As part of his resignation statement, Starmer indicated that nominations in the contest to replace him will open on July 9. If there is more than one candidate nominated by MPs in that election, the 11 trade unions affiliated to the Labour Party will have a say on which candidates get through to a full ballot of Labour and affiliated organisation members. Likewise, those trade union members will then get a vote on who succeeds Starmer.

So what are the general secretaries of those affiliated unions saying following Starmer’s announcement.

Dave Calfe the general secretary of the rail union ASLEF was positive about Starmer’s time in office. He said: “We want to thank Keir for the landslide victory of the Labour Party, after 14 years in opposition, at the general election in July 2024. And we want to thank Keir for the Employment Rights Act – the biggest uplift in working people’s rights in a generation – and for bringing Britain’s railways back into public ownership.

“Now we need a Prime Minister, and Labour Party leader, who will deliver Labour’s New Deal for Working People in full and who understands what the Labour Party needs to stand for in the 21^st century.”

Fellow rail union general secretary Maryam Eslamdoust from the TSSA was more critical, saying that this was an opportunity to “pivot to the policies this country and working people desperately need”. She said: “Keir Starmer did the decent thing by resigning before he was forced to. The Labour Party now has an opportunity to pivot to the policies this country and working people desperately need.  

“Wages don’t stretch far enough, our infrastructure is crumbling and living standards have stagnated after the long years of Tory austerity. 

“Britain needs a renewed focus on rebuilding the country under a Labour government which has the drive and determination to truly change millions of lives through social and economic justice. There is not a moment to lose.” 

Likewise, the Fire Brigades Union general secretary Steve Wright said that the next prime minister “needs to be clear that the status quo has to change”.

Wright said: “Whoever replaces Keir Starmer needs to be clear that the status quo has to change. The reason we find ourselves with yet another PM standing down is that, like May, Johnson, Truss and Sunak before him, Starmer failed to break with the perceived wisdom of attacking public services, failing to tackle wealth inequality, whilst letting privatised public utilities rip off the people of this country. A new Labour leader needs to learn that lesson and learn it fast.

“For FBU members, this means stepping in to end the threat of fire station closures that puts our members and the public’s lives at risk. There needs to be investment in the fire and rescue service alongside other public services, and as an affiliated trade union, we will be putting that position before any candidate in a leadership election.

“We cannot have more of the same. If we do, then whoever is elected will inevitably have failed in their role and will be out of office at the earliest opportunity.

“The chance to break with the narrative of the past is now, learn the lessons that previous Prime Ministers failed to do and deliver a better future for our members and the people of this country.”

And Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite set out in detail the policies she wanted the next Labour leader to adopt.

Graham said:  “Keir Starmer’s decision to resign was the honourable and right decision.
 
“It is critical now that Labour focuses on delivering for workers and communities.
 
“There is no time to waste, everyday people are literally on their knees. Labour has one last shot to learn from the errors of the last two years. A failure to act, will result in a doomsday scenario for Labour.

“In the short term we need policies that make workers’ lives easier. There must be action to end the freeze on tax thresholds, reversing the fiscal drag, that has pulled workers into unfair tax bands.
 
“Action must be taken immediately on the energy price cap, bill payers are paying hundreds of pounds to profiteers every year, that must end.
 
“There must also be immediate action on industrial strategy, with investment in jobs and industry. That investment must be made now and not at some far off point in the future.

“Given that a contest looks unlikely, we need to move swiftly to policy discussions so the political and economic direction is clear.”

Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward

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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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Thomas used her speech to praise the role of women in the trade union movement. She told the conference: “It has been a particular honour, and responsibility, to be elected as Usdaw’s first woman General Secretary. It’s not just a personal victory, it’s a collective one.

“So I want to pay tribute to all the women in Usdaw, who paved this incredible path that I now get to walk down – the women I know and have been inspired by throughout my Usdaw journey, but also, the women who shaped Usdaw so many years ago, long before any of us were born. Women like Ellen Wilkinson, Margaret Bondfield, and Mary McArthur, women whose names I see on the walls in Head Office every day, who were born in a time when we could not even vote and yet they organised workers, they fought for change and they helped to build this union.”

Thomas continued: “When we have lived with barriers, we understand struggle, but we know that many workers still face many barriers. Confidence gaps, the challenges of juggling caring responsibilities and work, discrimination and class bias.

