Labour risks handing power to Reform without drastic change, says union leader

Here is the latest breaking news from around the world: Labour risks handing power to Reform without drastic change, says union leader19 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleIain WatsonPolitical correspondentShutterstockAndrea Egan is about to attend her first conference of the country's biggest union, Unison, as its leader. A grassroots campaigner for more than 30 years, she upset expectations when she defeated the incumbent general secretary, Christina McAnea, in December last year. She has suggested that the union had previously been "a sleeping giant" which was too "subservient" to the Labour leadership.

But in her first interview with a national broadcaster, Egan told me her membership had a clear message for ministers: "I have been very frank with the government. When Labour came into power there was a sense of relief. But sadly we've been left wanting.

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"She added: "Communities are really struggling. They haven't delivered and my election demonstrated that members were desperate to have their voices heard. "She argued that if the government didn't pay more attention to her members' concerns, Labour would pay a political price.

"I have spoken out clearly about the threat Reform brings," she said. "It isn't us that will hand the keys to No10 to Reform - it's them, unless they change course. "Left-wing candidate beats Starmer ally to lead UK's biggest unionUnions snub Farage's invite to join Reform UKStarmer must go before next election, say Labour-backing unionsSo what should the government do differently?

"They've got to start introducing progressive policies. Investment in infrastructure, pay restoration, better services, insourcing. They need to ensure that they deliver on promises they made when they came into government.

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"Campaigning for the union's top job, Egan described Unison's relationship with Labour as "dysfunctional". Warming to her theme, she said her members had been "handing money over to the Labour Party and getting absolutely nothing in return". In 2022, the country's second biggest union, Unite, elected a high-profile left-wing woman, Sharon Graham, as its leader.

She emphasised her priority was her members, not political manoeuvring. Her union still pays a high annual membership - or affiliation fee - to Labour of more than £1m a year, but at a conference next year, members will vote on whether to cut their ties with the party. So would Egan, who was expelled from Labour for reposting messages from Socialist Appeal, a Marxist group now proscribed by the party, take a similar tack?

Egan insists that she has only ever been a Labour member - and it wasn't her choice to leave. She tells me the 1,300 delegates at the conference in Brighton this week will discuss the relationship with the party, but won't debate "disaffiliation" – in other words severing formal and financial ties to Labour. She said the union was "affiliated to Labour at the moment" and it would be up to members in each region of the union to decide if that was to change.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.