Union boss says Starmer must show nation he ‘has what it takes’ to be PM

Published

3 years ago

September 23, 2021

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Sir Keir Starmer must use the Labour conference to show the nation he “has what it takes” to be prime minister, the leader of the GMB Union has said.

Gary Smith, who took over as general secretary earlier this year, told Sky News the Labour leader was “decent” and “committed”.

But he warned the party had become “disconnected from the concerns of ordinary working class people” and must still show it can “demonstrate common purpose”.

In a warning ahead of the conference in Brighton this weekend, Mr Smith urged the party to listen to the stories of working people, adding there were still some in Labour who “look down their nose”.

“I think what he’s got to do this week is sell his vision to the country, and demonstrate that Labour can come together with a common purpose, because if we don’t have common purpose, they cannot win,” Mr Smith told Sky News.

“It is up to him to demonstrate to the nation that he has what it takes to be a prime minister and I guess and that this is going to be a massive week for him”, he added.

Sir Keir is currently in negotiations with trade unions over his plans to scrap Labour’s one member, one vote system for electing the party leader, in favour of a return to an electoral college made up of unions and affiliate organisations, MPs and party members.

Some of the more left wing trade unions, such as the TSSA and CWU, have already said they will not back the proposals, and former shadow chancellor John McDonnell has said the changes would “rip our party apart”.

But Mr Smith signalled he recognised the need for changes.

“The current situation, I am very clear, does not work for ordinary trade union members, and is part of the dis-location between the Labour Party and ordinary trade union members,” he said.

The GMB boss said he hoped trade unions would be able to reach a joint position on rule changes by Saturday.

However he warned “very few of our members are giving much time worrying about what’s happening in the internal machinations of the Labour Party”.

“I think what we have to grasp is that there are millions of trade unionists in this country who are totally disconnected from the democracy of Labour, people who pay a political levy, and we are going to have to sort this out,” he said.

Earlier, shadow communities secretary Steve Reed told Sky News “I’m not Mystic Meg and I can’t tell you exactly what is going to happen” when asked if he thought the rule changes would pass.

Mr Smith, who is one of the most sympathetic union leaders to the Labour leadership, says he has not yet read the 11,500 word essay Sir Keir has written setting out his vision for the future of the party.

However, he rejected one of the flagship ideas set out in the pamphlet, which calls for the UK to become mostly carbon neutral by 2030.

“I think a lot of the debate around energy and the environment has been fundamentally dishonest,” he said.

“The energy market is broken, energy is very complex, and I don’t think politicians have entirely grasped that. We have a national security issue unfolding around energy, around security supplies.

“And of course, industry is going to struggle with rising energy costs. Low paid people the length and breadth of the country will really struggle as bills go through the roof, early in the new year.”

“So I think it’s good to have an aspiration, but you have to have a plan, and you have to have a plan for jobs,” he added.

Mr Smith has said he will use the party conference in Brighton, the first he will attend as general secretary, to speak about the lives of working people.

In contrast, the newly-elected leader of the Unite union, Sharon Graham, has said she will not be attending because she wants to focus on resolving disputes on behalf of her members.

Politics

University tuition fee rise branded ‘morally wrong’ – as Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson defends increase

Published

8 hours ago

November 5, 2024

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University tuition fee rise branded 'morally wrong' - as Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson defends increase

The education secretary has said no decision has been made on whether university tuition fees will increase with inflation each year.

Bridget Phillipson has announced the maximum cap on tuition fees in England will go up in line with inflation from April 2025.

The cost of tuition will increase by £285 to £9,535 next year – the first rise in eight years.

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There will also be a rise in maximum maintenance loans to increase in line with inflation, giving an increase of £414 a year to help students with living costs.

However, the education secretary did not say if the rise would continue after that.

Speaking to Sky News’ Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge, Ms Phillipson admitted she did not know what would happen with tuition fees after April 2026.

“We’re going to look at this and the maintenance support and the sector overall as part of the reform that we intend to set out in the months to come,” she said.

“So no decision, no decision has been taken on what happens beyond this.”

She said the government will be looking at “what is required… to get our universities on a more sustainable footing… but also to deliver a better deal for students as a part of that”.

The minister said she also “intends to look at” uprating the threshold at which students need to start paying tuition fees back in line with inflation.

Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union (UCU), said the tuition fee rise was “economically and morally wrong”.

She said: “Taking more money from debt-ridden students and handing it to overpaid underperforming vice-chancellors is ill conceived and won’t come close to addressing the sector’s core issues.”

The National Union of Students (NUS) said students were being asked to “foot the bill” to keep the lights and heating on in their universities and to prevent their courses from closing down amid the “crisis”.

Alex Stanley, vice president for higher education of the NUS, said: “This is, and can only ever be, a sticking plaster.

“Universities cannot continue to be funded by an ever-increasing burden of debt on students.”

Universities have been making up for fees being frozen since 2017/18 by taking in international students who pay more.

However, student visa numbers have fallen after the previous government made it more difficult for them to come to the UK recently, so universities can no longer rely on the fees.

Politics

These crypto ETFs are ‘call options’ on the US elections

Published

10 hours ago

November 4, 2024

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<div>These crypto ETFs are 'call options' on the US elections</div>

The US presidential race could determine the fate of more than half a dozen proposed crypto ETFs.

Politics

Priti Patel makes comeback in Kemi Badenoch’s shadow cabinet

Published

11 hours ago

November 4, 2024

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Priti Patel makes comeback in Kemi Badenoch's shadow cabinet

Dame Priti Patel has made a comeback as Kemi Badenoch has appointed her shadow foreign secretary, Sky News understands.

Ms Badenoch, who became Conservative leader on Saturday, started officially appointing her shadow cabinet on Sunday evening.

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On Monday afternoon, the two biggest jobs were confirmed, with former home secretary Ms Patel being given the shadow foreign secretary role.

Former shadow work and pensions secretary Mel Stride, who ran in the Tory leadership race and is considered more of a moderate than Ms Badenoch, has been made shadow chancellor.

Robert Jenrick, who lost out to Ms Badenoch, is the new shadow justice secretary, sources told Sky News.

Earlier in the day, Laura Trott, who served as chief secretary to the Treasury under Rishi Sunak, was appointed shadow education secretary.

The new Tory leader made her first appointments on Sunday evening ahead of her new top team meeting for the first time on Tuesday.

Now the Conservatives are in opposition, the shadow cabinet’s role is to scrutinise the policies and actions of the government and to offer alternative policies.

Nigel Huddleston and Dominic Johnson, junior ministers under Mr Sunak, were appointed joint chairmen of the Conservative Party.

The role involves overseeing the party’s headquarters, where staff and committee members have their offices.

Essex MP Dame Rebecca Harris was confirmed as chief whip after the interim chief whip Stuart Andrew said she was replacing him.

She will be responsible for ensuring Tory MPs attend and vote in parliament as the party leadership desires.

Former foreign secretary James Cleverly, who came third in the leadership race, said on Friday he would not be joining Ms Badenoch’s top team.

Ex-prime minister Mr Sunak, his former deputy Sir Oliver Dowden, ex-chancellor Jeremy Hunt and former Brexit, health, and environment secretary Steve Barclay have all said they will be joining him on the backbenches.