Unite challenger plays his Trump card

Following Donald Trump’s surprise victory in America, Jeremy Corbyn’s team have tried to take inspiration from the new US president by pitching the Labour leader as a left-wing Trump. In a bid to jump on the populist wave, Corbyn and his supporters have gone to lengths to big up his anti-establishment credentials — even adopting a Trump-esque approach to the media.

However, are these tactics about to catch up with Corbyn’s comrades? Steerpike understands union bosses are to use Trump as a dividing line in the Unite leadership election. In a speech today, Gerard Coyne — who is running for the post of General Secretary of Unite — will take aim against his rival Len McCluskey, a key Corbyn ally, over his position on Trump:

‘Last week, Len said that Donald Trump’s election was a “real rejection of establishment politics, a real rejection of a political elite”. I completely disagree. His election has put more billionaires into government than ever before, and he used his inauguration for anti-worker policies.