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BBC News
a day ago
- Business
- BBC News
Union boss Len McCluskey took private jet flights arranged by building firm, report findsinds
Former Unite boss Len McCluskey enjoyed private jet flights and football tickets arranged by the firm building a multi-million pound hotel for the union, according to an internal report seen by the Group, which is run by friends of Mr McCluskey, overcharged Unite by at least £30m for the Birmingham hotel and conference centre project, the Unite report also found Mr McCluskey "overruled" advice from staff and the union's lawyers in signing the construction contract with Flanagan report said the private jet flights and football tickets were "consistently organised and paid for by" the Flanagan Group and there is "no indication" Mr McCluskey later reimbursed McCluskey's lawyers told the BBC he paid for his own travel in full, and, to his recollection, always paid the cost of his football denied he had overruled staff or lawyers. The Flanagan Group did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Before he retired in 2021, Mr McCluskey was one of the most powerful figures in the trade union movement and a leading backer of Jeremy Corbyn, during his time as Labour leader. He remains an influential figure on the left of British was an enthusiastic supporter of the Unite hotel project, which was meant to be a financial investment for the union's members, as well as a venue for its it ran massively over budget and has been mired in controversy, with the Serious Fraud Office last year launching an investigation into Sharon Graham took over from Mr McCluskey as Unite's general secretary, she launched a series of internal inquiries after discovering apparent discrepancies in the union's auditors found the union spent as much as £125m on the hotel and conference centre development, which has since been valued at just £38m. "I was absolutely astounded," Ms Graham told the BBC. "I could feel the pit of my stomach drop, thinking what has gone on here?"There's no way to pretend that actually it was a whoopsie-daisy moment... It's either rank incompetence, or it's something else."Ms Graham commissioned a specialist construction lawyer, Martin Bowdery KC, to investigate the project's costs and BBC has seen a summary of Bowdery's report, which has been presented to the union's executive report says:The union spent "at least" £72m more than the hotel complex is worthUnite awarded Flanagan Group the contract to build the hotel with "no competitive tendering process" and despite the firm "having a history of poor performance, delays… and cost overruns on previous contracts"Mr McCluskey described the firm's bosses as "good friends" Mr McCluskey's lawyers said he was unaware of the concerns of staff or union lawyers at the time the construction contract was signed, does not recall signing the principal contract, and was not involved in the decision to select Flanagan Group. His lawyers have said he categorically rejects any suggestion of improper Flanagan Group did not respond to repeated requests for comment but has previously told the BBC it was "proud" of its work on the scheme and costs had risen due to "radical changes to design and working practices". Tickets and flights Mr McCluskey received private jet flights to watch the team he supports, Liverpool FC, play in the 2018 and 2019 Champions League finals in Kyiv and Madrid, according to Unite's have told the BBC that on one occasion he travelled on a Falcon 900B business plane's owners said it offered passengers "super size comfort" including "8 leather club seats, a full size bed, fully stocked galley and cabin sound system".Aviation company Global Charter has estimated the return trip would have cost between £40,000 and £47, report also claims that Mr McCluskey received tickets for five Liverpool FC games in the UK, four of which included matchday said "the evidence for this comes from tickets and flight information sent to Len McCluskey's Unite email".Mr McCluskey's lawyers said he paid for his travel in full and recalled travelling with a commercial carrier on one of the said he occasionally attended football matches with the Flanagans but invariably paid his way and does not believe he even attended all of the domestic matches as claimed by Unite's is no suggestion Mr McCluskey breached Unite's gifts or hospitality rules because there was no such policy. Sharon Graham has since introduced a gifts and hospitality has also recruited a new finance director and procurement officials as part of what she calls her "clean up" effort."Maybe it took a woman