LABOUR are under fire after frontbenchers met with the architects of a “far-right manifesto” that proposes completely reshaping the US into an ultra-conservative state.
It comes after The Independent reported that Labour shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock and shadow exports minister Tan Dhesi flew to Washington DC to meet with the “extremist” Heritage Foundation.
Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy also asked to speak at the foundation during his trip to the US earlier in May but was turned down, reports said.
The Heritage Foundation, one of the most influential think tanks on the American right, is the lead on the Project 2025 manifesto.
Backed by more than 100 other right-wing organisations, Project 2025 proposes a complete reshaping of the US government with an “army” of pre-trained loyalists and the dismissal of up to 50,000 federal employees.
Plans include dismantling the Department of Education, curbing the independence of the Department of Justice, swingeing deregulation of oil and gas industries, and abortion being made completely illegal.
The Associated Press reported that Project 2025 was a plan made by “Trump-era conservatives [who] want to gut the ‘administrative state’ from within”.
Kevin Roberts, the Heritage Foundation’s president, has said that Project 2025 “starts with deleting the terms sexual orientation and gender identity, diversity, equity, and inclusion, gender, gender equality, gender equity, gender awareness, gender-sensitive, abortion, reproductive health, reproductive rights, and any other term used to deprive Americans of their First Amendment rights out of every federal rule, agency regulation, contract, grant, regulation, and piece of legislation that exists”.
US congresswoman Ayanna Pressley sounded the alarm about Project 2025 on the same day Labour MPs were reported to have visited the Heritage Foundation.
She said: “For many people, this is their first time hearing about it, and we must sound the alarm.
“Project 2025 is a far-right manifesto. It is a one-thousand-page bucket list of extremist policies that would uproot every government agency and disrupt the lives of every person who calls this country home.”
The news of Labour’s meeting with the Heritage Foundation led to intense criticism from Scottish politicians.
SNP MSP James Dornan told The National: “I'd love to say I'm shocked at the prospect of Labour working closely with one of the most dangerous right-wing think tanks in the USA, but under Starmer it has been clear for some time that this is Labour's direction of travel.”
Dornan pointed to Starmer’s treatment of Labour MP hopefuls such as Diane Abbott, saying it “should be a warning to all that despite of the constant use of the word ‘change’, all we can expect under this likely incoming Labour government is more of the same destructive right-wing policies, but in a turbo-charged and authoritarian manner”.
And Maggie Chapman, the Scottish Greens’ equality spokesperson said: “The Heritage Foundation are a far-right extremist group. It is shocking but maybe not that surprising that members of Keir Starmer’s Labour Party would want to spend any time in their company.
“Over the last few weeks, the Labour Party has dropped progressive policies, expelled left-wing members and welcomed die-hard conservatives into their ranks. They have put big business profits before our planet's future, and are drawing up plans to sell off our NHS to the private sector.
“For LGBT+ people and women across the country, the prospect of the Labour Party working with Trump’s extremist cronies will be a terrifying one.”
Former US president Donald Trump is widely expected to be officially named the Republican Party’s choice to run for the presidency in the coming weeks, despite having been found guilty on 34 counts in a hush money trial.
Project 2025 has not explicitly been adopted by the Trump campaign, but commentators say it is broadly aligned with his goals and values and appears to have been designed with him in mind.
The architects of the manifesto have said it could be adopted by any conservative president.
The Labour Party did not respond to The National’s request for comment.
