS England. This he said would bring this "arms length body NHS England" back into "direct control by government" and the Department of Health. He claimed that "we are going to cut bureaucracy across the state, focus money on the priorities of working people and shift money to the front line". Given that the working class and people have for so long been demanding a change in the direction that successive governments have been taking the health service, this does not bode well.

The Prime Minister let the cat out of the bag on what his "front line" was when he said that the priorities he spoke about to cut bureaucracy were also forced by the debt left by the previous government and claiming this would "create security" for the British people. He said: "I believe that the fundamental task of politics right now is to take tough decisions on security. And that's why we raised our defence spending." For "tough decisions", read "decisions that are anti-social, pro-war and opposed by the people". Since Starmer's government took office, it has committed a further £3 billion a year to Ukraine until at least 2030 as well as a further increasing in military spending by £13.7 billion by 2027. This goes alongside the government's continued support for and arming of Israel in its genocide against the Palestinians and the continued NATO interference in West and East Asia, and Africa.

Kent - Photo: KONP

Later on the same day, what Starmer had announced in Hull was conveniently timed to be presented in Parliament and Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health, spoke to the House of Commons in making the same announcement. He started by claiming that the government had already been restoring a "wrecked NHS". He said that Lord Darzi's independent report had traced the current crisis back to the 2012 "top down" re-organisation of the NHS by Lord Lansley's Health and Social Care Act. Streeting quoted from Darzi saying that this Act "scorched the earth for health reform for which the effects are still felt to this day". It "imprisoned more than million NHS staff in a broken system" and that "today we are putting the final nail in the coffin of the Conservatives' top down re-organisation". That is, putting the nail in the coffin of top-down reorganisation by top down re-organisation.

There was, however, no hint from Streeting that he appreciated the irony that the government was declaring that it will replace one "top down" re-organisation of the NHS with another "top down" re-organisation. The government has made no attempt to discuss these proposals with health workers and all those fighting to safeguard the future of the NHS. There was no candidness in the fact that the Minister and his advisors at the Department of Health were the ones that were being blocked by NHSE from making the reforms, many of which involve the private sector who Streeting is on record as championing. Nor was there any candidness in having as chief advisor Alan Milburn, the former Secretary of State Health under Blair's government [3]. Milburn had been the champion of privatisation, and had driven through the disastrous Private Finance Initiative (PFI) that substantially reduced hospital beds and forced health authorities into huge debt for hospitals and clinics they could not afford and lined the pockets of finance companies.

Streeting's statement that the solution the government wants is of "one team into one organisation" having been "set up to fail by a fragmented system" and that "today I am abolishing the biggest quango in the world" is a cruel deception on health workers and all those that have been fighting to safeguard the future of the NHS. It is a betrayal of all those that want such a publicly-provided health care system, free to all those regardless of their status as citizens as a just claim of all on the wealth produced by society. This has been represented by health workers and their trade unions, national and local health campaigns and the people themselves. The alternative has been elaborated for a public and human-centred health and care system that the NHS and care sector should be.

Leeds - Photo:KONP

The claim that the government is bringing NHS back into "democratic control" is itself the deception covering over that NHSE is to be brought under the control of the Executive, and all that entails. "Democratic control" will not be achieved by neo-liberal restructuring of the state, and placing the direction of the NHS in the hands of the cartel party system of government in Westminster. This will only be achieved by subjecting the NHS to the solutions of health workers and of the people themselves in a human-centred economy that is pro-social and anti-war. Also, without immediately saving jobs and addressing the lack of necessary investment in the NHS and social care over decades, without stopping and reversing the increasing closures and cuts to acute and community services, without stopping and reversing the increased privatisation of NHS and social care services and its "internal market" and without training enough doctors and nurses to meet the needs of NHS and social care services there can be no permanent solution. Without addressing these vital questions the crisis in the NHS will continue and can only intensify.

None of these aims can be achieved without changing the emphasis and direction of the economy so that it meets the needs of those that live and work in it and stops serving the pro-war, corporate interests.

The fight must continue, people must continue to speak out and discuss and organise to defend their local and national health and care services in the movement to safeguard the future of the NHS. The necessity remains for people's empowerment to lead the change for democratic renewal of our NHS.

Notes
1. Speech PM remarks on the fundamental reform of the British state: 13 March 2025
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-remarks-on-the-fundamental-reform-of-the-british-state-13-march-2025
2. Hansard - NHS England Update - Volume 763: debated on Thursday 13 March 2025
https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2025-03-13/debates/25838956-1EFB-4AF7-BFB2-67CBCDA59DA9/NHSEnglandUpdate
3. Alan Milburn's Plan: Further Retreat from Society Guaranteeing the Right to Health Care
https://www.rcpbml.org.uk/wdie-02/d02-10.htm
4. Government abolishes NHS England - See Co-Chair of Keep Our NHS Public Tony O'Sullivan interviewed by Novara Media
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yamu_nfA2G4

John Buckle, then General Secretary of RCPB(ML) speaking at the
June 7th Conference against racism and fascism held in London in 1981

March 16 marks the 46th anniversary of the founding of the Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist) in 1979. The Party is proud to have reached this anniversary tempered in the midst of the struggles and fighting traditions of the working class and people of England, Scotland and Wales, and as a contingent of the international communist and workers' movement in Britain. We pay tribute to these struggles and traditions which the working people have never betrayed, especially the working women who have always been at the forefront.