“But these challenges create leaders with empathy, resilience and fire, leaders who will listen deeply, leaders who will fight with purpose. I will fight with purpose. I will never forget that I would not be standing here without those women who came before me and that I would not be standing here without the people in this room, my Usdaw family.”

Other keynote speakers at the conference have included the prime minister Keir Starmer.

Starmer used his address to highlight the government’s policies designed to tackle shoplifting.

Starmer told the conference: “Working people, grafters – go to work, do the right thing, keep our high streets thriving, and yet too often they are abused or assaulted by people who think they can get away with it and just cheat the system. It’s disgraceful.

“We are currently reforming the police across the country so we can free up their time and their money to focus more on street policing, neighbourhood policing, and cracking down on anti-social behaviour. We’ve already got an extra 3,000 neighbourhood officers on the streets, and there’s more to come.

He went on to say: “We’ve scrapped the ridiculous regulation where thieves stealing goods worth less than £200 would not be properly held to account. That was a shoplifters’ charter, and we’ve ended it. We’ve toughened up punishment too. We’re giving police stronger powers, making the abuse and assault of retail workers a specific crime and giving you the same protections as emergency workers.

“I’m not blind to how big a challenge this is. But the number of people charged has gone up by 17% in the latest stats. Shop theft is down – only slightly – but the tide could be turning. We are calling time on the free for all, standing firm, together, against the disgraceful crime of shop theft.”

Thomas welcomed Starmer’s policies on this issue, saying following the speech: “We have campaigned along with many retail employers for substantial legislative measures to combat this growing problem and we are pleased that the Government’s Crime and Policing Bill has almost completed its passage through Parliament. This government immediately set about tackling the issue and we are now starting to see the results of their investment in policing and funding for more uniformed officer patrols in shopping areas.

“The Bill delivers a much-needed protection of retail workers’ law; ends the indefensible £200 threshold for prosecuting shoplifters and introduces Respect Orders for offenders. This government has also started the process of reforming police services to put a greater focus on local crime and provide a Local Policing Guarantee. It is our hope that these new measures will help give retail workers the respect they deserve.”

Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward

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Polling published by the Trades Union Congress on Sunday reveals that a majority of the public (54%) back taxing big corporations and the most wealthy individuals to prevent cuts to public services.

The poll found that 59% of people do not think that the wealthiest pay their fair share of tax. In addition, two-thirds (67%) of voters said they supported an annual wealth tax for estates above £10m and 63% back a windfall tax on banks. 

Paul Nowak, the general secretary of the TUC said: “The message from voters is clear. They want the government to protect and rebuild our public services.

“If that means asking the wealthiest to pay more, the public are behind it. People are fed up with a system where those with the broadest shoulders don’t pull their weight.”

The National Education Union has joined in the calls for a wealth tax, teaming up with Tax Justice UK to push for fairer taxation.

The union is backing three Tax Justice UK proposals to raise funds by closing unfair loopholes and introducing credible, achievable tax reforms.

These include a 2% wealth tax on assets over £10 million, which would affect just 0.03% of the population but could raise at least £24 billion a year. 

The NEU is also calling for Capital Gains Tax to be reformed to equalise it with income tax and close loopholes, which could generate around £12 billion a year.

They’re also calling on the government to end and redirect subsidies for oil and gas companies to invest in retrofitting schools, which could raise £2.2 billion a year.

Government funding decisions have resulted in 70% of maintained schools in England facing real-terms cuts since 2010/11.

The NEU is calling for education to be funded at 4.5% of GDP, roughly a £14.1 billion real terms increase over three years.

Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of the National Education Union, said: “Our schools are at breaking point, with cuts leading to fewer resources, larger class sizes, and the erosion of subjects that are crucial to a well-rounded education.

“Now is the time for a wealth tax, and closing unfair loopholes to ensure the very richest pay their fair share. Instead of picking the pockets of our pupils, it’s time to tax profits and prioritise our children and our communities over corporate greed.”

Kebede added: “The Chancellor has a clear choice to make at this Spending Review – tax wealth to invest in public services or continue on a trajectory of austerity 2.0.”

