New leader says Unison will end support for ‘destructive’ Labour right wing | Unison

Unison’s new general secretary has announced the union will end its support for the “destructive right wing of the Labor Party” and said any leadership election in 2026 should not replace Keir Starmer with Wes Streeting.

Andrea Egan, who won a decisive victory as a left-wing challenger this week, lashed out at Streeting over his handling of the junior doctors’ dispute in an article for the Guardian, saying it was “completely unacceptable for a Labor politician to describe striking workers as morally reprehensible”.

He also called on Starmer to “take immediate action” to stop Palestinian solidarity campaigners “having to starve to death protesting for their basic rights”, referring to prisoners on hunger strike.

His outspoken remarks suggest Unison, a leading union for health and social care workers, is heading towards a broader clash with Streeting and Labor over industrial action and its approach to the Middle East.

Egan will take over as general secretary of Britain’s largest union in January, which is also one of Labour’s biggest donors, giving almost £1 million this year. He will replace Christina McAnea, who has held the post since 2021 and is close to the Starmer government.

By contrast, Egan, a social worker with decades of union experience, is a leftist who was expelled from Labor in 2022 after the party said he had shared articles on social media from Socialist Appeal, an organization banned by Labour.

In his article, Egan suggested a Labor leadership contest in 2026 was likely and warned against the party backing Streeting.

“We will make time for our union’s inexcusable habit of supporting politicians who act against our interests, undermine our core values ​​and make our lives worse,” he said.

“Like my colleagues in the movement, I have been appalled by Wes Streeting’s attacks on junior doctors and their union in recent weeks. It is completely unacceptable for a Labor politician to describe striking workers as ‘morally reprehensible’.”

Egan said he would deal with Streeting with an open mind, but added: “Given the possibility of a Labor leadership election in 2026, it is important for me to be clear: replacing Starmer with Streeting or someone else from the right wing of the party will not be the answer to the enormous challenges facing the country. What is needed is a radical change in approach, based on the core values ​​of the Labor movement.”

The elected general secretary also said he would run the union differently, saying: “Some people at the top of our movement have contributed to the decline of the union by creating cultures in which workers, namely ordinary members, are constantly ignored by their own organisations.”

In response to Egan’s criticism, Streeting’s spokesman said: “Wes is a Unison member who has served with and for Unison members, from introducing the first fair pay agreements for care workers to ending the use of subcos. [wholly-owned subsidiaries] To outsource staff and undermine their pay and conditions.

“Wes has never closed the door on junior doctors or the BMA after the 28.9% pay rise he gave them, and he won’t do so now. To pretend strikes would have no impact on patients or other NHS staff would be dishonest and irresponsible in itself.”

Egan’s comments suggest Unison may in future take an approach closer to Unite, led by Sharon Graham, who has pressured Labor to remain closer to left-wing values.

Egan said in his article: “It should be clear that putting members first does not mean relegation or depoliticisation. It does mean abdicating responsibility. But it does mean an end to Unison’s support for Labour’s subversive right wing.”

The change at the top of Unison leaves Starmer facing intense pressure from the left from leading unions, as well as challenges from Zack Polanski’s Green party and Your Party, co-founded by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana.

At the same time, Labor recently reached a compromise to water down the employment rights bill that passed the House of Lords this week, following pressure from the right and business groups. The government has agreed that workers will have the right to protection against unfair dismissal after six months rather than the current two years, although day one rights were promised in the Labor Party manifesto. Unions accepted this escalation, as well as the removal of the compensation cap for unfair dismissals.

The TUC praised the bill to ban exploitative zero-hour contracts, introduce sick pay for everyone, extend parental and bereavement leave, repeal the Conservative Party’s anti-union laws, give unions access to workplaces and create a fair pay deal in social care.

But on Friday it emerged that Labor Together, a group helping to support Starmer’s leadership, had circulated a discussion paper proposing scrapping many regulations in the recently passed bill to help stimulate the economy while introducing easier hiring and firing, as well as a new employment insurance system.

A Labor Together spokesman said: “Labour Together fully supports this week’s Employment Rights Bill. This article was a provocation for private debate on how to build a political economy centered on technological change and innovation.

“It is looking beyond current policy, exploring ideas for spreading innovation and investment outside the South East, and how to support workers through technological change with a larger welfare state rather than regulation alone. But this is a long way off given the welfare state we inherited from the Conservatives. An Employment Rights Bill is the best way to provide workers with greater security right now.”