TRADE unions are more important to the success of the Labour Party than ever before, the party’s youth representative has said.

Lara McNeill, a medical student who was recently elected to Labour’s national executive committee (NEC) as youth rep, said that “unions are for life, not just for elections.”

She made the comments in response to NEC member and Momentum director Christine Shawcroft’s suggestion earlier this month that it was “time to support disaffiliation of the unions from the Labour Party,” which was met with widespread condemnation.

Concerning the election to choose Labour’s new general secretary, Ms Shawcroft wrote on Facebook that “nothing would induce me to support a candidate from a major trade union,” adding that the party belongs to the members.

The post was later deleted and Momentum distanced itself from the comments.

Speaking at the TUC Young Workers Conference in London, Ms McNeill voiced disagreement with Ms Shawcroft’s position, insisting that “uniting the industrial and the political sections of our movement has never been more important.”

She said she was “a strong believer in trade unions being at the forefront of forming our policy in the Labour Party,” arguing that people in the party “can’t really ignore what trade unions are saying on policy.”

Ms McNeill also rubbished criticism from the right-wing media, noting that any Labour members who support the unions are “denounced as puppets of their general secretaries.

“We can’t allow the narrative from anyone in the Labour Party that the union link is not important,” she said.

Championing policies such as a £10 minimum wage would see Labour continue to increase its vote share at the next general election, which could happen “any time soon,” Ms McNeill added.

She also called on young trade unionists to put pressure on local councils enacting policies that they do not agree with, giving the example of Labour-controlled Haringey, whose Haringey Development Vehicle would hand £2 billion of council assets to Australian company Lendlease.

Lendlease and its predecessor Bovis were also involved in the blacklisting of union members.

Ms McNeill said that, externally, unions should be lobbying Labour councils not to do these things, suggesting that young trade unionists should also “stand as candidates.”