A senior Labour minister mocked the party’s largest union paymaster today amid reports it is considering a historic split after growing increasingly ‘frustrated’ over Sir Keir Starmer‘s leadership.
Senior officials at Unite are reportedly discussing whether to call an emergency vote to formally disaffiliate from the Labour Party in a move that would strike a major blow to the Prime Minister.
There are said to be ‘intense frustrations’ among bosses and grass roots members alike after the union issued a string of attacks on Labour policies in recent weeks.
Unite boss Sharon Graham has previously threatened to pull the plug on its funding on the basis Labour is drifting too far to the right, claiming it can no longer be trusted after breaking promises to working people.
Some Labour MPs believe losing support from Unite, which is Labour’s biggest financial donor, would be catastrophic and could cost Sir Keir his premiership.
‘This is a major union, it is a major player within the wider Labour movement. It is a critically important relationship – but it has become dysfunctional,’ one MP said.
But Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden, a Starmer loyalist, appeared to question whether Unite had the guts to go through with it.
Speaking to Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips he said he ‘read this story every few months, usually about the same union’, adding: ‘Maybe it is true this time. I would regret it, but we would survive and go on.’
It was also suggested by MPs that Unite would want to replace Sir Keir and ‘coalesce around one candidate on the left of the party’ who would win back their support.
Leadership rivals are also reportedly seizing the opportunity to build closer ties with the unions ahead of any future race.
A vote on whether to disaffiliate from Labour would need to happen at Unite’s next rules conference, which is currently scheduled for 2027.
But this could be brought forward if the executive council calls an emergency rules conference, which is currently being considered, according to The Telegraph.
It follows a wave of condemnation from Ms Graham, who has grown increasingly critical of policies seemingly targeting workers across the UK.
Just last month, Ms Graham criticised the decision to hit ‘ordinary’ people with stealth taxes after the Chancellor announced she would be raising taxes to pay for an increase to the welfare bill.
Ms Graham said that Unite’s 1million members were no longer able to trust the Labour party – as many face paying higher taxes.
She told the Telegraph: ‘The Budget was not a workers’ budget – it will result in workers paying more as income thresholds have been frozen.
‘One in four workers, many of them Unite members, face paying higher tax rates in the future, while also struggling to keep their heads above water.
‘If the Chancellor thinks workers are not noticing the underhand continuation of this shameful stealth tax, she is wrong. It’s a tax on workers. It’s clear.’
Ms Graham also criticised the watering down of the Employment Rights Bill that would have given employees the right to sue for unfair dismissal from day one.
She said workers had been promised greater protections by Labour but these had not been delivered.
‘Those promises, which were campaigned on, have failed to be delivered. Broken. Workers have been left unable to trust Labour,’ Ms Graham said.
Unite is the second-largest union affiliated to Labour and donates £1.5million from its membership fees to the party every year.
