Row over leaked Unite emails about Labour MPs
Getty ImagesA fresh row has broken out over the influence of the Unite trade union after leaked emails highlighted plans to challenge sitting Labour MPs.
Former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson accused Unite of playing "hard left games" that alienate mainstream voters.
Watson, who stood down at the 2019 election, made a rare foray back into the political world after Newsnight saw emails by a West Midlands Unite activist outlining plans to try and unseat leading Labour figures.
In an email dated 12 February 2018 addressed to a senior Unite official Howard Beckett, the activist Steve Price outlined plans to "put the skids" under Mr Watson, then the MP for West Bromwich East, and former minister John Spellar, who represents Warley, in the West Midlands.
Newsnight has also seen internal Unite emails in which officials discussed Mr Price's first email. One said that one hour may not be enough time to deal with all the issues he had raised.
In a second email on 15 March 2018, also addressed to Howard Beckett, Steve Price wrote about how his networking was vital in "building trusted left roots across 59 constituencies".
'Long-established practice'
Price also wrote that it had been agreed that he would be paid but he needed a "form of words to describe what I'm (not) doing".
In a statement to Newsnight a Unite spokesperson said that Steve Price's plan was not accepted by the the union and no payments were made. Steve Price did not respond.
But the union strongly defended its political activity.
The spokesperson said: "It is a long-established practice across the entire trade union movement is to fund candidates who stand on a platform that will advance the lives of our members. This is not unique to Unite."
But Tom Watson told Newsnight that he was alarmed by the emails.
He said: "I think if people had known that these conversations were taking place when they were taking place, there would have been real shock.
"I think even Jeremy Corbyn would have condemned that kind of behaviour."
The former Labour deputy leader added: "The problem, I think, for the Labour Party is whilst Unite carries on with its own internal politics and plays these hard left games and appeals to its narrow audience, that plays very badly with mainstream voters on the doorstep."
Police contacted
Howard Beckett, one of Unite's assistant general secretaries who hopes to replace Len McCluskey as the union's general secretary, told Newsnight that the ideas outlined in the emails from Steve Price addressed to him were never followed.
Beckett said: "Steve made a proposal to me and I decided to go in a different direction.
"There was nothing wrong with the proposal that Steve made. The idea that Tom Watson is shocked by this is quite extraordinary.
But I decided to go in a different direction...So no the arrangement was never formalised with Steve."
Former Labour minister Dame Margaret Hodge has reported Unite to the police after Steve Price wrote in one of his emails that it had been agreed he would be paid via a third party. Trade unions have to declare spending on political matters.
Howard Beckett dismissed the police complaint by Margaret Hodge as "laughable" and "risible".
"Margaret Hodge is making a political stunt. She's obviously doing it because of the fact that there is a Unite general secretary election. She opposes my candidature, she supports someone else in the race."