Labour warned not to become ‘1990s tribute act’ to Tony Blair by union chief
A union chief has warned Labour not to become a “1990s tribute act” to Tony Blair if it wins the next general election.
Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite, said the party needed to be bolder with its economic policies if it wanted to make a difference for working people.
Writing in The Sunday Times, she said Britain was in a “very different place” to when the party last came to power in 1997 – when there was money to spend and the economy grew “without having to do much except keep their hands firmly on the tiller”.
She argued that a “light touch” approach would not work during the cost of living crisis that has left working people “existing and not living” and some of Labour’s flagship policies – like it’s “diminished Green New Deal” don’t go far enough.
“For working people to share in the spoils and avoid the pitfalls, the future will have to be negotiated,” she wrote.
“That means, consigning 1997 to the history books.”
Ms Graham called for “serious intervention underpinned by a strategic plan” – arguing bold policies like nationalising energy should be put on the table if Labour is “serious about changing society”.
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In a lengthy critique, she said refusing to tax wealth or excess profits and a lack of a coherent industrial plan were “all severely limiting Labour’s options” and economic reform was needed.
In a warning to Sir Keir Starmer, she said: “If Labour is intent on becoming a 1990s tribute act in an age where laissez faire does not belong, big questions will remain unanswered.
“Where will the money come from? What are we going to be left with? If it ends up being austerity by another name plus the hyping of comparatively small-scale investment, it won’t be an enticing prospect.
“Better than the other lot? For sure. But a government to lead Britain out of decline and make it work for everyday people? Probably not.”
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Ms Graham’s piece came after a shadow cabinet reshuffle saw those on the more Blairite wing of the party, including Liz Kendall, Pat McFadden and Shabana Mahmood, rewarded with promotions, while some associated with the soft left were purged.
Sir Keir’s spokesperson has denied acting ideologically, saying he has assembled a top team that is ready to govern if it wins the next election.
After more than a decade out of power, Sir Keir is hoping to become the first Labour prime minister to win at the ballot box since Tony Blair – who won two terms after his landslide victory in 1997.
He has sought to rebuild the party focusing on a more centrist style than his predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn, with a focus on fiscal Conservatism.
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Labour’s policies are likely to come under further scrutiny in the coming days, as unions convene in Liverpool for the annual TUC conference.
Issues being debated this week include employment rights and the cost of living crisis.
Writing in the Sunday Mirror, deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner promised the “biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation”.
She said this included beefing up laws that ban firms from blacklisting union workers.
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Ms Rayner, who will give a speech at the TUC conference on Tuesday, wrote: “Blacklisting doesn’t just ruin livelihoods, it ruins lives. It’s a destructive practice that leaves people locked out of work, often facing poverty as a result.”
The government’s controversial anti-strikes bill is also expected to come under attack at the conference.
Officials say the new law, requiring minimum service levels during industrial action, is unnecessary and unworkable and will do nothing to resolve disputes.
Unions, including the RMT and Fire Brigade Union, will call for a legal challenge to the legislation during debates at the conference.
Politics
What is the loophole that allowed a family in Gaza permission to come to UK on a Ukraine resettlement scheme?
A “loophole” that allowed a Palestinian family to be granted the right to come to the UK under a Ukrainian resettlement scheme was the subject of a lot of debate in the House of Commons today.
Both the prime minister and leader of the opposition criticised a decision by a judge to allow the family of six the right to enter the UK.
Sir Keir pledged to close the “loophole” after he was asked about it by Kemi Badenoch – but could not elaborate on what it was.
Sky News has read through the judgment given by Judge Hugo Norton-Taylor to understand what happened.
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Why did the family apply?
The family of six, a husband and wife and their children aged 18, 17, eight and seven, lived in Gaza and their homes were destroyed after the 7 October attacks and subsequent conflict.
They ended up living in a humanitarian zone and then a refugee camp.
In January 2024, the family applied to come to the UK via the Ukraine Family Scheme form, in a bid to join one of the parent’s brothers, who is a British citizen and has lived in the UK since 2007.
While they acknowledged they were not eligible for the Ukraine scheme, the family chose to apply in an attempt to use the Home Office‘s policy on “applications for entry clearance outside the rules”.
The Home Office rejected the request, saying they were not satisfied there were “compelling, compassionate circumstances” to justify a request outside the rules.
They also noted the lack of a resettlement scheme for Palestinians.
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The appeals
Despite the Home Office saying there were no grounds to appeal, the family launched one against the decision on human rights grounds.
A judge then ruled that the initial rejection constituted a rejection of human rights, and so allowed an appeal.
Part of this appeal was under Article Eight of the European Convention on Human Rights – the right to a family life between the man living in Britain and his family in Gaza.
This appeal was rejected, with a lack of a Palestinian resettlement scheme noted as a reason.
An appeal was launched at a higher tribunal – and one of the arguments was that the case should be considered on its own merits and not allow the lack of a Palestinian resettlement scheme to outweigh other arguments.
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The loophole
It is here that the “loophole” seems to have appeared.
At this point. Judge Norton-Taylor heard the case and allowed the appeal.
In his judgment, he stated that it was “wrong to have taken the absence of a resettlement scheme into account at all”.
The judge added that there was “no evidence” he had seen that the Home Office had made a deliberate decision not to implement a Palestinian resettlement scheme.
He also noted that the lack of immigration rules on a topic should not count against someone.
In layman’s terms, the argument seems to be that just because a scheme to resettle people does not exist it does not mean they are banned from coming to the UK via humanitarian routes.
The judgment said the absence of a “resettlement scheme was irrelevant” to their decision.
What next?
Judge Norton-Taylor went on to back the claim from the family in Gaza based on the ECHR and the right to a family life between them and their relative in Britain.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The Ukraine Family scheme was clearly set out for Ukrainians. We have been clear that we do not agree with this judgment and we twice vigorously contested this case.
“As the prime minister made clear, article 8, the right to a family life, should be interpreted much more narrowly. It is for the government and Parliament to decide who should be covered by the UK’s safe and legal routes.
“We are pursuing all legal avenues to address the legal loophole which has been exploited in this case. The home secretary is urgently reviewing this case to ensure the correct processes are always followed and existing laws correctly interpreted.”
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They added that there was no evidence to support the argument and that data from the government shows a “very small” number of Gazans have been allowed to enter the UK – equal to roughly 150.
Sir Keir said he was planning to close the loophole, but it is not clear what this will entail.
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