Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Trade union Unite refuses to endorse Labour manifesto

Unite wants Labour party to put an end to zero hours contracts – and ban the practice of “hire and fire”, where workers are fired and taken back at lower pay

Trade union Unite refuses to endorse Labour manifesto

LABOUR party's biggest trade union backer Unite has refused to endorse its general election manifesto, but the party has decided to go ahead with it next week.

At a meeting on Friday, the shadow cabinet, union representatives, and the national executive committee (NEC) approved the manifesto.


While various party figures have been involved in shaping the manifesto, the final document is being closely guarded.

According to media reports, Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham made it clear she would not be able to endorse the document.

Unite wants the Labour party to put an end to zero-hours contracts and ban the practice of "hire and fire" - where workers are fired and taken back at a lower pay, BBC reports.

It also said the manifesto does not go far enough in protecting workers' rights and jobs in the oil and gas industry.

The public service union Unison also wants the inclusion of commitment towards improved pay and wage bargaining in the document.

Unite's stand puts a question mark over whether it will fund the party at the general election. In 2019, Unite gave £3 million to Labour's campaign.

Sharon Graham had earlier warned there were "no blank cheques" for Labour.

The Labour manifesto is expected to include a commitment to recognise a Palestinian state as "part of the process" to a two-state solution, BBC reports.

The document may also include plans to recruit more teachers and police officers and to cut net migration.

More For You

ve-day-getty

VE Day 80 street parties, picnics and community get togethers are being encouraged to take place across the country as part of the Great British Food Festival. (Photo: Getty Images)

Public invited to attend VE Day 80 procession and flypast

THE 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day will be marked with a military procession in London on May 5.

The event will include over 1,300 members of the Armed Forces, youth groups, and uniformed services marching from Parliament Square to Buckingham Palace.

Keep ReadingShow less
Knife crimes

Knife-enabled crimes include cases where a blade or sharp instrument was used to injure or threaten, including where the weapon was not actually seen.

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Knife crime in London accounts for a third of national total: ONS

KNIFE-RELATED crime in London made up almost a third of all such offences recorded in England and Wales in 2024, with the Metropolitan Police logging 16,789 incidents, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Thursday.

This amounts to one offence every 30 minutes in the capital and represents 31 per cent of the 54,587 knife-enabled crimes reported across England and Wales last year. The total number marks a two per cent rise from 53,413 offences in 2023.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer and Modi

Starmer and Modi shake hands during a bilateral meeting in the sidelines of the G20 summit at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Brazil, on November 18, 2024.

Getty Images

Starmer calls Modi over Kashmir attack; expresses condolences

PRIME MINISER Keir Starmer spoke to Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday morning following the deadly attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam region that killed 26 people on Tuesday.

According to a readout from 10 Downing Street, Starmer said he was horrified by the devastating terrorist attack and expressed deep condolences on behalf of the British people to those affected, their loved ones, and the people of India. The two leaders agreed to stay in touch.

Keep ReadingShow less
 Post Office Horizon

A Post Office van parked outside the venue for the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry at Aldwych House on January 11, 2024 in London, England. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Post Office spent £600m to keep Horizon despite plans to replace it: Report

THE POST OFFICE has spent more than £600 million of public funds to continue using the Horizon IT system, according to a news report.

Despite deciding over a decade ago to move away from the software, the original 1999 contract with Fujitsu prevented the Post Office from doing so, as it did not own the core software code, a BBC investigation shows.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pahalgam attack: Prayer meet held at Indian mission in London

The prayer meet was led by Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami

Pahalgam attack: Prayer meet held at Indian mission in London

Mahesh Liloriya

A PRAYER meet was held at the Gandhi Hall in the High Commission of India in London on Thursday (24) to pay respects to the victims of the Pahalgam terrorist attack.

Chants of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ rang out at the event which was led by Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami.

Keep ReadingShow less