Caitlin Boswell, Head of Advocacy and Policy at Tax Justice UK said: “Taxing extreme wealth is a textbook example of how to raise revenue to invest in key services we all rely on, like education. The government has a decision to make, it either sides with billionaires and multi-millionaires, or it taxes their riches to make life better for the rest of us.”

Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward

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​​South Western Railways will be renationalised in May 2025, C2C in July 2025, and Greater Anglia in autumn 2025.

This comes after the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024 received royal assent on 29 November.

The services will initially be operated by DfT Operator Limited, with Great British Railways (GBR) taking over control once it has been set up.

“For too long, the British public has had to put up with rail services that simply don’t work”, the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, said in a statement.

Alexander, who took over the role from former transport secretary Louise Haigh on Monday, said that starting with South Western Railway, “we’re switching tracks by bringing services back under public control to create a reliable rail network that puts customers first.”

She added: “Our broken railways are finally on the fast track to repairing and rebuilding a system that the British public can trust and be proud of again.”

The Department for Transport statement said that the move will “clamp down on unacceptable levels of delays, cancellations and waste seen under decades of failing franchise contracts”.

Commenting on the announcement, Mick Whelan, general secretary of ASLEF, said: ‘Keir Starmer, Louise Haigh, and Heidi Alexander have delivered on the Labour Party’s manifesto commitment by bringing Britain’s railways back into public ownership.”

Whelan stated: “This is the right decision, at the right time, to take the brakes off the UK economy and rebuild Britain.”

He described the prime minister John Major’s decision to privatise British Rail in 1994 as “foolish, ideologically-driven, and doomed to fail”.

“It was described even by that arch-privateer Margaret Thatcher as “a privatisation too far” and so it proved.

“The privateers have taken hundreds of millions of pounds from our railways and successive Conservative governments have pursued a policy of managed decline which has sold taxpayers, passengers, and staff short.

“Now we are going to see the wheels and the steel put back together, an end to the failed fragmentation of our network, and a railway brought back into the public sector, where it belongs, to be run as a public service, not for private profit.”

The RMT released data last year estimating that railway privatisation has drained at least £31 billion from the system over the past 30 years, which has mostly gone into shareholders pockets, while passengers are paying 8% more to travel.

Labour has not indicated whether it will renationalise lucrative freight services and rolling stock companies (ROSCOs), which own and lease trains to rail operators.

The three ROSCOs that the government created to privatise rail in 1993 – Angel Trains, Eversholt and Porterbrook – paid dividends of over £400m in 2022-23.

Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward

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Britain’s new Government has said it will be repealing the controversial Strikes Act legislation which gave ministers sweeping powers to extend minimum service levels across the economy, and could be used to force striking workers back to work or risk losing their job. 

In the announcement today, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said Labour was scrapping the “pointless law” and instead creating a new partnership between business, trade unions and working people through the New Deal. 

“Attempting to clamp down on the fundamental freedom of working people has got us nowhere and this was targeted at sectors who dedicate their lives to serving us all,” said Rayner. 

“Repealing this legislation is the first part of our plan to reset industrial relations so they are fit for a modern economy.”

Trade unions had described the legislation as “unworkable and undemocratic”, as Paul Nowak, leader of the Trades Union Congress responded, “it speaks volumes that not one employer was daft enough to use the Tories vindictive” law. 

Strike action in the NHS alone cost the taxpayer £1.7bn in 2023 as Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting highlighted how the legislation had failed to resolve a single dispute, and that Labour will focus instead on “strong but fair negotiations” to tackle issues between workers and employers. 

The move has left Tory politicians fuming, with former Tory party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith coming out to attack the return of the hard-won workers’ rights.

Duncan Smith said: “Welcome back to the 1970s. The hardline Left are back. This is the beginning of radical change that will give power to the unions to strike at will.”

Shadow Health Secretary Victoria Atkins was also quoted in the Daily Mail criticising the reversal of the minimum service laws and said that scrapping the laws would threaten “safe staffing levels” in hospitals. However unions representing health workers have long argued that safe staffing levels had already been compromised by the Tory government, due to cuts and dire staff retention levels, not strikes. 

Wes Streeting, said: “Scrapping minimum service levels marks another significant step in resetting relationships with staff, as we fix the broken health service.”

