Trade union Unite severs ties with long-term supplier over criminality concerns
One of the UK’s largest and most powerful trade unions has severed ties with a long-term supplier due to concerns it may have been involved in criminality.
Unite the Union, which is the Labour Party’s biggest donor, has told staff the decision is “primarily due to the risk of committing an offence under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002”.
The company, which Sky News is not naming for legal reasons, said it “recently assisted the police with certain investigations” but “no charges of any nature have been brought against any person in any way associated or connected with our company”.
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“[We] categorically deny that there has been any wrongdoing of any sort on the part of this company or its staff”, it said in a statement.
A spokesperson for Unite confirmed the decision and told Sky News: “The union is sharing and will continue to share any pertinent information we obtain about these matters with the police and other relevant authorities.
“The general secretary is committed to ensuring that no stone is left unturned in uncovering the truth about these matters and taking whatever steps are necessary to protect our members’ interests.”
Gail Cartmail, Unite’s assistant general secretary, revealed the union’s move in an email to staff and cited the pressure of “a round of ongoing investigations”.
Police raided the union’s central London headquarters in April as part of a bribery, fraud and money laundering investigation.
Officers left the building with boxes of files, paper and a computer, and the union later confirmed that a Unite employee is subject to a criminal investigation by the police.
A separate KC-led inquiry is underway into the spending of £100m of members’ money on a controversial hotel and conference centre.
General Secretary Sharon Graham, who took over from Len McCluskey in 2021, ordered the investigation after forensic accountants concluded the building’s value was “considerably lower” than its construction costs.
Sharon Graham ‘determined to clean up’ union rocked by corruption claims
Sharon Graham is the sole reason we now know so much about the nature of Unite’s internal problems.
.
Since taking over from Len McCluskey as the union’s General Secretary in 2021, she has presided over the very opposite of a cover-up.
In ordering a KC-led inquiry into one scandal and severing ties with a controversial contractor, she has demonstrated a determination to clean-up an organisation rocked by corruption allegations.
Allies describe her as “tough and thorough”.
She will, however, be judged not on what these twin investigations reveal, but how she holds those responsible to account.
Sky News understands the shortfall amounts to approximately £70m.
Unite has more than 1.2 million members across several sectors, including construction, logistics, manufacturing and transport.
Two pro-Palestinian demonstrators have thrown red powder on Tower Bridge – just moments before leading runners in the London Marathon went past.
The protesters were arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance and remain in custody, said the Metropolitan Police.
A video shared by Youth Demand, which is calling for a trade embargo on Israel, shows two people jumping over a barrier that separates spectators from the race course.
The pair, wearing t-shirts that say “Youth Demand: Stop Arming Israel”, are then seen standing in the middle of the road on the bridge.
Pic: LNP
They throw red powder in the air as an official marathon car goes past displaying the race time.
A motorbike with a cameraman on board continues along the route, while a second motorbike stops and one of the riders gets off and pushes the pair out of the way, just before the men’s elite runners pass.
Several police officers then jump over the barrier and detain the pair, the footage shows.
There appeared to be no impact on the marathon.
More than 56,000 participants were expected to take part in the 26.2-mile race through the capital.
Sabastian Sawe of Kenya won the men’s elite race in a time of two hours, two minutes and 27 seconds, while Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa shattered the women’s-only world record in two hours, 15 minutes and 50 seconds.
Assefa beat the previous best of two hours, 16 minutes and 16 seconds set last year in London by Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir.
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Pic: LNP
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “At around 10.38am, two protesters from Youth Demand jumped over barriers at Tower Bridge and threw red paint on to the road.
“Marathon event staff intervened to remove the protesters from the path of the men’s elite race which was able to pass unobstructed.”
The force added that they were “quickly supported by police officers who arrested the protesters on suspicion of causing a public nuisance”.
The Met said the paint “appeared to be chalk-based” and was not expected to “present a hazard to runners yet to pass this point”.
Counter-terrorism police are investigating after an incident involving a crossbow and a firearm left two women injured in Leeds.
Police were called to Otley Road at 2.47pm on Saturday to reports of a “serious incident involving a man seen with weapons”, West Yorkshire Police said.
Officers arrived at the scene to find two women injured – and a 38-year-old man with a self-inflicted injury. All three were taken to hospital, with the man held under arrest, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
“Two weapons have been recovered from the scene, which were a crossbow and a firearm,” Counter Terrorism Policing North East said in a statement.
The incident happened on the ‘Otley Run’ pub crawl, with one venue saying it was closed for the evening due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
Officers guard one of the crime scenes
Officers inside the cordon in Leeds
Counter Terrorism Policing’s statement added: “Due to the circumstances surrounding the incident, Counter Terrorism Policing North East have taken responsibility for leading the investigation with the support of West Yorkshire Police.
“Extensive enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances and explore any potential motivation.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described it as a “serious violent incident” and said she was being kept updated by police.
“Thank you to the police and emergency services for their swift response,” she said. “My thoughts are with the victims and all those affected by this attack.”
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