It’s not in the interests of members that the general secretary should spend so much time playing politics – Unite challenger

This is the full statement issued today by Gerard Coyne, challenger for the post of Unite general secretary, in response to an interview by incumbent Len McCluskey.

I am astonished and deeply concerned that at a time like this, Len McCluskey should deliver what amounts to a public ultimatum to the leader of the Labour Party.

My criticism of his handling of the role of General Secretary of Unite is not whether he has backed the right leader or the wrong leader of the Labour Party, but that he appears to think it is his job to be Labour’s puppet master.

In 2015 and in 2016, he decided the Labour Party should be led by Jeremy Corbyn, and spent hundreds of thousands of pounds of Unite members’ money to make that happen. It is not in the interest of Unite’s members that the General Secretary should spend so much of his time and their money playing politics.

We are entering a momentous year. Article 50 will be triggered within less than three months, and the government will enter into negotiations that will have an immense and lasting impact on the lives and working conditions of our members. Yet at this time of great insecurity for 1.4 million  Unite members and their jobs, all Len McCluskey can talk about is the insecurity of Jeremy’s job.