Sir Keir Starmer could be dealt a fresh blow tomorrow if one of his most powerful political allies is ousted from her top trade union job.
Christina McAnea is at risk of losing her bid for re-election as general secretary of Unison to Andrea Egan, a hard-Left critic of the Prime Minister.
Allies of Sir Keir are said to be awaiting Wednesday’s result with trepidation, amid the threat of the PM having his control over Labour’s structures significantly weakened.
A victory for Ms Egan, who was expelled from Labour in 2022, could deprive Sir Keir of crucial backing on the party’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC).
But it might also put at risk Unison’s wider support for Labour, with Ms Egan promising a ‘comprehensive review’ of the union’s relationship with the party.
Unison gave £1.5million to Labour during last year’s general election campaign and continues to bankroll the party with significant sums.
Ms Egan has vowed to ensure Unison gets ‘value for money’ from its links to Labour and attacked Ms McAnea over a ‘subservient approach’ to the Labour Government.
She wrote in her election manifesto that it was ‘time for Unison’s blank cheques to Labour to end’ and also welcomed the formation of Your Party.
Sir Keir Starmercould be dealt a fresh blow tomorrow if one of his most powerful political allies is ousted from her top trade union job
Christina McAnea (pictured) is at risk of losing her bid for re-election as general secretary of Unison to Andrea Egan, a hard-Left critic of the Prime Minister
A victory for Ms Egan, who was expelled from Labour in 2022, could deprive Sir Keir of crucial backing on the party’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC).
The new left-wing movement founded by ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn could be a ‘viable alternative’ to Labour, Ms Egan added.
She has also raised the prospect of more battles between ministers and public sector workers by pledging to ‘oppose Government policies that harm our members’.
Unison is the UK’s largest union with around 1.4million members across the public sector, including almost half a million working for the NHS.
Ms McAnea was elected as Unison’s general secretary in 2021 and has attempted to push back at suggestions she is too close to Sir Keir’s Downing Street.
She told The House magazine earlier this month: ‘We’re not a friendly union. What we are is not an unfriendly union but a critical friend to the Labour Party.
‘And we try and take our policies into them, not the other way around.
‘My view is very clearly that they need to adopt more socialist policies. That’s always been my position.’
Senior Labour sources have warned a victory for Ms Egan over Unison’s less radical incumbent general secretary would be ‘an utter disaster’.
It has also been claimed it would make it harder for Sir Keir to use the NEC to try and block a return to Westminster for Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham.
Mr Burnham is said to be eyeing a parliamentary by-election to become an MP again, which would allow him to then launch a leadership challenge against Sir Keir.
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