Author: Miles Donavan

‘We cannot have breaches of international law like this. We cannot have the law of the jungle.’ Dame Emily Thornberry has become the most senior Labour MP thus far to criticise Donald Trump’s strikes on Venezuela over the weekend, which saw President Nicolas Maduro and his wife captured. The Trump administration attacked Venezuela on Saturday, saying that the US will now “run” Venezuela until a “safe, proper and judicious transition” can be ensured. The US president has also said US oil companies would also fix Venezuela’s “broken infrastructure” and “start making money for the country”. Senior Democrats have criticised Trump’s…

One MP has accused the prime minister of ‘abandoning international law’ to ‘appease’ Trump Labour MPs have said Keir Starmer should condemn Donald Trump’s attack on Venezuela and the removal of its president on Saturday. Several left-wing MPs have criticised the UK government’s refusal to say whether striking Venezuela and capturing the Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and the first lady Cilia Flores was illegal.  Trump has said the US will run Venezuela until “safe, proper and judicious transition” of power can be ensured. Starmer and his chief secretary, Darren Jones, have said it is up to the Americans to decide to…

“So you’re ok with him trotting around the world abducting presidents?” Reform UK has defended Donald Trump’s attack on Venezuela and capture of its President, Nicolás Maduro. The US government captured Maduro and the first lady Cilia Flores and flew them out of Venezuela on Saturday. Reform deputy leader Richard Tice said that “it’s good news that a serious enemy of the West” has been removed and that he was “illegitimate”.  On Sky News, Tice claimed that Trump’s overthrow of the government was “clearly in accordance with US domestic law”. He also cited article 51 of the United Nations charter,…

So much for being “a business leader with a proven track record” A Reform council leader, responsible for a budget of £1.5billion, and providing services to 513,000 people in the northeast, has seen two of his companies collapse while owing £1.5million. Far from being “a business leader with a proven track record”, as Reform had hailed him last May, Andrew Husband, the leader of Durham county council, has presided over the collapse of his companies which owe debts, including more than £500,000 in unpaid taxes, government-backed Covid loans, and wages owed to staff. The Times reports: “Filings for one of…

Reform’s first seven months running 12 councils reveal a gap between rhetoric and results Listening to Reform’s rhetoric ahead of May’s local elections, you might have thought that councils were swimming in spare cash. The party promised to slash “wasteful” spending, make local government more efficient, and freeze council tax. Nigel Farage said councils needed Reform’s Trump-inspired Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), drawing attention to money councils had spent on electric cars for council staff, underused cycle lanes and translation services. While these examples seem like easy targets for ridicule (even though translation services and cycle lanes are needed), it…

These were the most popular LFF articles Left Foot Forward has published hundreds of articles in 2025, read by thousands of people. Here’s a quick list of our ten most read pieces this year: 10. Who is Llyr Powell – Reform’s candidate in the Caerphilly Senedd by-election? Earlier this year, voters in Caerphilly went to the polls in a crucial by-election to the Welsh Parliament (Senedd). Early in the campaign, it became clear this was a head-to-head battle between Reform UK and Plaid Cymru. As part of our coverage of the by-election, we looked into Reform’s candidate Llyr Powell. Ultimately,…

“There’s a common thread here of people who are out for money and not out for helping ordinary people” Everyone Hates Elon is the new anti-Elon Musk group grabbing people’s attention with satirical billboards targeting billionaires. Their most viral stunts? Re-branding Tesla as a ‘Swasticar’ after Musk’s infamous salute at Donald Trump’s inauguration. The simple but effective “Elon Musk is a bellend, signed the UK” poster. The group also displayed banners of Trump with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to ‘welcome’ him during his state visit, and “took over” Venice ahead of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ wedding in June with…

While Egan’s election has been branded a blow to Labour, it also reflects workers’ desire for more vocal, strike-ready union representation. Left-wing challenger Andrea Egan defeated the incumbent Christina McAnea in the Unison general secretary election on 17 December. The trade unionist and social worker from Bolton, who was expelled from Labour in 2022 for sharing articles from Socialist Appeal and has expressed support for Your Party, will take over leadership of Britain’s largest union in January. What does this mean for the Labour movement and the workers it represents? In a post on X, Labour MP Clive Lewis called…

Our readership continues to grow but none of this would’ve been possible without readers and donors. We need your support now more than ever, with the rise of the right, as progressives we must continue to fight back against regressive policies and ideas. Another year has flown by and our political climate remains as volatile as ever. Nigel Farage seems to think that nothing and no one will stop what he sees as his ‘inevitable’ march towards Downing Street. The snake oil populism offered by Reform UK will not help working families up and down the country and yet Reform…

We will be returning on Monday 5th January with more hard-hitting news and comment, written by and for the UK left. LFF is now closed over the Christmas holiday period. A massive thank you to all of our readers and supporters, without whom none of what we do would be possible. We will be returning on Monday 5th January with more hard-hitting news and comment, written by and for the UK left. Wishing you all a restful break over the Christmas period, Basit Mahmood, Editor, Left Foot Forward. Left Foot Forward doesn’t have the backing of big…