Len McCluskey warns Jeremy Corbyn he must connect with working class to win next election

Jeremy Corbyn must do more to connect with working class voters if Labour is to win the next general election, Len McCluskey has declared.



In a stark warning for the party leader, the Unite general secretary said he must "test every policy against how it is going to play in Walsall and Wakefield, Mansfield and Middlesbrough, Glasgow and Gateshead".

He said Labour must "put the necessity of decent secure jobs [and] skilled work at the heart of everything" and steer clear of any policies which cut across that.

The veteran left-winger's comments, in a speech to Unite's annual conference in Brighton, follow a poll yesterday which showed a majority of Unite members back a referendum on the final Brexit deal.

Mr McCluskey also launched yet another attack on "feral" Labour MPs, who he said should "put a sock in it" and back Mr Corbyn.

Although Labour far exceeded expectations at last year's general elections, its support did fall in some parts of its traditional heartlands in the north of England.

In a direct message to "Jeremy and our comrades in the party leadership", the veteran left-winger said: "We all know that the next election is far from in the bag.

"One problem is a weakness in some industrial areas outside the big cities, among older working-class voters in particular. There is a broader sense of disconnect between London and the often run-down and ignored industrial areas.

"Extra seats in London are not going to get Jeremy Corbyn into Downing Street. So test every policy against how it is going to play in Walsall and Wakefield, Mansfield and Middlesbrough, Glasgow and Gateshead.

"Put the necessity of decent secure jobs, skilled work, at the heart of everything. If you’re talking about any policy which cuts against that, it is almost certainly a mistake."

Elsewhere in his speech, Mr McCluskey also launched an angry attack on Gerard Coyne, who is challenging the result of the last Unite general secretary election, which he narrowly lost.

'SHADOWY'

He said: "In the last week, details have emerged of the vast extent of the interference in our union by organisations and individuals outside it – right-wing Labour politicians, a data company and others – pouring money and resources into trying to change Unite’s leadership.

"They, a shadowy conspiracy of big money and Westminster intrigue, took aim at Unite but their real target was Jeremy Corbyn.

"So, let me say loud and clear to the tawdry tabloid lie specialists and the shady machine politicians who sought to hijack Unite, get out of our union and stay out. We don’t need you. Our solidarity will always be stronger than your smears."