Unite has just made Labour's days numbered
Unite's decision to re-examine its relationship with Labour was on the back of an emergency motion at its conference in Brighton, which condemned both the UK Government and Birmingham City Council for criticising bin workers who have taken industrial action in England's second-largest city.
Unite boss Sharon Graham didn't mince her words: 'Angela Rayner,' she said, 'has had every opportunity to intervene and resolve this dispute, but has instead backed a rogue council that has...smeared its workers fighting huge pay cuts'. In a watershed moment for Left-wing politics in Britain, the leader of Labour-controlled Birmingham City Council, John Cotton, has also been suspended by the trade union.
The significance of Unite taking this course of action against Labour shouldn't be underestimated. It is the largest trade union affiliated to Labour. According to the Electoral Commission, it has donated over £400,000 to the party this year. The timing of it could not be worse, with plans in place for the creation of a new Left-wing party with former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn at the helm.
If Unite was to disaffiliate itself from Labour, it would then be free to endorse candidates belonging to another political party. It could also shift its financial support towards a new Left-wing challenger party which is generally more supportive of industrial action – including the bin strikes in Birmingham.
While the Labour leadership has rejoiced over the very real existential crisis faced by the Conservative Party, it is now confronted with one of its own. A new Corbyn-led party of the Left, perhaps in alliance with the Greens, would pose a major threat to Labour – especially among younger voters in multicultural cities across the UK. According to a poll earlier this week, one third of Labour supporters would consider voting for a Corbyn-led party.
It will be an even greater problem for Keir Starmer if such a party manages to bring currently unaffiliated pro-Gaza figures into the fold. Meanwhile, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who refused to condemn Unite for supporting the striking binmen in Birmingham and has backed bringing steel plants under public ownership, smells blood in Labour's traditional industrial heartlands.
A year is a long time in politics. From winning a handsome parliamentary majority, Labour's days are now numbered, with Unite now holding the cards.
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