Labour debates union link reforms

Ed Miliband‘s bid to reform Labour‘s trade union links will be debated by the party’s national executive as more details emerged of the internal inquiry into the ballot-rigging claims which prompted his reform drive.

The Guardian published a leaked copy of the internal report into alleged voting irregularities by the Unite union in the Falkirk constituency, which Mr Miliband has declined to publish.

Karie Murphy, the Unite-backed candidate who was forced to quit the race to be party’s general election candidate in the seat, told the newspaper it showed that “none of the allegations were supported by evidence”.

The leak is likely to increase tensions over Mr Miliband’s reform plans – which includes ending the automatic affiliation of trade union members to the party.

He also wants to switch to a one member, one vote system for electing Labour leaders in place of the present electoral college which gives a third of the votes each to the unions, rank and file members and MPs and MEPs.

Approval by the NEC would see the proposals – drawn up by former Labour and union official Lord Collins – go before a special conference on March 1 for final approval.

They were said to have received the “overwhelming” support of MPs and peers when Mr Miliband presented them to a meeting of the parliamentary party last night.

In one late change to assuage some MPs’ fears, the support required to get a would-be leader’s name on the ballot paper was cut to 15% of MPs from the 20% suggested by Lord Collins.

But GMB leader Paul Kenny insisted that the reforms were “not a done deal” while other union officials have said that the “devil is in the detail”.

Mr Miliband announced his determination to reform Labour’s trade union links after becoming embroiled in a bitter war of words with Unite boss Len McCluskey over the Falkirk allegations.

He described attempts to pack the local party with supporters of its preferred candidate, Ms Murphy, as the sort of “machine politics” which he wanted to end and referred the case to the police.

But the party later dropped its inquiry citing the withdrawal of key evidence – leading to the reinstatement of Ms Murphy’s suspended party membership.

Despite pressure for the report to be published – including from then party general election coordinator Tom Watson, for whom Ms Murphy worked – Mr Miliband has declined to do so.

The Guardian said the 20-page report suggested all but two of its central conclusions appeared “overstated at best”.

A Labour spokesman told the newspaper: “We have selected a candidate in the constituency. The important thing now for the people of Falkirk is that we concentrate on getting a Labour MP elected to represent them.”

The vacancy for a candidate was created when MP Eric Joyce quit the party after a Commons bar brawl.

Some in the party fear that the reforms will cost Labour millions of pounds in union affiliation fees, but the leader insists they will allow the party to engage more closely with trade unionists, who are currently affiliated automatically unless they choose to opt out.

Mr Miliband told MPs: “Of course change has a risk, but we have got to build a mass party, we have got to have a strong grassroots.”

Conservative Party Chairman Grant Shapps said: “As this report shows, Len McCluskey’s Unite union was trying to rig Labour’s candidate selection in Falkirk.

“Yet Ed Miliband has been too weak to investigate how Unite applied their ‘political strategy’ in 40 other contests and he even had the publication of this report forced on him. Instead, all he has done is give the union barons even more power to buy Labour’s policies and pick Labour’s leader.”

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Labour debates union link reforms