The leader of Britain's trade union movement has issued a stark warning to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, cautioning that his government's perceived failure to adequately tackle the cost-of-living crisis is driving some union members towards Nigel Farage's Reform UK.
Poll Reveals Depth of Household Financial Crisis
Paul Nowak, the General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), spoke out ahead of his new year message, citing shocking new polling that lays bare the severe pressures on household budgets. The survey, commissioned by the TUC and campaign group 38 Degrees and conducted by Survation, reveals a nation still gripped by financial hardship.
The data shows that 21% of adults are skipping meals every day or most days, either because they cannot afford to eat or are making sacrifices for their children. Furthermore, more than one in three (36%) are cutting back on heating with the same frequency. A overwhelming 79% report that their financial circumstances are either stagnant or deteriorating.
"Focus on Living Standards, Not Polls," Says Nowak
Mr Nowak delivered a blunt message to the Prime Minister and his Cabinet, urging them to cease internal manoeuvring and concentrate on the daily economic struggles facing ordinary people. He argued that an excessive focus on Westminster gossip and weekly opinion polls in Downing Street is costing the government vital focus.
"Politicians are focussed on the minutiae of polls while ordinary people are focussed on the minutiae of their bank accounts," Nowak stated. He advised that "the government needs to focus relentlessly on the cost of living and then the polls will look after themselves."
While he applauded the workers' rights package passed before Christmas—a move he credited to union pressure that forced a "reluctant" government to scrap the two-child benefit cap—he insisted "there is more that needs doing."
Farage's Left-Leaning Poses a Threat, Warns TUC Boss
The TUC leader expressed concern that the government's struggle to deliver the promised "change" is leading some to look towards Reform UK. He believes this is a misguided move, but one born of desperation. Nigel Farage has attempted to appeal to left-leaning voters with pledges to nationalise steel and water companies, alongside his earlier promise to scrap the two-child cap.
"A lot of our [union] members vote Reform. But we should not be going around calling them racists though," Nowak said, adopting a pragmatic tone. Instead, he called on the Labour government to both expose the realities of a potential Farage-led administration and solve the tangible problems people face.
He painted a dire picture of a Reform government, warning it would mean an attack on newly-won workers' rights, a return to austerity, the privatisation of the NHS, and damaging deregulation of the financial sector. "We've got no doubt reform would be a cul de sac," he concluded.
Unions Question Relationship with Labour
The warning comes amid growing unease within the trade union movement, Labour's traditional bedrock of support and funding. Nowak emphasised that unions' role is not to be "passive cheerleaders" but to work with, and call out, the government.
This sentiment is reflected in actions by major affiliates. Unison, the largest union, recently elected left-wing general secretary Andrea Egan, who advocates reducing support for Labour. Meanwhile, the second-largest union, Unite, is actively discussing disaffiliating from the party altogether.
Nowak's intervention underscores a critical juncture for the Starmer administration: the need to visibly improve living standards for working people or risk seeing a portion of its core vote seek alternatives, however unlikely, in protest.
