New leader says Unison will end support for ‘destructive’ Labour right wing

Blunt remarks indicate UK’s largest union may be on collision course with Wes Streeting and Labour more widely

• Andrea Egan: My warning as the new head of Unison

The new general secretary of Unison has declared the trade union will end its support for the “destructive right wing of the Labour party” and said any leadership election in 2026 should not swap Keir Starmer for Wes Streeting.

Andrea Egan, who won a decisive victory as a leftwing challenger this week, hit out at Streeting in an article for the Guardian over his handling of the resident doctors’ dispute, saying it was “simply unacceptable for a Labour politician to describe striking workers as morally reprehensible”.