Stop the War coalition Newsletter We cannot let the warmongers win

Newsletter 03/07/26

It was good to see some mainstream media coverage of our response to Keir Starmer’s Defence Investment Plan (DIP) on Tuesday. It’s not every day that the Guardian runs “US and Israel’s illegal wars” in its stories!

Our full response to Starmer’s £15 billion hike in already bloated military spending is here and analysis by Lindsey German here. Cuts to key infrastructure projects are already planned to meet some of the cost, while the 1% cut in capital spending in all other departments will hit schools and hospitals hard. With Starmer’s likely successor Andy Burnham being left with a £5 billion black hole in his first budget, we can be sure it will go much further than that.

Our longstanding call for welfare not warfare, for wages not weapons is now a key debate within the working-class movement and wider society. If the warmongers win, not only will the world be a more dangerous place, it will come at a further cost to all our living standards.

We’re asking our groups and activists to push our Cut War not Welfare petition. Download it, print it and get organising with it at street stalls, meetings and demos. An electronic version will be available soon.

Building an international anti-war movement

The trade union model resolution agreed at last month’s International Conference Against War could not be more relevant to the DIP. It commits union branches to building the international days of action agreed in the conference statement and future anti-war conferences in the wider labour movement. Please get it passed at your next union branch meeting and make sure your branch and trades council are affiliated to StW. 

We’re also asking all our groups to organise meetings to build on the success of the conference and prepare for a campaign in the autumn ahead of the 21 November day of action against conscription, rearmament and the drive to war.

Get in touch with the office if you want help and advice about doing this or want to become more involved in Stop the War generally. We can put you in touch with your local group or help you set one up in your area.

National March for Palestine Saturday 18 July

The Palestine Coalition has called a national demonstration in London for Saturday 18 July, ahead of the ‘crowning’ of the new prime minister. Support for Israel played no small part in Starmer’s downfall and we need the demo to send a clear message to his successor: No to War – End the Genocide – Sanctions Now!

Please do all you can in your groups and communities to organise for it and book coaches as soon as possible. Leaflets will be available in the office and downloadable from our website early next week. 

Remember also to save the date of Saturday 10 October, which the International Conference agreed to make a global demonstration for Palestine. Alongside building for the 18 July national demonstration, let all your friends and contacts know, both here and abroad, about 10 October.

You can still purchase conference tees and totes to show the world your commitment to the international anti-war movement!

And you can watch the whole of the international conference and some individual keynote speeches via our YouTube channel.

This week’s anti-war briefing