Labour Party Conference fringe
Campaign News | Tuesday, 7 October 2025
Steve Witherden, MP for Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr closing the meeting
The newly elected Deputy General Secretary of the NEU, Sarah Kilpatrick, was one of the speakers at the CSC fringe meeting during Labour Party Conference. Sarah, who was part of an NEU delegation in 2024, expressed “the pride we have in our union of the work we do with CSC,” and the joy she experienced “visiting a place that values education so highly.” Cuba demonstrates that “there is another way of doing things, which emphasises a pedagogy of tenderness and the human dimension of learning,” she said.
Thompsons CEO Clare Mellor outlined the firm’s longstanding support: “From campaigning for the freedom of the Miami Five to challenging the unjust and discriminatory barring of a Cuban student from the Open University, Thompsons’ commitment to Cuba and international solidarity more broadly is central to our firm’s mission of social justice,” she explained.
Labour NEC member Gemma Bolton, a participant in the 2022 May Day Brigade, recalled her experience as “nothing short of life-changing.” Gemma’s visit took place at the tail-end of the COVID-19 pandemic, and she told delegates that witnessing the pride of place that Cuban healthcare workers took in that year’s May Day march reinforced her commitment to fighting for a more just world.
Echoing these sentiments, ASLEF General Secretary Mick Whelan described how inspired young members of his union have been after taking part in brigades: “They return enthused and ready to make an impact in our movement.” Mick, who is also chair of Justice for Colombia, highlighted the spurious nature of Cuba’s SSOT designation. Their role in hosting Colombian ELN guerrillas as part of internationally recognised peace talks demonstrated their “commitment to peace” not terrorism, he said.
Ambassador Ismara Vargas Walter also condemned Cuba’s cynical inclusion on the SSOT list as “a political weapon used to intimidate banks and isolate Cuba from the world.” The US blockade is an economic war designed to create “hunger, desperation and the overthrow of the government,” but despite the harsh reality Cuba is currently facing, solidarity is “a beacon of hope” and “with friends like you by our side, we know we are not alone. Together, we will build a better world.”
Steve Witherden, MP for Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr and Vice-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cuba, delivered a passionate call for solidarity. “For the people of Cuba, the fight for socialism and to protect the gains of the revolution, free access to healthcare, education and a political system where direct participation drives everything is ongoing. Cuba is a shining example that we must not only continue to defend but learn from and build upon. Hands off Cuba!”
During conference CSC organised a number of meetings for the ambassador, including with John McDonnell MP and Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP. Other supportive MPs to visit the stall included Labour’s Kate Osborne, Rachel Hopkins, Richard Burgon, Navendu Mishra and Kim Johnson, and Sinn Féin’s Chris Hazzard and Pat Cullen, together with party leader Mary Lou McDonald.
