09:46

A Labour peer has compared the behaviour of Unite the union to the North Korean regime following the suspension of the union’s leadership hopeful Gerard Coyne just hours after ballot boxes were closed.

Lady Prosser, a supporter of Coyne and former president of the TUC, said the union has refused to say why he has been suspended and did so as first reports showed that Coyne might beat the incumbent and Jeremy Corbyn supporter Len McCluskey.



She told Radio 4’s The World At One:

My understanding is that the election was going well for Gerard and on some kind of analysis of how the votes were going that it looked a though he was going to win. And so for the next thing to hear is that he has been suspended and the union is not saying why, that just looks like something that might go on in North Korea.

Prosser said that Coyne was wrongly suspended by the union last year after letting it be known that he was going to stand to be general secretary.



He ended up with a final written warning and the reason for that was his attendance at a meeting with some Labour MPs who had at that time spoken out against Jeremy Corbyn. All of that was mucky and not nice and made everyone wonder what was going on. Now all of this has happened it makes you wonder what is going on. It can’t be right.

Prosser added that McCluskey has handled the election “hugely badly”.

There are rules to the game and the rules are that Lenny has put himself forward for election. And unless there is a really substantial reason why Gerard Coyne should be suspended then it looks like Lenny is going to be a bad loser. The union needs to come clean on just what they think it is that Gerard has done. Union members need to know about it.