Unite might refuse to back Burnham if he won’t commit to an anti-austerity message, reports suggest

Update: Unite have said that there is no truth in these claims. They will take no position on whether to back a candidate until after the Tulo hustings.

Andy Burnham has been pegged as the leadership candidate that the unions will back since he announced he was entering the contest. Although in terms of financial backing, Burnham has said he would rather unions gave their money directly to the party to help the rebuilding process instead of his campaign.

However, it now seems that support for Burnham from one of the country’s biggest unions, Unite, isn’t as definite as has previously been said. The Telegraph (£) have reported that they might not back Shadow Health Secretary if he won’t rule out public spending cuts.

Unite’s General Secretary, Len McCluskey, had voiced his opposition to Labour’s commitment to some form of austerity prior to the election. Burnham was fully backed Labour’s economic policies throughout this time.

Now the Telegraph have said senior figures at Unite have told them:

“Instead of having a right-wing economic policy we want a progressive left-wing policy. It doesn’t look like Andy Burnham has shone there. No matter what is being said in the parliamentary village, out in the trade unions and the Parliamentary Labour Party…there is no demand for a switch back to the Right or back to New Labour. People want to see a progressive Labour Party that’s standing up for working people and that’s got to be an anti-austerity message. It’s got to be a pro-trade union message.”

On who the union would back, another source apparently told the paper “I don’t think anybody’s a shoo-in to get an endorsement.”

Unite’s executive council will discuss who they plan to endorse at meetings in June and July and are expected to announce the outcome of this in August.