Labour unions signal Starmer’s departure before next election
Leaked draft asserts the Prime Minister cannot lead the party forward, deepening internal tensions despite his recent survival of a leadership challenge.
Eleven Labour-affiliated unions, including Unite, Unison, and the GMB, have issued a joint statement predicting that Prime Minister Keir Starmer will not lead the party into the next general election. The intervention marks a significant escalation in internal party tensions, with the leaked draft asserting that Labour “cannot continue on its current path” and is failing to deliver the substantive change voters sought.
The statement, expected to be formally released on Wednesday, acknowledges limited progress on workers’ rights and the minimum wage but argues these measures are insufficient to counter the “devastating results” of the recent election. The unions urged the leadership to prioritise a fundamental shift in economic policy and political strategy over what they described as the “personalities and unfolding political drama” in Westminster.
During a private meeting on Tuesday, union officials engaged in intense debate regarding the scope of their intervention. While the GMB and Community unions argued against direct involvement in leadership wrangling, they ultimately agreed to the joint position. Sources indicate there was a “big fight” among officials over whether to demand a specific timetable for Starmer’s departure, with the final draft opting to state that a plan for a new leader would be required “at some stage”.
The unions’ stance follows a period of acute instability for the Prime Minister, characterised by the resignation of four ministers and calls for his removal from more than 90 Labour MPs. Although Starmer survived an immediate leadership challenge on Tuesday, his authority remains fragile. Even loyal cabinet ministers have privately acknowledged that he is unlikely to take the party into the next election unless he dramatically reverses his standing and the government’s fortunes.
Starmer has told his cabinet he intends to fight on, viewing his second King’s Speech on Wednesday as a potential reset for the divided party. However, the friction with the unions, who are key financial backers, has intensified since the government took office. Unite’s Sharon Graham described the “writing on the wall” for the Prime Minister following the election disaster, while Downing Street faced criticism for postponing a scheduled meeting of the Trade Union and Labour Party Liaison Organisation.
