Union accuses 'abhorrent'

The leader of Unite has described Angela Rayner's behaviour during recent bin strikes as “totally and utterly abhorrent” as tensions ramp up between the government and Labour's biggest union backers.

- AMY-CLARE MARTIN, KATE DEVLIN

General secretary Sharon Graham hit out at the deputy prime minister after the union voted to suspend her in a row over how the Labour-run council in Birmingham treated striking bin workers. She signalled the union could end its long affiliation with Labour after Unite members also voted to “reexamine” their relationship with the party, saying the £1.5m it pays is “hard to justify”.

But allies of Ms Rayner hit back, accusing Ms Graham of not denying that her union had voted to suspend a membership that no longer existed. On Friday, the deputy prime minister made clear she would not be “pushed around” by the union.

Unite, one of Labour’s biggest financial backers, claims fire and rehire tactics have been deployed against striking workers, who are taking industrial action in a dispute over pay and job conditions. The action left streets in Birmingham piled high with rubbish.

In a fresh attack yesterday, Ms Graham told BBC Radio 4’s