Unite votes to re-examine relationship with Labour and suspend Angela Rayner

Trade union Unite has voted to re-examine its relationship with the Labour Party and suspended Angela Rayner’s membership over her role in the Birmingham bin strike.

Members of the union are in a standoff with the Labour-run city council in Birmingham over an ongoing dispute over pay and redundancies.

Delegates at the union’s policy conference in Brighton “overwhelmingly” backed an emergency motion that condemned the government for its “support to the council and the commissioners, originally appointed by the Tories and maintained by Labour”. It committed the union to “discuss our relationship with Labour” if the redundancy process is forced through.

Along with Angela Rayner, Birmingham council leader John Cotton and other Birmingham councillors who are members of the union have been suspended.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite is crystal clear it will call out bad employers regardless of the colour of their rosette. Angela Rayner has had every opportunity to intervene and resolve this dispute but has instead backed a rogue council that has peddled lies and smeared its workers fighting huge pay cuts.

“The disgraceful actions of the government and a so-called Labour council, is essentially fire and rehire and makes a joke of the Employment Relations Act promises.

“People up and down the country are asking whose side is the Labour government on and coming up with the answer not workers.”

Angela Rayner and the Labour Party have been approached for comment.

Latest available figures show Unite has 1.2 million members, making it Britain’s second largest union and the second largest Labour-affiliated union, behind Unison.

The union donated the most money to Labour MPs in the run-up to the general election last year, with 88 MPs and candidates receiving more than £500,000.

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