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Boris Johnson savages Keir Starmer over 'Labournomics'
The Mirror understands that ASLEF will debate a motion to disaffiliate from Labour at its conference in May. It follows an announcement from Unite’s general secretary earlier this week that it would be withdrawing further funding.
If ASLEF were to leave the party, it would bring an end to a near-120 year relationship.
A trade union source told the paper ASLEF’s motion to disaffiliate was tabled by left-wingers who fear Sir Keir is sidelining the union following Mr Corbyn’s election defeat in 2019, which saw the largest loss of seats since 1935.
The source said: “There has been a sense since Keir Starmer became leader that unions have been pushed to the periphery and that has left some people disenchanted.”
ASLEF would be the second union to cut ties with the party after bakers’ union BFAWU voted to disaffiliate last September.
It claimed a “factional internal war led by the [Labour] leadership” was on the rise.
ASLEF has been affiliated to the Labour Party since 1903.
News of ASLEF’s potential disaffiliation from Labour comes after Unite, one of the largest unions in the UK, said it was to withdraw further funding from the party.
Sharon Graham, the general secretary of the union, said this evening that the remaining financial support for the political party “is now under review”.
She added that Labour’s alleged “mistreatment of our members will not be accepted”.
Unite first announced that it was withdrawing funding in October, in a growing rift since Sir Keir Starmer took over as leader from Jeremy Corbyn.
It was said to have reduced its annual funding by 10 percent, understood to be equivalent to just under £1million.
In December last year, Ms Graham said that the union would cut funding further.
More to follow…
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