Union boss says Starmer must show nation he ‘has what it takes’ to be PM
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”.
Gary Smith was elected general secretary of the GMB union in June
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.
Representatives of European Union member states reached an agreement on Wednesday in the Council of the EU to move forward with the controversial “Chat Control” child sexual abuse regulation, which paves the way for new rules targeting abusive child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on messaging apps and other online services.
“Every year, millions of files are shared that depict the sexual abuse of children… This is completely unacceptable. Therefore, I’m glad that the member states have finally agreed on a way forward that includes a number of obligations for providers of communication services,” commented Danish Minister for Justice, Peter Hummelgaard.
The deal, which follows years of division and deadlock among member states and privacy groups, allows the legislative file to move into final talks with the European Parliament on when and how platforms can be required to scan user content for suspected child sexual abuse and grooming.
The existing CSAM framework is set to expire on April 3, 2026, and is on track to be replaced by the new legislation, pending detailed negotiations with European Parliament lawmakers.
EU Chat Control laws: What’s in and what’s out
In its latest draft, the Council maintains the core CSAM framework but modifies how platforms are encouraged to act. Online services would still have to assess how their products can be abused and adopt mitigation measures.
Service providers would also have to cooperate with a newly-established EU Centre on Child Sexual Abuse to support the implementation of the regulation, and face oversight from national authorities if they fall short.
While the latest Council text removes the explicit obligation of mandatory scanning of all private messages, the legal basis for “voluntary” CSAM detection is extended indefinitely. There are also calls for tougher risk obligations for platforms.
Related: After Samourai, DOJ’s money-transmitter theory now looms over crypto mixers
A compromise that satisfies neither side
To end the Chat Control stalemate, a team of Danish negotiators in the Council worked to remove the most contentious element: the blanket mandatory scanning requirement. Under previous provisions, end-to-end encrypted services like Signal and WhatsApp would have been required to systematically search users’ messages for illegal material.
Yet, it’s a compromise that leaves both sides feeling shortchanged. Law enforcement officials warn that abusive content will still lurk in the corners of fully encrypted services, while digital rights groups argue that the deal still paves the way for broader monitoring of private communications and potential for mass surveillance, according to a Thusday Politico report.
Lead negotiator and Chair of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs in the European Parliament, Javier Zarzalejos, urged both the Council and Parliament to enter negotiations at once. He stressed the importance of establishing a legislative framework to prevent and combat child sexual abuse online, while respecting encryption.
“I am committed to work with all political groups, the Commission, and member states in the Council in the coming months in order to agree on a legally sound and balanced legislative text that contributes to effectively prevent and combating child sexual abuse online,” he stated.
The Council celebrated the latest efforts to protect children from sexual abuse online; however, former Dutch Member of Parliament Rob Roos lambasted the Council for acting similarly to the “East German era, stripping 450 million EU citizens of their right to privacy.” He warned that Brussels was acting “behind closed doors,” and that “Europe risks sliding into digital authoritarianism.”
Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov pointed out that EU officials were exempt from having their messages monitored. He commented in a post on X, “The EU weaponizes people’s strong emotions about child protection to push mass surveillance and censorship. Their surveillance law proposals conveniently exempted EU officials from having their own messages scanned.”
Related: Advocacy groups urge Trump to intervene in the Roman Storm retrial
Privacy on trial in broader global crackdown
The latest movement on Chat Control lands in the middle of a broader global crackdown on privacy tools. European regulators and law‑enforcement agencies have pushed high‑profile cases against crypto privacy projects like Tornado Cash, while US authorities have targeted developers linked to Samurai Wallet over alleged money‑laundering and sanctions violations, thrusting privacy‑preserving software into the crosshairs.
In response, Ethereum co‑founder Vitalik Buterin doubled down on the right to privacy as a core value. He donated 128 ETH each (roughly $760,000) to decentralized messaging projects Session and SimpleX Chat, arguing their importance in “preserving our digital privacy.”
Session president Alexander Linton told Cointelegraph that regulatory and technical developments are “threatening the future of private messaging,” while co-founder Chris McCabe said the challenge was now about raising global awareness.
Magazine: 2026 is the year of pragmatic privacy in crypto — Canton, Zcash and more
Australia’s government has introduced a new bill that will regulate crypto platforms under existing financial services laws after an industry consultation saw cautious support for the legislation.
Assistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino introduced the Corporations Amendment (Digital Assets Framework) Bill 2025 on Wednesday, which would require crypto companies such as exchanges and custody providers to obtain an Australian Financial Services License (AFSL).
“Across the world, digital assets are reshaping finance,” Mulino told the House on Wednesday. “Australia must keep pace. If we get this right, we can attract investment, create jobs and position our financial system as a leader in innovation.”
The Treasury launched a consultation over a draft of the bill in September, which Mulino told crypto conferencegoers was “the cornerstone” of the Albanese Government’s crypto roadmap released in March.
The local crypto industry largely supported the draft legislation, but many told the consultation that the bill needed further clarity and simplification.
New bill to include safeguards for crypto held for clients
Mulino told the House it’s currently possible for a company to hold an unlimited amount of client crypto “without any financial law safeguards,” adding the risks of scams or frauds like FTX “cannot be ignored.”
“This bill responds to those challenges by reducing loopholes and ensuring comparable activities face comparable obligations, tailored to the digital asset ecosystem,” he said.
Currently, crypto platforms that simply facilitate trading only need to register with the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre, which has 400 registered crypto exchanges, many of which are inactive.
The legislation would focus on the companies that hold crypto for customers, “rather than the underlying technology itself,” Mulino added. “This means it can evolve as new forms of tokenisation and digital services emerge.”
Crypto bill adds two new license types, exempts small players
The bill amends the Corporations Act to create two new financial products, a “digital asset platform” and a “tokenized custody platform,” both of which will need an AFSL.
The license will register the platforms with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. Currently, only exchanges that sell “financial products,” such as derivatives, must register.
Mulino said anyone “advising on, dealing in, or arranging for others to deal in” crypto will be treated as providing a financial service that requires a license.
Related: Australia risks ‘missed opportunity’ by shirking tokenization: Top regulator
Under the bill, crypto and custody platforms must meet ASIC’s minimum standards for transactions, settlements and holding customer assets. They must also give a guide to clients explaining their service, fees and risks.
Mulino said the bill exempts “small-scale” companies from licensing, those with less than 10 million Australian dollars ($6.5 million) in transaction volume in 12 months, along with those that deal or advise on platforms “incidental to their main, non-financial activities.”
The bill outlines an 18-month grace period on licensing, which Mulino said gives “relief for businesses trying to do the right thing.”
The bill is likely to quickly pass the House, where Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor Party holds a 94-seat majority. It will then head to the Senate, where Labor may need the support of the crossbench and opposition to pass it.
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