Michael Chant, present General Secretary of RCPB(ML) speaking at the 35th anniversary of RCPB(ML)

The Party has been tempered in the anti-fascist struggles of the 1970s, has taken up as one the cause of the liberation and unity of Ireland and the Irish people from British colonialism and imperialism, and against all racist attacks, organised by the state, and taken up as one the cause of the people of Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Caribbean, whether as part of the working class in Britain or in unity against the colonialism and neocolonialism of the British state, its ruling elite and its reactionary and retrogressive monarchy.

It has always taken up the fight against imperialist war, and today has as part of its cutting edge work the fight for an Anti-War Government. It does so first and foremost in its work of Party building, the taking and implementing of decisions in and through the collective, having in mind the necessity to give rise to the modern democratic personality, and takes these methods into the movement itself. In this way, the line of march is being taken towards establishing an Anti-War Government which embodies the modern democratic personality and which fulfils the people's striving for peace, democracy and freedom. This is a profound conception encompassing a government which is also pro-social and pro-worker. Out of the resistance struggles of society, and guided by the theory of Modern Communism, will come the outlook of the New. This is a new framework which has fidelity to the ensemble of human relations, and recognises that the need for political power is indispensable. It is an internationalist framework, working to bring into being a world of socialised humanity, humanising the human and natural environments.

In this respect, the Party persistently implements its stand against all aggressive alliances such as NATO, but also against the police powers wielded by the ruling elites who are restructuring the state to ensure everything is done to serve the narrow private interests of finance capital and the oligopolies. RCPB(ML) organises and inspires the working class to respond to the urgent necessity for a change in the direction of society and the economy, for the people to establish their own vantage point and for the working class to rely on and implement its own agenda and programme and for workers and the class to speak in their own name. This points the way forward to the way out of the crisis, a crisis which is characterised by the existence of defunct liberal democratic institutions which no longer answer to the needs of the times. This requires settling scores with the old conscience which embodies the "covenant thesis" on which the old political system is based, with "representatives" authorised to speak in the name of the electorate, a system which is disempowering the people, maintaining a fictitious person of state which keeps everyone as subjects, rather than as citizens with equal membership rights. The Party in this context upholds that the working class must constitute itself the nation and vest sovereignty in the people with the aim of creating a society without the exploitation of persons by persons, and in particular ending the old system of wage slavery. The Party organises the people to be history-making. This is the significance of its own history. No amount of attempts to marginalise the Party can erase this. Its outlook, revolutionary ideology and methods of work mark it out.

Session of the 3rd Congress of RCPB(ML)

The Party has over the decades foiled every attempt of the state to subvert it, marginalise it and crush it or get it to conciliate with the ruling elites. It has continued to march on along the high road of civilisation, taking its stand with progressive humanity and the resistance struggles of the people against exploitation and oppression. It pledges to build the New by leaving the Old behind, being at one with the struggles of the people for their rights, and with its programme for the working class: "Stop Paying the Rich! Increase Investments in Social Programmes!" It calls on all democratic forces to join the work for democratic renewal and the empowerment of the people.

Over the years since its founding, the Party has built itself in the course of providing solutions to the problems of society. On this occasion the Party pays tribute to all its members, activists and sympathisers, workers, women and youth, who over the years have contributed to building RCPB(ML) in all its vibrancy and vitality, dealing with the world as it is, and as part of the communist and workers' movement internationally.

On this occasion the Party gives a call for everyone longing for and fighting for change, especially the youth, to consider joining the ranks of RCPB(ML), building it as the Party which the times demand as the instrument for this change. Let us move forward together!

Red Salute to the Party on its 46th Anniversary! Long Live RCPB(ML)!

As reported in its press release of March 1, the National Education Union (NEU) has launched a preliminary strike ballot over the government's derisory recommendation of a 2.8% pay increase for teachers. The union contends that this offer does not even come close to covering the rising cost of living and fails to reflect the true worth of teachers' contributions. The ballot will ask teachers if they accept the Department for Education's pay recommendation and if they are willing to take strike action to secure a higher, fully funded pay rise. The NEU will decide whether to proceed to a formal ballot at its conference next month.

The 2.8% offer, while in line with the forecast CPI inflation rate for 2025, significant lags behind RPI inflation projected at 3.6%, and fails to account for the steep real-term pay cuts endured over the past decade. The decision to leave schools to fund the increase from existing budgets has further inflamed tensions, with school leaders warning of inevitable cuts to staff and services.

