Unison Challenger Says Rachel Reeves’ Record As Chancellor Is “Appalling”
Andrea Egan (Photography by Dinendra Haria)
3 min read
Andrea Egan, the Unison general secretary candidate who is hoping to oust incumbent Christina McAnea, has described Rachel Reeves’ performance in No 11 so far as “appalling”.
In an exclusive interview with The House magazine, Egan said she was “very confident” that she would win the ongoing contest to become leader of the UK’s largest trade union, Unison, which is also one of Labour’s biggest affiliates.
Asked ahead of the Budget what she made of Reeves' performance as Chancellor in the Labour government so far, Egan replied: “It's just appalling. It's clear they're not connected to working people.
“The clear message from myself would be ‘take the money from those that can afford to pay’. That's what each successive government has failed to do, in this fear that they'll up and take their money elsewhere.
“Well, a lot of their money is tied up in buildings. Alright, some of it might be offshore. That’s fine, they’re worried about that, but they’re content with continually squeezing the bottom end.”
She told The House that she would like to see the income tax personal allowance increased – from £12,570 to £15,000 or £18,000 – and a new 60 per cent income tax band introduced for “the real high earners”.
Egan has criticised the Labour government for its decision to cut winter fuel allowance for pensioners, on which there was later a partial U-turn, and for not scrapping the two-child benefit cap, which it is widely thought could be announced in the Budget next week.
She also revealed to The House that her preference for Labour leader would be Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, who would not be eligible for the position unless he were first elected in a parliamentary seat.
Hailing from Bolton in Greater Manchester herself, Egan said: “I am a fan of Andy. I mean, he’s the king of the North!”
Turning to former Unison official Angela Rayner, still seen by some in Westminster as a serious Labour leadership contender after resigning from cabinet over unpaid stamp duty in September, Egan admitted: “I can't say that I'm an Angie fan, but I connect with certain elements” as Rayner is a “working-class woman”.
The Unison candidate added that she thought Rayner should be forgiven for her tax error and would not object to her succeeding Keir Starmer. “With Angie, I think, why not give it a go? She’s got that experience. Let’s just hope she’d learned her lesson,” Egan said.
She made clear that she would not favour Health Secretary Wes Streeting becoming leader, however, saying: “Anybody that thinks he's going to try and save the NHS, I've got some magic beans for you, because he’s not. He is privatising the NHS now.”
Egan – who joined the union as a social worker and would be the first lay member to become general secretary if she won – has vowed to review the formal link between Unison and Labour.
She is not a Labour member herself – or any political party – after being expelled for sharing articles from the proscribed Marxist group Socialist Appeal.
Egan is personally enthusiastic about ‘Your Party’, the new party being started by former Labour MPs Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, as well as pro-Gaza Independent MPs.
She said she would have to “see how it develops”, but believes “there is an excitement for people” about the project and “it gives people hope again”.
The Unison challenger is seen by many as being neck-and-neck with McAnea in the race, which will see voting among members end on 25 November before the result is announced on 17 December.
The full interview will be published in the next edition of The House magazine.