to do it", she said. "And now I've uncovered it, I'm going to make sure that it never happens again."Ms Graham is also attempting to get back some of the millions spent on the hotel. "Because this is members' money, I expect it back in the union", she said. "And I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that happens." Ballooning costs Initial estimates for the hotel project in 2012 suggested it would cost around £7m. But the scale of the union's ambitions grew under Mr McCluskey's time as general secretary, from 2011 to 2021, and the construction bill the end, Flanagan Group was paid a total of £96m for its work on the four star hotel and conference centre, which opened for business in his report, Bowdery said £30m of that was overcharging and the company submitted bills "massively over the original estimates".In one instance it is claimed the company billed £1.3m for work which should have cost £90, Flanagan Group was also paid £3.7m for adverse weather delays even though the company was "not entitled to extra payments for adverse weather," the report company has not responded to requests for comment, but it has previously said: "We would like to make it clear that this scheme was delivered fairly and should be regarded as an exceptional asset for the union." Unionised labour Len McCluskey and Flanagan Group have previously said cost overruns were partly due to the hotel project using unionised construction industry is known for using freelance workers who are not directly employed and not represented by trades the Bowdery report said: "There is no actual financial evidence of any cost increase caused by this."It added that it was not clear Flanagans complied with Unite's union labour contracting requirements and "refused to provide information to confirm union labour" was forwarded or copied to Mr McCluskey in 2017 said the "vast majority of the workforce" were not on union McCluskey's lawyers said he did not remember the emails but any credible suggestion of non-unionised labour would have been duly addressed. Who signed the contract? The report said it was "remarkable" there was no documentation showing who decided to appoint also states that Mr McCluskey told the inquiry that the decision had been made by Unite's former finance director Ed contradicts evidence to the inquiry from a Unite official who said Sabisky was "100% against" engaging Flanagan Group but that he was overruled by Mr Sabisky died in March 2020 after suffering a stroke so the BBC is unable to verify this Bowdery report said Mr McCluskey signed the main hotel contract. His lawyers told the BBC he does not recall signing it.
The National
a day ago
- Business
- The National
SNP MPs in call for full UK arms embargo on Israel
A total of 57 MPs have written to Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds calling on the Labour Government to explain why arms exports to Israel have increased since it suspended 30 out of around 350 licences last September. The letter, which was penned by Steve Witherden, Labour MP for Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr, also raises concerns about a lack of transparency on the licencing of arms exports. READ MORE: Tory MP in stark 'Hague' warning to David Lammy over UK complicity in Gaza The letter states: "We are writing once again to call for a full arms embargo on Israel and request greater transparency from the Government regarding the UK's arms exports and military licensing." The letter points towards figures published by The National which showed that Labour licensed exports of more military equipment to Israel in the final three months of 2024 than the Tories did for all of 2020-2023. The signatories to the letter said "further urgent questions" must be raised on the UK Government's continued licensing of arms exports. The letter asks: "Why is the UK continuing such co-production with a state that the Government has acknowledged is not committed to complying with international humanitarian law? "Why did the value of licences for co-production with Israel increase so significantly following the arms suspension?" The letter also asks what message such a surge in licensing "sends to Israel." It goes on to consider the continued export of F-35 parts, which have been documented being used by Israel in Gaza. The Labour Government has repeatedly claimed that it is not sending F-35 parts directly to Israel, however the UK is still contributing components through an international pool. Despite this, the Foreign Secretary insisted earlier on Tuesday that he was "satisfied that we are not sending arms that could be used in Gaza". The letter further