Unite’s bitter power struggle could spell trouble for Corbyn

Gerard Coyne’s campaign team will reform in Birmingham this week, as the whisper spreads that control of Unite, Britain’s biggest union, and a sizeable share of influence in the Labour party, is up for grabs. By rights, Coyne should no longer have a ‘team’ or a career. Last year’s election for the general secretary of Unite saw the far left and union bureaucracy use Putinesque tactics to ensure their victory. They marked their success by firing Coyne from his job as Unite’s West Midlands regional secretary. He had had the bad manners to challenge Len McCluskey in a ‘free’ election. Clearly, such impertinence could not go unpunished.

Perhaps nothing will change. Labour sources implied to the Guardian they weren’t worried about the trade union certification officer demanding a fresh election. Last year, a breach of the rules was found in the election of Dave Prentis as the general secretary of Unison. But the Certification Officer decided not by enough to affect the result, so he allowed it to stand.