Angela Rayner has had her membership of a major trade union suspended in a row over the Birmingham bin strikes. Unite, which is Labour’s biggest union supporter, could also cut ties with Sir Keir Starmer’s party.

The move follows an emergency motion passed at the union’s policy conference in Brighton today. 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.

DON’T MISS

Powered by 

Labour voters issue brutal three-word verdict on Keir Starmer’s first 12 months as PM

Comments

Labour haemorrhaging voters in blow to Keir Starmer as Nigel Farage boosted

Comments

Rachel Reeves is odds-on favourite to be next minister to quit Starmer’s Cabinet

Comments

Labour insiders ‘fear Rachel Reeves’ PMQs tears have made her ‘unsackable’

Comments

‘Catastrophic!’ Kemi Badenoch exposes Keir Starmer for ‘flirting with wealth tax demands’

Comments

Keir Starmer set for showdown with Macron over France’s failure to stop boats

Comments

One year of Labour: Take part in our exclusive nationwide survey

Comments

Reform UK says Nigel Farage is PM in waiting after new poll boost tears apart Starmer

Comments

Lorraine fans ‘switch off’ seconds in over ‘embarrassing’ Angela Rayner grilling

Comments

Angela Rayner’s 1.5m new homes in crisis as locals rage against ‘horrifying’ plan

Comments

BBC’s Naga Munchetty issues damning verdict in fiery Yvette Cooper grilling

Comments

Angela Rayner claims she doesn’t want to be PM because it will ruin her looks

Comments

POLL: Will Keir Starmer bring in wealth tax?

Comments

Keir Starmer warned he risks ‘another winter fuel crisis’ over stealth tax bombshell

Comments

Rachel Reeves creates ‘tax time bomb’ that could shrink UK economy

Comments

The huge new rules that will make it harder for immigrants to become British

Comments

Fury as Labour refuses to rule out fresh tax hikes targeting 1 group

Comments

Angela Rayner delivers grim three-word verdict to Labour MPs after huge rebellion

Comments

Nightmare for Starmer as McCluskey says trade unions will ditch Labour for Corbyn’s party

Comments

Rachel Reeves’ ‘triple-locked’ body language ‘a key sign of low confidence’ at PMQs

Comments

Labour voters issue brutal three-word verdict on Keir Starmer’s first 12 months as PM

Comments

Labour haemorrhaging voters in blow to Keir Starmer as Nigel Farage boosted

Comments

Rachel Reeves is odds-on favourite to be next minister to quit Starmer’s Cabinet

Comments

Labour insiders ‘fear Rachel Reeves’ PMQs tears have made her ‘unsackable’

Comments

‘Catastrophic!’ Kemi Badenoch exposes Keir Starmer for ‘flirting with wealth tax demands’

Comments

Keir Starmer set for showdown with Macron over France’s failure to stop boats

Comments

One year of Labour: Take part in our exclusive nationwide survey

Comments

Reform UK says Nigel Farage is PM in waiting after new poll boost tears apart Starmer

Comments

Lorraine fans ‘switch off’ seconds in over ‘embarrassing’ Angela Rayner grilling

Comments

Angela Rayner’s 1.5m new homes in crisis as locals rage against ‘horrifying’ plan

Comments

BBC’s Naga Munchetty issues damning verdict in fiery Yvette Cooper grilling

Comments

Angela Rayner claims she doesn’t want to be PM because it will ruin her looks

Comments

POLL: Will Keir Starmer bring in wealth tax?

Comments

Keir Starmer warned he risks ‘another winter fuel crisis’ over stealth tax bombshell

Comments

Rachel Reeves creates ‘tax time bomb’ that could shrink UK economy

Comments

The huge new rules that will make it harder for immigrants to become British

Comments

Fury as Labour refuses to rule out fresh tax hikes targeting 1 group

Comments

Angela Rayner delivers grim three-word verdict to Labour MPs after huge rebellion

Comments

Nightmare for Starmer as McCluskey says trade unions will ditch Labour for Corbyn’s party

Comments

Rachel Reeves’ ‘triple-locked’ body language ‘a key sign of low confidence’ at PMQs

Comments

Labour voters issue brutal three-word verdict on Keir Starmer’s first 12 months as PM

Comments

Labour haemorrhaging voters in blow to Keir Starmer as Nigel Farage boosted

Comments

Rachel Reeves is odds-on favourite to be next minister to quit Starmer’s Cabinet

Comments

Labour insiders ‘fear Rachel Reeves’ PMQs tears have made her ‘unsackable’

Comments

‘Catastrophic!’ Kemi Badenoch exposes Keir Starmer for ‘flirting with wealth tax demands’

Comments

Keir Starmer set for showdown with Macron over France’s failure to stop boats

Comments

One year of Labour: Take part in our exclusive nationwide survey

Comments

“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.

It comes as rubbish has been piling up across Birmingham since bin workers walked out around six months ago in a bitter dispute over pay.

A source close to Ms Rayner, who is Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary, said she had already resigned membership of the union some months ago.

But Unite said she was still listed as an active member on Friday.

The motion, which was voted on by 800 delegates, condemned Labour-run Birmingham City Council for “its threat to effectively fire and rehire, on pain of redundancy, the Unite Birmingham bin workers”.

It also blasted the Government for its “support to the council and the commissioners, originally appointed by the Tories and maintained by Labour”.

Ms Rayner, Birmingham Council leader John Cotton and other Labour councillors have been suspended for “bringing the union into disrepute”.

This will be followed by an investigation with a “view to expelling them from the union.”

Shadow Local Government Secretary Kevin Hollinrake said: “Angela Rayner faces a serious conflict of interest, having accepted thousands of pounds from the Unite union to fund her general election campaign.

“Unions like Unite rarely offer financial support without expecting something in return — and we’re already seeing the consequences in their aggressive demands to dismantle key trade union laws.

“It’s time for all Labour ministers and the Labour-led council to take a firm stand against these militant unions. A good place to start would be suspending taxpayer-funded ‘facility time’ for Unite while their members are on strike.”

A Labour source said: “Angela’s not interested in silly stunts, she’s interested in changing workers’ lives. Unite rejected a deal in Birmingham and their demands would have undermined equal pay, discriminating against female workers. Angela won’t be pushed around, and she quit Unite some months ago.

“Angela’s been fighting for equal pay for decades as a trade unionist and as a home care worker has experienced what it was like to be paid less as a working class woman for the same work.”