Unite – the biggest union in the UK – might take back funding for Labour if the party loses the upcoming election. Len McCluskey – the leader of Unite – said that there are chances of defeat in the polls unless Ed Miliband begins producing more left-wing policies, in addition to pledging a complete change on strongly disliked Tory austerity measures.
If Unite makes the decision to stop funding, this might mean that they will begin bankrolling other parties in the UK. McClusky said that he is concerned that Labour will lose a number of its loyal voters as Miliband is not following the right path. In the past, Unite has contributed £10 million to the party since Miliband took over in 2010 and losing funds now would be a major setback.
While talking at the Westminster lunch with the press, McCluskey said that it is not a good time among the MPs of the party who are feeling uneasy. The affiliation fee of Unite has already been reduced to £1.5 million due to Miliband’s reform of the link with the country’s unions.
Miliband’s challenge is to show that he is on the side of ordinary people and he needs to give them hope that they are going to do something different.
Photo Credits: Guardian