Does Starmer know what to do with the unions?

Before coming into government, Keir Starmer would use his battles with the unions, particularly Unite, as a way of defining himself against the parts of the Labour movement resistant to change. His speech to the Trades Union Congress this morning was more about suggesting that the unions could be part of that change.

I say ‘could’. Parts of the speech made it clear that Starmer still thinks some union bosses need to face up to reality. He told the hall in Brighton that ‘I do have to make clear from a place of respect that this government will not risk its mandate for economic stability under any circumstances. And with tough decisions on the horizon, pay will inevitably be shaped by that.’

That phrase – ‘make clear from a place of respect’ – is just a statesmanlike version of saying ‘no offence but’. Starmer felt he needed to say that, because he still fears the unions don’t think economic stability is the priority, no offence.