Calls grow for Labour government action on Cuba
News from Cuba | Saturday, 10 October 2026
Some of the speakers at the End the Siege rally in Liverpool l-r:Annie Cogan-Thomas, Sarah Woolley, Jess Barnard, Pablo Ginarte, Andrea Egan, Phil Liptrot, Steve Witherden, Louise Regan and Brian Leis
WITH TRUMP’S siege of Cuba intensifying, CSC brought one of the world’s most pressing international issues to members, MPs and trade unionists at Labour Party Conference in Liverpool.
More than 150 people packed The Casa for CSC’s public rally, hearing updates from the island and calls for the British labour movement to strengthen its solidarity with Cuba.
Opening the evening, Richard Burgon MP said “support for Cuba and support for the work of the Cuba Solidarity Campaign has never been more important”. Richard witnessed the impact of Trump’s oil blockade first-hand when he travelled to Cuba with Jeremy Corbyn MP and CSC’s Natasha Hickman in March to deliver humanitarian aid, and recalled a powercut during their visit to a cancer hospital.
Labour NEC member Jess Barnard celebrated Cuba’s internationalism – from its role in defeating apartheid South Africa’s forces at Cuito Cuanavale to training Palestinian medical students for free. “Cuba is owed a debt of solidarity that is incumbent on us to repay,” she said.
That was echoed by Annie Cogan-Thomas, speaking about her experience on the 2025 May Day Brigade and reminding the audience that visiting Cuba is itself an act of solidarity.
Alloa and Grangemouth MP Brian Leishman challenged the US designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism. “There are terrorists in this world and they’re not found in Cuba,” he said.
“The real terrorists are those that put in place the economic sanctions designed to cripple the
Cuban people and those that are violating international law and wilfully creating a humanitarian catastrophe.” He pledged to work with parliamentary colleagues to press the British government to act.
UNISON General Secretary Andrea Egan spoke proudly of her North West region’s role as a co-founder of the Cuba Vive appeal and the union’s current fundraising campaign for a full container ofaid. Describing it as “solidarity in action,” she highlighted Cuba’s own international contribution: “Cuban doctors, nurses and healthcare workers have travelled across the world to communities hit by war, natural disasters and disease.”
BFAWU General Secretary Sarah Woolley celebrated TUC Congress’s unanimous passing of Motion 76 on Cuba, describing it as “a call to action for the whole movement.” Recalling CTC General Secretary Osnay Miguel Colina’s address to Congress on the impact of the siege on
Cuban workers, she stressed they “aren’t asking for pity, they’re asking for solidarity.”
Louise Regan, Chair of the NEU’s International Committee and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, described the deteriorating conditions in Cuba’s education system. “The situation now is dire in schools. There are no resources at all, and the power shortages are causing massive
problems.” Many schools have been forced to operate half days, while transport difficulties are preventing some children in remote areas from attending.
Phil Liptrot of Thompsons Solicitors warned that Cuba is at “a terrifying crossroads and in the crosshairs of an increasingly unhinged US president.” He urged action now: “We canʼt say to each other over our Christmas dinners we didnʼt see that coming. Because we did.”
Representing the Cuban Embassy, First Secretary Pablo Ginarte Sampedro told the rally: “Cuba is not a threat. The US blockade is.” Describing its escalation as “collective punishment,” he called on friends of Cuba to build the resistance to the blockade “to strengthen it, broaden it, and to give it new forms.”
Closing the rally, CSC Chair Kevin Courtney described the current moment as a “struggle for the life of the Revolution” and called for practical solidarity: “We’re asking for donations. We’re asking for affiliations. We’re asking people to visit Cuba. And we’re asking that our government acts and
sends humanitarian aid to Cuba.”
Throughout the conference, CSC spoke with hundreds of Labour members about the crisis. A motion from Derbyshire Dales CLP, although not prioritised for debate, called on the Labour government to challenge the US blockade and provide direct humanitarian aid.
CSC also met MPs and trade union leaders to press for government action. Dame Emily Thornberry, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, visited CSC’s stall to discuss the crisis. Speaking at a fringe on UK-US relations, she warned: “We’ve seen the strangling of the Cuban economy and things getting really desperate. I think there will be random aggression. I think he’s going to go for Cuba.”
