In the last issue of The Communist, it was reported that the misnamed ‘Communist Party of Britain’ (CPB) was supporting the incumbent, right-wing general secretary of Unison, Christina McAnea.
Another group which is lending its support to McAnea is ‘Labour Link’ – the union’s official body for coordinating with Labour, which has long been a stronghold for the right-wing clique at the top of Unison.
Labour’s deputy leadership election has exposed just how right-wing Labour Link are.
Without consulting the union’s membership, Labour Link uncritically endorsed Blairite MP Bridget Phillipson – Starmer’s preferred candidate – whose expected defeat is predicted to be another blow to the Prime Minister’s authority.
Even the milksop Lucy Powell – touted by the ‘lefts’ as being more critical of Starmer – was too much for Unison’s bureaucracy! Their open support for Blairism demonstrates how snuggly this clique lies in bed with the Starmer’s gang.
Jumping on the Blairite bandwagon
But Labour Link aren’t the only ones jumping on the Blairite bandwagon. Days after Labour Link’s endorsement, the Morning Star – the mouthpiece of the CPB – also lent their support to Philipson. Curiouser and curiouser!
But this tale gets stranger still: in their endorsement of Philipson, the Morning Star exclusively quotes the ‘authority’ of former Blairite minister Alan Johnson.
For those who don’t know, this is a man who describes the trade unions’ influence over Labour as a “liability” and “damaging to the party”, and echoes the Daily Mail in his description of union officials as “fat, white, finger-jabbing blokes on rostrums shouting and screaming”.
We must ask: why on earth is the newspaper of a supposedly ‘Communist’ party quoting an anti-union, Blairite ex-minister as an authority on why people should vote for another Blairite minister?
The answer is quite simple: the Communist Party of Britain has long enjoyed a cosy, quid-pro-quo relationship with the labour bureaucracy. Hence why the pages of the Morning Star are at the complete disposal of these fakers and reprobates.
Left cover for Starmer
In defence of their scandalous conduct, the CPB might point to the fact that McAnea successfully moved an emergency motion at the recent Labour conference – against Starmer’s wishes – which denounced Israel’s devastation of Gaza as a genocide, and ‘demanded’ more action.
The fact that the motion passed certainly reflects union members’ anger. And it was this pressure alone which led to Starmer’s defeat.
Yet for all their words and gestures, McAnea and co. give staunch support to the very government that will completely ignore the motion, and continue its material and political support for Israel. And the CPB uncritically cheerleads this nonsense!
UNISON has played a critical role in the victory at Labour Party conference – the motion included:
– recognition of Israel’s genocide
– a full arms embargo
– end to UK-Israeli military occupationGreat to see our General Secretary @cmcanea leading from the front🇵🇸 https://t.co/0hGSD5hGn6
— micaela tracey-ramos (@Micaelatr_2) September 29, 2025
The tremendous action of the Italian workers stands in sharp distinction to the supplication and passivity of the British trade union leaders. They should be mobilising their members for mass direct action.
Instead of fighting for an independent, class programme, the CPB provides a left cover for the right-wing bureaucrats – who in turn provide a left cover for the warmongering Starmer government.
The CPB claims to advocate for a “united front against monopoly capitalism and war”.
In Unison they are indeed engaged in a united front… with the most loyal supporters of Starmer, the genocide supporter who spends all his time courting Blackrock, Palantir, the banks, and big business.
