UNITE battle: McCluskey accused of 'wasting time on politics'
Unite leader hits back at his opponent, accusing him of behaving like a "dictator" and making claims which are "nonsense".
Thursday 12 January 2017 20:36, UK
The challenger for the leadership of UNITE is to launch his manifesto with a fierce attack on the union's left-wing leader, Len McCluskey.
Gerard Coyne will accuse him of wasting time playing politics and - after Unite lent Mr McCluskey £400,000 for a flat - pledge to clean up the union.
Mr McCluskey, 66, is Jeremy Corbyn's chief cheerleader and protector in the union movement and Mr Coyne has called him the Labour leader's "puppet master".
UNITE, Britain's biggest union with 1.4 million members, gives Labour £1.5m a year and many of the party's MPs see the election for general secretary as a battle for the soul of the Labour Party.
Labour MPs who are opposed to Mr Corbyn believe if Mr Coyne can defeat Mr McCluskey, known as "Red Len", they can weaken the grip of Mr Corbyn and his left-wing allies on the party.
Mr Coyne, 49, the union's West Midlands regional secretary, will launch his manifesto in a bus garage in Birmingham with a crimson double decker bus decorated with a campaign banner.
He will announce five pledges to Unite members:
1. Not waste time playing politics;
2. Freeze membership subscriptions;
3. Apprenticeships a top priority;
4. Clean up Unite;
5. Zero tolerance of bullying.
Attacking Mr McCluskey, Mr Coyne says in his manifesto: "Our current leader spends too much of his time - and your money - playing at Westminster politics. I will never try to be the puppet master of the Labour Party."
And although he does not specifically mention UNITE's controversial £417,300 loan towards a £700,000 London flat for Mr McCluskey, Mr Coyne says he will "clean up our union" and "let in the sunlight".
"I do not believe there is enough openness about how your money is spent, so I will introduce proper transparency to UNITE's finances," he says in his manifesto.
"At the moment members of the union cannot see what their money is being spent on."
On Brexit, Mr Coyne says he will place a strong emphasis on the skills that the workforce will need to fill the gaps when Brexit limits the supply of skilled labour imported from the EU.
"Now in the UK we face a new challenge - leaving the European Union," says Mr Coyne.
"Taking back control of borders will very likely mean leaving the Single European Market. That means we will have to improve skills and training throughout the UK economy in order to remain competitive."
Mr McCluskey hit back at his opponent accusing him of behaving like a "dictator".
"Members are electing a General Secretary not a dictator," he said. "I also regret Gerard continues to talk down Unite and its achievements.
"Given the challenges we have met, and are to meet, this is unworthy especially as he knows his claims are nonsense."