(Image credit: Number 10 / Flickr)

Hannah Davenport is news reporter at Left Foot Forward

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Leaders from some of the biggest unions in the UK have called for the movement to come together after far-right and racist groups exploited the deaths of three young girls in a knife attack in Southport to spread mis-information and whip up fear and violence. 

RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch has called for a “movement-wide response so that we do not allow such vile shows of racism to divide working class unity.”

Lynch continued: “As trade unionists we are central to our society upholding values of peace, solidarity and working class unity and in the days ahead we must do all within our power to oppose hate and division in our communities and workplaces.”

RMT branches have been urged to contact local mosques, refugee centres and solidarity groups to offer support, a call also made by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) General Secretary Matt Wrack and the Communication Workers Union, urging branch committees to offer the union’s help.

“The FBU stands in solidarity with those facing racism, violence and intimidation, and we stand for the unity of all workers against a cynical divide and rule agenda,” said the leader of the firefighters’ union. 

Wrack noted that the trade union movement has a “proud history” of standing up against racism and the far-right and “it must continue to do so”.

The Trade Union and Labour Party Liaison Organisation (TULO), chaired by General Secretary of Aslef union Mick Whelan has also issued a statement calling for community solidarity against the violence and to challenge the narrative of those who try to divide the working class. 

The statement reads: “There is a huge amount of work to do to build a new spirit of hope and unity to stop workers and communities being pitted against each other.”

TULO comprises the 11 trade unions affiliated to the Labour Party which are; ASLEF; Community; CWU; FBU; GMB; Musicians Union; NUM; TSSA; Unison; Unite; and USDAW.

The multi-union statement also thanked public service workers and “those who put themselves in harm’s way to keep others safe” and heralded community members and workers who have come out to help clear up, and counter the violence with kindness.  

The statement adds: “Unions have a proud history of standing up against racism and the far right – and we will continue to play our part in workplaces and communities to bring workers together, and to stand firm against those who sow hatred and division.

“The trade union movement is built on the principles of solidarity and unity, and that unity has never been more important. We reaffirm our commitment to building solidarity and uniting working people against the far-right.”

Hannah Davenport is news reporter at Left Foot Forward

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More than 8,500 GPs and GP contractors took part in a ballot held by the British Medical Association (BMA) with 98.3% voting in favour of taking industrial action. 

From today, practices will be encouraged to choose from a list of actions, which stop short of strikes but can include limits on the number of patients medics can see each day. Currently, some GPs do 40 consultations or more a day, which could be limited under the action to 25 – said to be the maximum safe level.

It follows funding crisis fears in general practice and dissatisfaction with the previous government’s increase in GP budget by just 1.9% this year. The doctors’ union recognised that the new Government was “keen to find solutions” but stressed that “the causes of practices closing and GPs leaving remain”.

Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, chair of BMA’s GP committee for England (GPCE), said: “This is an act of desperation. For too long, we’ve been unable to provide the care we want to. 

“We are witnessing general practice being broken. The era of the family doctor has been wiped out by recent consecutive Governments and our patients are suffering as a result.”

Dr Bramall-Stainer added: “We understand that the new Government has inherited a broken NHS, and we’ve had some positive conversations with the new Health Secretary about the situation in general practice.

“The DDRB award is a small a step in the right direction but we still have hundreds of millions less resource to run our practices compared to even five years ago.”

General practices were recommended 6% of guaranteed funding by the DDRB in an announcement this week. The BMA’s GPC England Committee believes this needs to gradually increase by 1% year on year, to 15%. 

Speaking today on the BBC Radio 4 Today Show, Dr Clare Gerada, former Chair of the Royal College of GPs and a working GP shared her experience in the profession. She said “we do more as GPs in this country than any other GP ever” and that the latest government pay offer is “not enough”. 

“I’m doing more today than I’ve ever done in my life, we do more as GPs in this country than any other GP ever in the world,” said Dr Gerada.

Dr Gerada welcomed the government pay offer but said, “I’m afraid we need a complete reset of what is going on within the NHS.”

“Wes Streeting has said that the NHS is broken, and the only way to fix the NHS is to fix general practice.”

According to the union, the impact of the collective action will be a “slow burn” that “may not be felt  for some time”, in order to give the Government time to consider the proposed solutions, “including fixing our contract once and for all.”

