Labour-affiliated unions have predicted that Sir Keir Starmer will not lead the party into the next general election, according to a leaked draft statement seen by the Guardian. The 11 unions, including Unite, Unison and the GMB, are expected to issue a joint statement on Wednesday saying that the party 'cannot continue on its current path' under the prime minister.
At a private meeting on Tuesday, union officials were divided over whether to call for Starmer to set out a timetable for his departure, with one source describing a 'big fight' among officials. However, they agreed to issue a statement expressing their expectation of a leadership change, despite objections from the GMB and Community unions, who argued it was not in their best interests to become involved in leadership wrangling.
The leaked statement says: 'It’s clear that the prime minister will not lead Labour into the next election, and at some stage a plan will have to be put in place for the election of a new leader.' The unions urged the party to focus on 'fundamental change of direction on economic policy and political strategy' rather than 'personalities and unfolding political drama'.
Starmer was reportedly confident on Tuesday that he had seen off an immediate challenge from Health Secretary Wes Streeting, despite several of Streeting’s allies resigning from the government. More than 90 Labour MPs have called for Starmer to go since the weekend, and four ministers have resigned, three of them close to Streeting.
Union officials expressed frustration that Starmer pulled out of a scheduled meeting of the Trade Union and Labour Party Liaison Organisation on Tuesday, but they agreed to meet anyway. The relationship between the Labour leadership and the unions has become increasingly tense since the party came to power, despite union wins on workers' rights and the minimum wage.
