Labour’s biggest union backer eyes split from party over anger at Starmer

Labour’s biggest union backer is considering a historic vote on splitting from the party in a blow to Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership.

Senior officials at Unite are in talks about whether to call an emergency conference to vote on formal disaffiliation from the Labour Party.

Sources say there is “intense frustration” with Sir Keir, from the top of the union down to the grass roots membership.

Some Labour MPs believe Unite’s support can only be won back with a change of party leader, with one saying: “They would coalesce around one candidate on the Left of the party.”

It would mark the biggest rupture between the party and the trade union movement in recent history. One MP said it would make it “very difficult” for Sir Keir to remain as leader, saying it was a “seriously bad moment”.

“This is a major union, it is a major player within the wider Labour movement,” the MP said. “It is a critically important relationship – but it has become dysfunctional.”

Sir Keir is fighting to save his premiership amid dire poll ratings and increasingly open talk of a leadership challenge among his own MPs.

Sharon Graham, the Unite boss, has previously threatened to break the union’s link with the party unless it changes direction, and earlier this year cited the Budget as “an absolutely critical point of us knowing whether direction is going to change”.

The prospect of disaffiliation was now “an ongoing conversation”, said a union source, adding: “Sharon gave her view after the Budget, and it is pretty strong. The direction of travel is there – that is amplifying what workers and members feel.”

Following the Budget, Ms Graham launched a blistering attack on the Government, saying: “The Chancellor has picked a side. Health workers, engineers, and tanker drivers will pay through stealth taxes, while City bankers and billionaires go largely unscathed.”

In recent weeks, Unite has issued a string of statements condemning Labour policies. It said the watered-down workers’ rights bill was now a “shell of its former self” and warned that Labour “needs to keep its promises”.

The union, Labour’s biggest financial donor, has also attacked the Government for pursuing a “reckless” and “incompetent” North Sea strategy, which it said had already resulted in the loss of hundreds of oil and gas jobs.

Unison, another of Labour’s major backers, has just balloted its members for a new general secretary, and the result will be announced later this month.

Andrea Egan, one of the two candidates, has already publicly distanced herself from Sir Keir, saying he is “not connected to working people”. She has said she is a “fan” of Andy Burnham, the Manchester mayor who is seen as a possible challenger to the Prime Minister.

On Friday, it emerged that Wes Streeting’s allies were pressing Angela Rayner to sign up to a “joint ticket” for the Labour leadership, although both deny such reports.

Meanwhile, a poll of Labour’s rank-and-file members found that Ed Miliband was their preferred candidate to replace Sir Keir.

Starmer rivals trying to woo unions

The Telegraph understands that rival camps are now attempting to woo the unions, whose support is seen as crucial for any future leadership candidate.

Donations to the Labour Party from all the major unions, meanwhile, have plummeted since Sir Keir took office.

Labour’s biggest donors are Unite, Unison and the GMB, according to the Electoral Commission, which publishes data for the past 25 years.

It shows that over this period, Labour has received £52.2m from Unite, £43.8m from Unison, and £39m from the GMB.

In the year ending this September, trade unions gave Labour £5.3m – the third-lowest figure on record, going back to 2001.

In order to formally disaffiliate from Labour, Unite members would need to vote on the move at the next rules conference, currently scheduled for 2027.

However, the vote could be brought forward if the executive council calls an emergency rules conference – something currently being considered.

The possibility of a split with Labour’s biggest union backer illustrates the difficulty the Prime Minister is in.

He is under attack from those on the Left who believe he has abandoned Labour’s mission on issues such social welfare and workers’ rights, as well as those on the Right of the party, who believe that seeing off the threat of Reform UK is the biggest electoral challenge.

Allies of the Prime Minister insist that once Labour MPs see that Sir Keir is aligned with them on the “core values” of the party, a “blind panic” can be avoided and everyone will “calm down”.

This week, Sir Keir will be out “selling” the cost of living measures in the Budget, including the freeze on rail fares and prescription costs, Downing Street sources say.

A Labour source said: “This Government is delivering for working families, taking £150 off energy bills, rolling out free breakfast clubs and cutting NHS waiting lists.”

[Source: Daily Telegraph]