calls on the UK Government to take steps to improve transparency on arms licences. All nine SNP MPs have signed the letter, as well as a number of current Labour MPs, Green parliamentarians and a host of independent MPs including Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana. READ MORE: Watch as King Charles confronted by public over royal family costs to taxpayers Other signatories include the four Labour MPs who who recently lost the whip for "repeated breaches of discipline" – Brian Leishman, Rachael Maskell, Chris Hinchliff and Neil Duncan-Jordan – as well as Diane Abbott, who was recently suspended pending an investigation into comments she made on racism. The full list of signatories is: Rt Hon. Diane Abbott MP Shockat Adam MP Paula Barker MP Apsana Begum MP Siân Berry MP Kirsty Blackman MP Olivia Blake MP Baroness Christine Blower Baroness Pauline Christina Bryan of Partick Richard Burgon MP Ian Byrne MP Ellie Chowns MP Rt Hon. Jeremy Corbyn MP Ann Davies MP Carla Denyer MP Dave Doogan MP Neil Duncan-Jordan MP Sorcha Eastwood MP Cat Eccles MP Rt Hon. Stephen Flynn MP Mary Kelly Foy MP Andrew George MP Stephen Gethins MP Lord John Hendy KC Chris Hinchliff MP Imran Hussain MP Adnan Hussain MP Kim Johnson MP Ayoub Khan MP Ben Lake MP Peter Lamb MP Ian Lavery MP Chris Law MP Graham Leadbitter MP Brian Leishman MP Clive Lewis MP Seamus Logan MP Rachael Maskell MP Andy McDonald MP Rt Hon. John McDonnell MP Llinos Medi MP Baroness Nosheena Mobarik Iqbal Mohamed MP Grahame Morris MP Yasmin Qureshi MP Adrian Ramsay MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP Liz Saville-Roberts MP Zarah Sultana MP Jon Trickett MP Brendan O'Hara MP Dr Simon Opher MP Kate Osborne MP Lord Prem Sikka Nadia Whittome MP Pete Wishart MP Steve Witherden MP The Foreign Office and the Department for Business and Trade have been contacted for comment.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Newspaper apologises to MP for ‘racist' cartoon
The Observer newspaper issued an apology and removed a cartoon after Zarah Sultana accused it of racism. The controversial cartoon depicted Ms Sultana on a raisin box, which she described as 'brownfacing' and mocking her surname. Ms Sultana criticised The Observer's apology as 'mealy-mouthed' for not explicitly labelling the cartoon as racist or directly naming her. The cartoon also featured Jeremy Corbyn with communist symbols, satirising the new political party he is forming with Ms Sultana. Ms Sultana resigned from the Labour Party earlier this month to establish a new political party with Mr Corbyn.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
The Observer apologises for ‘racist' cartoon of Zarah Sultana
The Observer has apologised and taken down a cartoon portraying Zarah Sultana after the former Labour MP accused the publication of racism. The newspaper's cartoon of the week depicted Ms Sultana on the front of a box of raisins in the style of the brand Sun-Maid as part of a mock invite to a Jeremy Corbyn party following news that the two were forming their own political party. Ms Sultana said of the caricature: 'Brownfacing a box of raisins and mocking my surname. Exactly what you'd expect from a right-wing hack who is the daughter of an aristocrat and ex-Tory MP' in reference to cartoonist Saffron Swire, daughter of Sir Hugo Swire. She later called the cartoon 'racist trash' in a separate post. In response, a spokesperson from The Observer said on Monday: 'We are genuinely sorry for any offence caused and we are in the process of removing the cartoon.' Ms Swire's cartoon depicted Mr Corbyn dressed in a bright red jumpsuit with hammer and sickle decorations, in which the former labour leader said from a speech bubble: 'Let's paint the town red!' As well as the depiction of Ms Sultana on the raisin box, there was a picture of Karl Marx 's Das Kapital in the cartoon, with the slogan 'with goodie bags for the many (not the few)'. Ms Sultana responded to The Observer's apology, calling it 'mealy-mouthed.' She added it 'refuses to call it what it is: racism. 'It doesn't even have the decency to name me, let alone offer a direct apology,' she continued. 'Supine journalism from The Observer, but sadly that's what we've come to expect from the mainstream media.' Ms Sultana resigned from Labour earlier this month to form a political party with Mr Corbyn, which still has no name. Rumours suggested early on that the Islington North MP had not fully committed to join after he was initially quiet. Mr Corbyn broke his silence to declare: 'Real change is coming. 