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LABOUR would be reduced to a party of “suits and spads [special advisers]” without its link to trade unions, veteran socialist MP Dennis Skinner warned yesterday.
Firebrand Mr Skinner took aim at divisive figures within the party trying to “freeze out” the unions, saying it would leave Labour without roots in working-class communities.
The miners’ MP spoke out ahead of the first meeting of Labour’s Trade Union Group of MPs since the election in Parliament last night.
He said: “We should be standing up against the nonsense thrown around about trade unions, exposing them for the dangerous rubbish that they are, not swallowing them hook, line and sinker.
“The right-wing press want nothing more than for Labour to break with the unions and become a party of suits and spads, so let’s not dance to their tune.
“Instead let’s stand united, with our fire turned on the real enemy, the Tories.”
Mr Skinner, who has now won 12 elections in his Bolsover seat, was one of 30 MPs to sign a letter defending Labour’s union link last week.
The letter criticised Blairites who have stirred up tensions in the party with “shameful” attacks on trade unions.
They were accused of trying to limit decision-making in the party to a “charmed parliamentary circle.”
It was issued after Labour peer Peter Mandelson claimed that unions abused and had an “inappropriate” influence over the party, while Jim Murphy took a swipe at Unite general secretary Len McCluskey after being forced to stand down as Scottish Labour leader.
That spurred a group of Labour’s right-wing Progress faction members to establish an online campaign called Break the Link.
Trade Union Group chair Ian Lavery, who organised the letter, said yesterday that the attacks on Mr McCluskey were based on “distortions and grudge.”
“Since our defeat at the election there have been too many in the party who have sought to demonise the trade unions and blame their leaders for our defeat,” he said.
“Labour did not lose because of the trade unions.
“Without them the scale of defeat would have been far greater and now is not the time to sideline our millions of friends and supporters in the trade union movement.”
