Nigel Farage’s invitation for trade unions to affiliate with Reform UK was met with a swift and emphatic rejection. Unite’s general secretary Sharon Graham said Reform had “shown absolutely no evidence that they are friends of workers”, while her counterpart at Unison called the offer “a con”. The incident highlights a fundamental truth about British politics: the historic alliance between trade unions and the Labour Party, built over more than a century, is not easily broken.
Trade unions are organisations that represent workers in negotiations with employers over pay, conditions and rights. In the UK, 11 unions – including Unite, Unison and the GMB – are formally affiliated with the Labour Party. Their members can vote in Labour leadership contests, and union representatives sit on the party’s National Executive Committee. Financially, unions are a vital source of funding: Labour received £1.4m from seven different unions in donations in the first three months of this year alone, according to latest figures. Unison gave £366,936 and Unite, despite having been very critical of the Labour government, donated £392,544.
“Explaining the historic ties between UK trade unions and Labour, and why unions rejected an overture from Reform UK.”
The relationship dates back to Labour’s foundation in 1900, when the party was created as the political voice of the trade union movement. For decades, the party’s constitution included Clause Four, which promised to “secure for the workers, by hand and by brain the full fruits of their industry”. That clause was rewritten in 1995 under Tony Blair, but the link remains institutional. However, the labour movement is not without internal divisions. A recent dispute between the NEU teachers’ union and three general unions over which union should organise teaching assistants has become bitter, and could even result in the NEU’s suspension from the Trades Union Congress (TUC).
For UK readers, the unions’ stance matters because they represent around four million workers. Their political alignment influences policy on workers’ rights, employment law and public services. Farage’s approach – offering an “open door” to unions while pledging to scrap the Employment Rights Act – was seen as contradictory. That Act, which became law last year, gives workers sick pay from their first day in work and the right to claim unfair dismissal after six months. Unison’s Andrea Egan said Reform had “shown what it thinks of working people” by promising to repeal it. A GMB spokesperson added: “Mr Farage and his Reform MPs say one thing to workers and do another… we see them for what they are – re-badged Tories after union members’ basic rights.”
Q: Why are trade unions aligned with Labour rather than other parties? Historically, Labour was founded by trade unions to represent workers in Parliament. Unions provide financial support, members vote in Labour leadership contests, and union representatives sit on the party’s National Executive Committee. No other major party has such institutional ties.
Q: Did Reform UK have a realistic chance of winning union support? Almost certainly not. Farage invited unions to his party’s conference and pointed to “historical injustices” like the British Steel pension scheme. But union leaders were unanimous in rejecting him, citing Reform’s pledge to scrap the Employment Rights Act, which they see as a fundamental attack on workers’ rights.
Q: What is the Employment Rights Act and why does it matter? The Act became law last year and gives workers rights such as sick pay from day one and the right to claim unfair dismissal after six months. Reform UK has pledged to repeal it. Unions view this as a core reason not to trust the party. As Wes Streeting, who resigned as health secretary, put it: “Farage has the audacity to vote consistently against the rights of workers and then claim he’s open to trade unions.”
What happens next? The unions remain firmly behind Labour, though there are tensions. Some, like Unite, have been very critical of the government’s performance, but they have not cut financial ties. Reform UK may continue to court union members directly, but its policy platform makes a formal link highly unlikely. The TUC also faces internal disputes over organising rights, which could test unity further. For now, the spirit of brotherhood – symbolised by the bronze sculpture outside TUC headquarters – remains confined to the traditional Labour family.