UK Labour in Turmoil as Unite Suspends Rayner and Threatens to Cut Ties

[Social Media]

 

Title: Labour in Turmoil as Unite Suspends Rayner and Threatens to Cut Ties

 

Angela Rayner has been suspended by Unite the Union amid an escalating dispute over a bin strike in Birmingham, with the powerful union also announcing a full review of its relationship with the Labour Party — a move that could deliver a serious financial blow to Keir Starmer’s government.

 

Rayner, who serves as Deputy Prime Minister and has been a long-time ally of the union movement, was suspended on Friday following a vote at Unite’s policy conference in Brighton. The union accused her of supporting Birmingham’s Labour-run council, which it says used “fire and rehire” tactics and “peddled lies” during ongoing negotiations with striking bin workers. Unite stated her actions brought the union “into disrepute,” triggering a formal investigation that may lead to her expulsion.

 

 

While Rayner reportedly believes she had already resigned her Unite membership months ago, a union spokesperson said she was still officially listed as a member as of Friday. Her government register of interests, updated on May 29, also confirmed her then-active status.

 

 

Sharon Graham, Unite’s general secretary, minced no words in condemning Rayner’s position. “Unite is crystal clear that it will call out bad employers regardless of the colour of their rosette. Angela Rayner has had every opportunity to intervene and resolve this dispute, but has instead backed a rogue council that has peddled lies and smeared its workers fighting huge pay cuts,” she said. “The disgraceful actions of the Government and a so-called Labour council is essentially fire and rehire and makes a joke of the Employment Relations Act promises. People up and down the country are asking whose side is the Labour Government on and coming up with the answer ‘not workers’.”

 

The fallout has extended beyond Rayner. Unite also suspended Birmingham City Council leader John Cotton and several Labour councillors. The emergency motion passed at the conference committed the union to reconsidering its relationship with Labour, a process that could result in funding being slashed if the dispute and redundancy threats continue.

 

This is no idle threat. Unite, the Labour Party’s largest affiliated union, contributed £500,000 to MPs during the last general election campaign. Rayner herself received £5,000 from Unite for campaign purposes in 2024, according to parliamentary records. However, the union notably declined to endorse Starmer’s manifesto and has been a vocal critic of his positions on key policies such as the net zero 2030 pledge and welfare reform.

 

Unite’s tension with Starmer is part of a broader divide between Labour’s leadership and its traditional left-wing base. While Unite supported Rayner’s Employment Rights Bill — legislation that would make it easier for workers to unionise and take industrial action — the union has frequently opposed other party decisions, including reductions in the winter fuel allowance.

 

The Birmingham bin strike has become the flashpoint. Workers have been striking since March over what they describe as real-terms pay cuts amounting to £8,000 annually. Birmingham council, grappling with budget constraints, insists it has reached the “absolute limit” of what it can offer. Rayner had urged workers to accept the deal to end the “misery and disruption” faced by Birmingham residents.

 

In response to the mounting crisis, Downing Street defended its role in helping manage the strike’s consequences. “Our priority is, and always has been, Birmingham’s residents,” said the Prime Minister’s official spokesman. “Unite’s industrial action caused disruption to waste collection. We have worked intensively with the council to tackle the backlog and clean up the streets for the residents and for public health, and we remain in close contact with the council and continue to monitor the situation as we support its recovery and transformation.”

 

The clash now threatens not just bin services in Birmingham but the very financial foundations of Labour’s alliance with organised labour — and it has placed Angela Rayner at the centre of a storm that could reshape the party’s future.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Daily Telegraph  2025-07-14

 

 

[portisaacozzy]

5 hours ago, Social Media said:

 

Title: Labour in Turmoil as Unite Suspends Rayner and Threatens to Cut Ties

 

Angela Rayner has been suspended by Unite the Union amid an escalating dispute over a bin strike in Birmingham, with the powerful union also announcing a full review of its relationship with the Labour Party — a move that could deliver a serious financial blow to Keir Starmer’s government.

 

Rayner, who serves as Deputy Prime Minister and has been a long-time ally of the union movement, was suspended on Friday following a vote at Unite’s policy conference in Brighton. The union accused her of supporting Birmingham’s Labour-run council, which it says used “fire and rehire” tactics and “peddled lies” during ongoing negotiations with striking bin workers. Unite stated her actions brought the union “into disrepute,” triggering a formal investigation that may lead to her expulsion.

 

 

While Rayner reportedly believes she had already resigned her Unite membership months ago, a union spokesperson said she was still officially listed as a member as of Friday. Her government register of interests, updated on May 29, also confirmed her then-active status.

 

 

Sharon Graham, Unite’s general secretary, minced no words in condemning Rayner’s position. “Unite is crystal clear that it will call out bad employers regardless of the colour of their rosette. Angela Rayner has had every opportunity to intervene and resolve this dispute, but has instead backed a rogue council that has peddled lies and smeared its workers fighting huge pay cuts,” she said. “The disgraceful actions of the Government and a so-called Labour council is essentially fire and rehire and makes a joke of the Employment Relations Act promises. People up and down the country are asking whose side is the Labour Government on and coming up with the answer ‘not workers’.”

 

The fallout has extended beyond Rayner. Unite also suspended Birmingham City Council leader John Cotton and several Labour councillors. The emergency motion passed at the conference committed the union to reconsidering its relationship with Labour, a process that could result in funding being slashed if the dispute and redundancy threats continue.

 

This is no idle threat. Unite, the Labour Party’s largest affiliated union, contributed £500,000 to MPs during the last general election campaign. Rayner herself received £5,000 from Unite for campaign purposes in 2024, according to parliamentary records. However, the union notably declined to endorse Starmer’s manifesto and has been a vocal critic of his positions on key policies such as the net zero 2030 pledge and welfare reform.

 

Unite’s tension with Starmer is part of a broader divide between Labour’s leadership and its traditional left-wing base. While Unite supported Rayner’s Employment Rights Bill — legislation that would make it easier for workers to unionise and take industrial action — the union has frequently opposed other party decisions, including reductions in the winter fuel allowance.

 

The Birmingham bin strike has become the flashpoint. Workers have been striking since March over what they describe as real-terms pay cuts amounting to £8,000 annually. Birmingham council, grappling with budget constraints, insists it has reached the “absolute limit” of what it can offer. Rayner had urged workers to accept the deal to end the “misery and disruption” faced by Birmingham residents.

 

In response to the mounting crisis, Downing Street defended its role in helping manage the strike’s consequences. “Our priority is, and always has been, Birmingham’s residents,” said the Prime Minister’s official spokesman. “Unite’s industrial action caused disruption to waste collection. We have worked intensively with the council to tackle the backlog and clean up the streets for the residents and for public health, and we remain in close contact with the council and continue to monitor the situation as we support its recovery and transformation.”

 

The clash now threatens not just bin services in Birmingham but the very financial foundations of Labour’s alliance with organised labour — and it has placed Angela Rayner at the centre of a storm that could reshape the party’s future.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Daily Telegraph  2025-07-14

 

 

they didnt suspend her because she was no longer a member !!!

[The Cyclist]

59 minutes ago, portisaacozzy said:

they didnt suspend her because she was no longer a member !!!

 

Of course.

 

She never left skool a single mother with no qualifications either.

 

Big baddies are just picking on her.

 

Unite are off to join Corbyn & Sultana at the Jezbollah Party.

 

This is the least of the Labour Parties woes right now.

[JonnyF]

Bickering with the unions, raising taxes, wrecking the economy.

 

Classic Labour.

[Will B Good]

Odd, as she resigned in March and cancelled her dues in April.