Yesterday Len McCluskey made it very clear that Ed Miliband was definitely, definitely the leader of the Labour party. He said:
‘There can be absolutely no question about who runs the Labour party: it is Ed Miliband and he has my full support. Yes, there may be issues we disagree on, that is allowed in a democratic party, but Unite is fully behind Ed Miliband and after today’s performance by Cameron the sooner he is prime minister the better.’
Which was unhelpful, really, as it’s never good when the unions have to issue a statement clarifying who the leader of the Labour party really is.
But Len’s hands-off approach doesn’t mean he can’t still tell the party exactly how things should be done. Take his wise letter to the party’s General Secretary Iain McNichol this evening. He writes:
‘Even on the basis of this flimsy report, it is clear that these decisions cannot be justified. There is no emergency which would justify imposing these undemocratic restrictions, since any real problems could easily be addressed before embarking on a parliamentary selection process.
‘The report has been used to smear Unite and its members. Even if the allegations of people being signed up to the Party without their knowledge were true, this had nothing whatsoever to do with my union.
‘It is noteworthy that members of the shadow cabinet have been in the lead in initiating this attack upon Unite. Have they had sight of this report while I, the leader of the union put in the frame, has not had the courtesy of a copy?
‘The mishandling of this investigation has been a disgrace. I, however, am obliged to uphold the integrity of Unite, and I can no longer do so on the basis of going along with the activities of a Labour Party administration in which I can place no trust.
‘I will therefore be publicly proposing that an independent inquiry be held into all circumstances relating to Falkirk CLP and the conduct of all parties involved, including Unite, the Labour Party centrally (including the Compliance Unit) and in Scotland, the officers of the CLP itself, and all those who have sought or are seeking nomination as the Labour PPC.
‘Unite will cooperate fully with such an inquiry, and draw appropriate conclusions from any findings regarding our own behaviour. I trust that you will support such an inquiry, will direct all Labour Party employees to cooperate with it and encourage other individuals to do likewise.’
That last paragraph was penned with gritted teeth. The question is whether Ed Miliband feels it important to remind McCluskey that he is the leader of the Labour party and that he and McNichol will call the shots on the Falkirk inquiry. Tory sources say this underlines that Watson’s departure has changed nothing, describing it as a ‘tactical resignation’. It hasn’t, to borrow a phrase from Watson’s other sphere of interest, ‘drained the swamp’, and so the Conservatives can continue to hammer away at the Unite row for a great deal longer.
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