But Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) voted 8-1 to block what was widely understood as the first step of a party leadership challenge against Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Labour Party rules mean an elected mayor must seek NEC permission to stand down and become a parliamentary candidate. By “difficult but necessary policies”, the FT means cuts to social spending and a huge increase in the military budget. The real left-wing challenge the capitalist press fears is a movement outside Parliament in the working class. The decisive question for the working class is not which carbon-copy Labour leader is at the head of the country when struggles erupt, but developing its own socialist leadership in the fight against them.