Commenting on the launch of the indicative ballot, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said [1]:

"We all know that an unfunded 2.8% pay award is unacceptable. It will deepen the chronic recruitment and retention crisis in our schools, and means more cuts for already struggling schools. Pay has fallen by around a fifth against inflation since 2010, pushing education into the worst crisis in decades. More schools are in deficit now than at any point since 2010. Class sizes are the largest on record.

"Our members do not want to strike but ignoring the profession and backing educators into a corner means we will be left with no choice. The government was elected in the hope it would value education, but a 2.8% pay award without funding does the opposite. Like the Conservatives before them, they are forcing schools to make more cuts.

"It is short-sighted, it is wrong, and teachers will not stand for it. There is time yet for Rachel Reeves and her colleagues to think again and deliver for teachers, children, and our schools."

Teachers across England have already held a number of local school strikes. Over twenty schools saw strike action by NEU union members from February 25-28, covering issues such as pay, workload, job cuts, school closures, and pensions. [2]

In particular, teachers in Coventry struck against proposed changes that threaten their pensions. The NEU and NASUWT at the Coventry School Foundation walked out between from January 9 and 16, including picket lines at Bablake and King Henry VIII primary and secondary schools. The unions are in dispute over the removal of all teacher members from the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS). The foundation had not brought a "sensible proposal" to avert strike action, according to the NASUWT.

In parallel, teachers and support staff won "a landmark victory" over employment conditions against the Harris Federation, reports the NEU [3]. This is a Federation known for its intransigence in correcting unacceptable work practices throughout its workforce, writes the union. It has been haemorrhaging staff: at the end of Summer Term 2023, 27% of teachers in Harris left their school, significantly higher than in local authority-maintained schools. An overwhelming ballot in January and February showed 92% of members voting for strike action on an 80% turnout, demonstrating staff's willingness to challenge their employer. Following talks, NEU members agreed to suspend the ballot.

"All teachers and support staff at the 18 Harris academies who stood up for their rights should feel proud of the stance they were prepared to take for fair pay, conditions, and the unjust treatment of overseas trained teacher colleagues. While there is still more to do this is a remarkable achievement and a testimony to the strength in collective action," said Daniel Kebede.

"Addressing the exploitation of overseas trained teachers by Harris Federation is a victory. This was Harris Federation's Windrush. This is a record they should be ashamed of, and it is right that it is finally being addressed. No teacher wants to be taking strike action, and we are pleased that through negotiations with ACAS and the shift in the position of Harris this is currently not necessary. There is still much to do, and the NEU will continue to press for more change to ensure the workforce at Harris is treated fairly and with respect, and that learning conditions for pupils improve."

Meanwhile, in Scotland, the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) has criticized the Scottish government for failing to meet a deadline for meaningful progress on reducing class-contact time for teachers. The union claims that the deadline set by the teachers' panel of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (a body comprising members from teaching organisations, local authorities, and the Scottish government) passed without any offer from the government and local authorities' body Cosla.

The union's general secretary, Andrea Bradley, said: "With Scotland's teachers continuing to be burdened by unsustainable workload and to engage in numerous hours of unpaid time each week on planning, preparing and providing feedback on learning, this failure now makes a wholly avoidable dispute appear inevitable." [4].

The struggle is more than just over claims and conditions. As Daniel Kebede said in April last year, at the end of the previous government: "Education is on its knees, struggling to cope with a crisis never seen before in our sector." [5] Teachers speak of colleagues leaving the profession in droves, classrooms staffed by unqualified substitutes, and students bearing the brunt of systemic neglect. It is clear that the new government has done nothing to solve the crisis and is set to make matters even worse.

Serious issues such as the crisis in staff recruitment, or the lack of resources and funding, are unacceptable in a modern society. It is the teachers themselves who hold the solutions; their marginalisation highlights the crucial importance of workers organising to empower themselves, to play a full role in decision-making. Workers Forum salutes the recent waves of action and demands that the long-marginalised voices of teachers and other education workers be heard.

Notes
1. "NEU launches indicative ballot on pay", NEU, March 1, 2025
https://neu.org.uk/press-releases/neu-launches-indicative-ballot-pay
2. "Schools strike wave builds the fightback", Socialist Worker, February 25, 2025
https://socialistworker.co.uk/trade-unions/schools-strike-wave-builds-the-fightback/
3. "Harris Federation landmark victory", NEU, February 28, 2025
https://neu.org.uk/press-releases/harris-federation-landmark-victory
4. "Dispute Appears "Inevitable" Over Teachers' Class Contact Time", EIS, February 6, 2025
https://www.eis.org.uk/latest-news/disputeinevitable
5."Teachers May Ballot for New Strikes in September over Pay and Funding", Workers' Weekly, April 13, 2024
https://www.rcpbml.org.uk/wwie-24/ww24-08/ww24-08-03.htm