'One year on from the election, this Labour government has refused to deliver the change people expected and deserved. Poverty, inequality and war are not inevitable. Our country needs to change direction, now. 'Congratulations to Zarah Sultana on her principled decision to leave the Labour Party. I am delighted that she will help us build a real alternative.' He added: 'The democratic foundations of a new kind of political party will soon take shape. Discussions are ongoing – and I am excited to work alongside all communities to fight for the future people deserve. 'Together, we can create something that is desperately missing from our broken political system: hope.' Ms Sultana had the whip removed from her while she was a Labour MP last year after voting to scrap the two child benefit cap.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Zarah Sultana accuses Observer cartoon of ‘brownfacing'
Zarah Sultana has accused a cartoonist for The Observer of 'brownfacing'. The independent MP, who resigned from Labour earlier this month, attacked cartoonist Saffron Swire over her depiction of Ms Sultana on the front of a raisin box. She accused the artist, who is the daughter of Sir Hugo Swire, the former Tory MP, of nepotism and being a 'Right-wing hack'. For The Observer's cartoon of the week, Ms Swire produced a mock invite to Jeremy Corbyn's party, complete with the former Labour leader dressed in a bright red Soviet 70s jumpsuit. 'Let's paint the town red!' a speech bubble reads, while the RSVP address lists the House of Commons. Ms Sultana, who had the Labour whip suspended in July 2024 after voting to scrap the two child benefit cap, resigned from Labour this month to form a breakaway hard-Left political party. She announced that Mr Corbyn would co-lead the new party, which still has no name, though reports suggested the move had caught the Islington North MP off guard. Ms Swire's cartoon invitation also promises goodie bags 'for the many (not the few)', emblazoned with a hammer and sickle. The bags are shown to contain a box of 'Zarah Sultanas', modelled in the style of a Sun-Maid red raisin box, and a copy of Karl Marx's Das Kapital. Responding to the cartoon published on X, the MP for Coventry South wrote: 'Brownfacing a box of raisins and mocking my surname. Brownfacing a box of raisins and mocking my surname. Exactly what you'd expect from a right-wing hack who is the daughter of an aristocrat and ex-Tory MP. — Zarah Sultana MP (@zarahsultana) July 20, 2025 'Exactly what you'd expect from a Right-wing hack who is the daughter of an aristocrat and ex-Tory MP.' Sir Hugo, the former Minister for Northern Ireland Office under David Cameron, was appointed as a life peer in 2022, becoming Baron Swire of Down St Mary in County Devon. The former MP served as representative for East Devon from 2001 to 2019. His daughter, Saffron, has written or produced cartoons for Prospect, Tortoise, The Economist, Art UK and the New European, as well as The Spectator. Sun-Maid, founded in California in 1912, has become the world's most recognisable raisin brand. The woman wearing a red bonnet holding a pallet of grapes was based on a painting of model Lorraine Collett by artist Fanny Scafford. Ms Sultana was born in Birmingham to a family which had migrated from Kashmir. She set up her hitherto unnamed Left-wing party on July 3, vowing to lead a cohort of independent MPs and activists against Sir Keir Starmer's benefit cuts and against what she described as 'genocide' in Gaza. Leading Corbynites rule themselves out Leading Corbynites John McDonnell and Diane Abbott were swift to rule themselves out, while the former Labour leader took his time to offer lukewarm praise for Ms Sultana's bravery in breaking away but neglected to directly confirm his co-leadership. Last week, Ms Abbott was suspended again from the Labour party after she doubled down on her claim that Jews experience racism differently to black people. The hard-Left MP had been suspended in March 2023 for claiming that 'white people with points of difference' such as Jewish people, Travellers or Irish people are not 'all their lives subject to racism'. Last week, Ms Abbott said, in an interview with the BBC, that it was 'silly' to liken racism based on skin colour to racism faced by Jewish and Traveller communities. Responding to Ms Abbott's suspension, Ms Sultana said: 'I stand with Diane Abbott'. The Guardian, which sold The Observer to Tortoise in December 2024, was previously accused of racism for its cartoonist Martin Rowson's depiction of outgoing BBC boss Richard Sharp. The Left-wing newspaper was forced to apologise and remove the cartoonist's impression after it was widely condemned as antisemitic.
