Overview
- Unite general secretary Sharon Graham declared it "inevitable" that Sir Keir Starmer will be replaced unless Labour changes course, calling the government "rudderless" and its approach "austerity lite."
- Graham urged a policy shift toward higher investment funded by borrowing, a wealth tax on the "mega-rich," more defense procurement from UK firms, and attacked Ed Miliband’s net zero plans as economic "self-harm."
- Unite, a top Labour donor with over a million members, refused to endorse the party’s 2024 manifesto, and Graham has not ruled out reviewing or ending the union’s affiliation next year.
- Labour’s union flank tightened after Andrea Egan won Unison’s leadership, a development reported as weakening Starmer’s support on the NEC and potentially triggering a wider reassessment of union backing.
- Starmer’s New Year message promised tangible steps in early 2026—including more police by March, energy bills cut, rail fares and prescription charges frozen, and new health hubs in April—while The Times reported some cabinet figures view his position as unsustainable and Nigel Farage predicted Reform UK could convert May 7 gains into a national breakthrough.