Hannah Davenport is news reporter at Left Foot Forward

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Health workers

After announcing the breakthrough 22.3% deal being put to junior doctors, Reeves confirmed that pay review body recommendations will be accepted for all other health workers, with union leaders praising the quick action of the new government to address public sector pay. 

The General Secretary of the UK’s largest union Unison said Labour had “thankfully” acted quicker than its predecessors, while she highlighted that pay and investment will be key to addressing issues in the NHS. 

Christina McAnea welcomed the above inflation 5.5% pay increase, however she added that health workers will also compare it with the larger deal agreed for junior doctors. 

Nurses will also be weighing up their thoughts on the pay offer, as the Royal College of Nursing reacted saying it will push the government to present its plans for improving the NHS. 

“We do not begrudge doctors their pay rise. We work together closely, in the interests of our patients. What we ask for is the same fair treatment from government,” said RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger. “Our members will vote on whether they see today’s announcement as enough of a start on our journey.”

She added: “Nurses are the ever-present, safety critical workforce across the whole of health and care. Our wages do not reflect that and still won’t after today.”

This sentiment was echoed by Unite the union which represents NHS workers. The union said it was “imperative to ensure that we are not dividing NHS workers.” 

Teachers

The threat of another teachers strike could well be quelled after the Chancellor confirmed an investment in the profession with a 5.5% pay deal, which the teachers’ union will put to members. 

Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of the National Education Union, responded by thanking the Education Secretary for, “showing the positive leadership needed on teacher pay and the recruitment and retention crisis that was missing under the previous 10 Conservative Education Secretaries.”

Kebede called the deal a “necessary first step” in reversing the real terms pay cuts to the sector since 2010, with still “some way to go” to restore pay, but that the announcement was a “a strong signal to the profession about a new course of direction in education.”

Civil servants

A recommended 5% pay uplift for civil servants was also agreed by Reeves in her announcement, which the FDA union welcomed as a step in “the right decision.” 

FDA General Secretary Dave Penman said: “If we want world-class public services then we must invest in the public servants that deliver them, and this announcement is the first step in the right direction.”

However, the leader of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) that also represents civil servants siad it was “disappointed” that the government had “missed the opportunity to adopt our proposals for dealing immediately with low pay and structural problems.” 

Leader Fran Heathcote said: “While we welcome the change of tone and atmosphere from the new government towards the civil service, we want immediate talks to address all of our members’ issues.”

She also said that there was “no justification” for civil servants “getting less than other public sector workers.”

Hannah Davenport is news reporter at Left Foot Forward

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Following negotiations between the Government and the British Medical Association (BMA), junior doctors are to be offered a pay deal that includes a backdated pay rise of 4% for 2023/24, a one off payment of £1,000, a rise of 6% for 2024/25 and an existing increase between 8.1% and 10.3%.

According to The Times which broke the story, the BMA will put the offer to its members who will vote on whether to accept it and therefore ending the strike action. 

The union initially made a 35% pay restoration demand to reverse a decade of real terms pay cuts in the sector, however the offer from the Labour government represents a significantly improved deal compared to previous staled negotiations with Conservative minister.

If accepted, the deal would end the long-running dispute that has affected junior doctors and services for 20 months under the Tory government which failed to solve the issue that saw ongoing strike action, at a financial cost of over £1bn. The offer compares to an 8% pay increase imposed on junior doctors by the previous government last year.

Formal negotiations between the BMA and the Department of Health and Social Care under Labour began on Tuesday 23 July and were due to conclude by 16 August. 

Rachel Reeves is expected to confirm the pay rise this afternoon when she is set to make a statement on the public finances.

The BMA has confirmed it will recommend the offer to members. BMA’s junior doctors committee (JDC) co-chairs Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi said the offer “changes the current trajectory of our pay, en though there is further to go yet.”

They said in a statement: “It should never have taken so long to get here, but this offer shows what can be achieved when both parties enter negotiations in a constructive spirit.”

It added: “We recognise the speed and effort put into this round of negotiations which we believe shows the beginning of a Government that is learning to treat doctors with more respect. There is a catastrophic NHS workforce crisis that needs addressing and they at least appear to recognise that fixing pay must be part of the solution.”

This article will be updated as the story develops.

Hannah Davenport is news reporter at Left Foot Forward

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