How serious is the UNISON threat to Labour?
One of the consequences of Labour’s precarious financial position is that it is much more vulnerable to pressure from union funders who don’t like its policies.
According to the BBC public service union, Unison, has said that “it will no longer give financial support to MPs that do not support its values.”
The General Secretary Dave Prentis told union members it would not give any more “blank cheques” to the party and Labour MPs and candidates at the next election “who backed further privatisation of public services would have funding withdrawn.”
This does two things. It adds pressure on the party at a very delicate time as well as providing ammunition for the Tories to say that Labour is in the pocket of the unions.
Just imagine the row if a big business donor tried to put pressure on the Tories in this way yet, somehow, Labour financial links with unions don’t get looked at in the same way.
Unison is Labour’s biggest financial backer.