Keir Starmer set for fresh humiliation as key union looks to split | Politics | News
While one of Labour’s traditional biggest union supporters is reportedly considering voting to leave the party, it is stated that Sir Keir Starmer could deal a major blow to power. Since its founding at the turn of the 20th century, the Labor Party has always relied on the unwavering political and financial support of the major unions.
But in a seismic move, senior officials from Unite, one of the country’s largest unions, are allegedly in talks about whether to convene an emergency conference to vote to formally leave Labor. Unite, which has more than 1.2 million members, would be a major loss for Sir Keir and would further damage his cause with the Left wing of the party from which his biggest rivals have emerged. This could also be a major financial blow for Labor, with Unite donating around £1.4 million to the party each year through membership fees.
On Friday it was reported that Health Secretary Wes Streeting and former Deputy Chancellor Angela Rayner, both loved by the left of the party, were considering a “deal” to oust the Prime Minister, with Mr Streeting aiming to take the top job and Ms Rayner taking on any Cabinet role she “wants”. A spokesman for Mr Streeting and a source close to Ms Rayner denied the allegations.
But giving Sir Keir another blow, The Telegraph reported There is “intense frustration” in Unite around the Prime Minister, from top to bottom, to rank-and-file members.
A Labor MP told the newspaper that only a new party leader could win back the union’s support, adding: “They would unite around a candidate to the left of the party.”
Another MP said: “This is a major union, a major player in the wider Labor movement, a critically important relationship but it has become dysfunctional.”
Just 18 months into his premiership, the Prime Minister is struggling to salvage his leadership amid falling ratings in the polls that followed him as Prime Minister. The illegal immigration boat crisis, the high cost of living, rising personal and business taxes, as well as U-turns by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, have seen Labor fall below the Conservatives, Reform UK and even the Liberal Democrats and Greens in most recent polls.
Unite the Union General Secretary Sharon Graham criticized Labor at a conference in Brighton in September. Sky News: “What they need to do is be the Labor Party. People were crying for them to come in, they wanted them to come in. I wanted them to come in but they’re not doing the things we thought they were going to do.
“We are committed to the Labor Party, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to justify this if they do not support the workers. We are a union. I am the general secretary of a union that supports the workers. I expect the Labor Party to support the workers.
“If they don’t do that, our members will make the decision. They will make the decisions and therefore they may decide not to become a member of the Labor Party.”
Unite has been one of the two biggest donors to Labor over the last 25 years, according to the Electoral Commission, with the union donating £52.2 million to the party in that period.
