Keir Starmer moved to suspend him from the Labour Party for saying home secretary Priti Patel, a British-born minister of Indian heritage, “should be deported”. While the assistant general secretary claimed he had not been informed of a suspension, Labour sources insist an email was sent and his union informed. Former GMB general secretary Tim Roache stood down last year citing ill health and has faced claims of impropriety, which he denies. Fresh elections this year for the leadership of Unite and GMB follow Christina McAnea’s election as the first female general secretary of Unison in January. With Peter Mandelson calling for union reform, these races are just as important for Starmer’s Labour Party, if not more, than any parliamentary by-election.

Source: Huffington Post May 14, 2021 19:07 UTC