Keir Starmer is under fresh pressure over the former Conservative MP Natalie Elphicke's defection to Labour after the president of the Trades Union Congress said her vocal support for anti-strike laws should be "incompatible" with the party whip.
Matt Wrack, who is also the general secretary of the Labour-affiliated Fire Brigades Union, has described the MP for Dover and Deal's views as "disgraceful" after she used a parliamentary intervention in March to blame firefighters for the deaths of three people during a national strike.
Wrack's comments are set out in a letter, seen by the Guardian, which was sent to Starmer this weekend.
They come as senior Labour figures have been forced to defend Elphicke amid claims she lobbied the justice secretary to interfere in her then husband's rape case, claims her spokesperson called "nonsense".
Wrack, who became president of the TUC in September, wrote in the letter that Labour's decision to admit Elphicke is "alarming" because of the party's promise to repeal the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023, which in effect bans strike action across parts of the public sector.
"Labour's pledge to repeal this authoritarian legislation within 100 days of taking office, alongside the 2016 Trade Union Act, is a crucial commitment. It is therefore alarming that Natalie Elphicke has been admitted to the parliamentary Labour party. Elphicke was a cheerleader for the Minimum Service Levels Act, and has specifically targeted firefighters in her contributions in parliament.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 13, 2024-Ausgabe von The Guardian.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 13, 2024-Ausgabe von The Guardian.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Israeli Flag Day March Through Muslim Jerusalem Inflames Tensions
Thousands of Israeli religious nationalists paraded through Muslim parts of the Old City of Jerusalem in the annual Flag Day march yesterday, an event that threatens to trigger further violence in the Israel-Hamas war.
Gaza Hunger Already Causing Mass Deaths, Report Warns
Months of extreme hunger have already killed many Palestinians in Gaza and caused permanent damage to children through malnutrition, a food security report has found, even before famine is officially declared.
UN Secretary General Calls For Global Ban On Ads For Fossil Fuel
Fossil fuel companies are the "godfathers of climate chaos" and should be banned from advertising similar to restrictions on tobacco, the UN secretary general said yesterday while delivering dire new warnings about global heating.
Not So Big Mac: Irish Restaurant Brings McDonald's Down To Size
The Irish fast food chain Supermac's has won a David v Goliath court battle with McDonald's over the use of the Big Mac trademark, paving the way for it to open outlets across Europe.
Sunak Lied To Country Over Labour Tax And Spend Plans, Says Starmer
Counter offensive seeks to regain control after PM's contentious claims
Few runs, and no fairytale, for Ireland in New York
Whatever game the teams are playing out here in New York City, it surely isn't the same one they have in the Indian Premier League.
Field of dreams Reality check for ICC in its romantic plan to draw American hearts to cricket
Thirty million does not go as far as you might hope in Manhattan, where it will just about stretch to a single Chelsea penthouse.
Investors awarded billions in public cash for losses related to climate laws, analysis finds
More than $100bn (£78bn) of public money has been awarded to private investors in investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) courts, according to the most comprehensive analysis yet.
Gains expected for populists as Dutch kick off four days of polls
Elections to the world's only transnational assembly get under way in earnest today as Dutch voters go to the polls at the start of a four-day, 27-country ballot that will return 720 MEPS to the next European parliament.
'Acting like colonial rulers' How BJP lost in heartland
It was less than six months ago that Narendra Modi walked solemnly through the ornate surroundings of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state and one of its most politically crucial.