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Unite the Union leader Len McCluskey has warned the Labour Party should not be taking the union’s money for granted. This follows the party’s decision to pay off former staff who sued it in an anti-Semitism row. Labour’s shadow minister for Policing and Fire, Sarah Jones, told Times Radio that the party and its leader Sir Keir Starmer would not be beholden to the unions.

She said: “On the anti-Semitism point, Keir Starmer’s been completely clear: absolutely zero tolerance.

“We will do completely the right things we need to do to make sure we stamp anti-Semitism out of our party, whatever it takes.

“I’m a member of Unite, and our trade unions are an incredibly important part of the Labour movement and a really important part of our economy.

“We’ve seen really good work in some sectors where unions have been working really strongly with employers during COVID to make sure the right things are done, the right safety measures are put in place and workers are treated properly.”

Host Stig Abell interjected: “But you don’t want Len McCluskey to be threatening the party like this.

“If the party does something, like you say, in its commitment to stand against anti-Semitism, you wouldn’t want the leader of your union to say they won’t give you the cash.”

Ms Jones answered: “Conversations will always happen, it’s not for me to be saying what Len should be doing or shouldn’t be doing.

“The fundamental point about anti-Semitism is that we will tackle it wherever we find it.”

She added: “We’re not going to stop doing that for anybody.

“Our trade unions are a very important part of who we are.

“We will carry on in that relationship because they’re a very fundamental part of our country, and the more workers’ rights we have, the better our economy can be.”

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Sir Keir has also been squaring off with Labour’s biggest donor over control of the party’s Executive Committee.

The committee manages Labour’s rule book and the party machine.

Mr McCluskey warned that the Opposition leader’s chances of winning the next election without the trade union would nott be great.

He told Times Radio: “Obviously, certain things will happen from time to time which question the issue of unity, but it is his priority and that means he needs the left of the party.

“Without the left of the party, he has no chance of becoming Prime Minister.”

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