Bingley protesters condemn Tory leadership candidate

Protesting against Esther McVey in Bingley, 30.5.19, photo by Iain Dalton

Protesting against Esther McVey in Bingley, 30.5.19, photo by Iain Dalton   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

Around 20 people gathered outside the Brown Cow pub in Bingley on 30 May, where former Department for Work and Pensions minister Ester McVey was launching her Tory premiership campaign tour.

The launch took place in the constituency of McVey’s partner, the notorious Philip Davies MP – known for talking out legislation on such issues as banning ‘upskirting’ and hospital parking charges.

Incredibly, McVey pitched the meeting as ‘Blue Collar Conversations’ aimed at working-class people, however the only people turning up for their meeting were well-dressed, huge car-driving local Tories.

Local workers commuting past the protest, tooted their support for the counter-protest, which displayed prominent Socialist Party ‘Tories Out!’ placards as well as homemade placards including one saying ‘Sanctions don’t create jobs… but socialism does’.

As DWP minister, McVey presided over the disastrous roll-out of Universal Credit and has defended the rising use of foodbanks as a positive thing – she even briefly tried to make the case once again for this before being escorted inside by her minders.

It is clear that the election of McVey or any other Tory leadership candidate as prime minister will continue the disastrous anti-working-class policies of austerity.

That’s why what is necessary to change the situation, as our placards called for, is ‘mass working-class action for a general election’ with the trade unions playing the key role in pushing for this by calling a national demonstration to demand a general election.

Iain Dalton, West Yorkshire Socialist Party organiser