Who’s in the running to be Unite’s next general secretary?
The election will take place this summer
Unite will this summer hold an election for its general secretary position.
Sharon Graham has led the union since 2021. She won that year’s general secretary election, picking up 33.7 per cent of members’ votes. Her platform at the time was focussed on focussing on winning industrial disputes for members, and she was widely regarded as the grassroots candidates. She said that she believed United had “moved too far from our core business—protecting jobs and improving the pay and conditions of our members”.
During her time as general secretary, Graham has garnered a reputation as a fierce advocate for Unite members and has a string of successes under he belt, having won substantial pay rises for workers at dozens of workplaces across the country. She’s also made a name for herself as a campaign against corporate profiteering at the expense of workers and consumers.
Alongside this, Graham has taken a position of ‘no blank cheques’ in the union’s relationship to the Labour Party. In March 2026, Unite reduced their annual donation to Labour by 40 per cent on the one year anniversary of the Birmingham bin strike.
Graham is understood be seeking a second term in this year’s general secretary election.
She’ll be fending off a challenge from Simon Dubbins, – Unite’s current international director.
Dubbins’ newly launched campaign website is critical of Unite under Graham’s leadership.
On it, Dubbins says: “We need to look outwards, no longer distracted by tired, internal battles. We need to look forwards and focus on delivering for members.
“This Unite General Secretary election is a battle for the heart and soul of Unite the Union. Its outcome will determine whether our union reunites as a powerful fighting machine that works for our members, or if we slide into further chaos and divisions.”
Dubbins has not yet specified what the internal battles and divisions he is referring to are.
He also says that stopping a far-right government and ‘building international solidarity’ would be among his priorities.
Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward
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