UP TO four of the region’s MPs will lose £20,000 of campaign funding each, after a trade union accused Labour of treating workers with “contempt”.
The GMB union voted to axe support to about 30 sponsored Labour MPs for failing to support key priorities such as tackling unequal pay, the wealth gap and the treatment of agency workers.
Among the 30 are Christine Russell (City of Chester), who is an unpaid ministerial aide to children’s minister Beverley Hughes. Ms Russell said she was baffled by the announcement, because the GMB had donated only £6 to Chester Labour Party in the past 12 months, less than her £10 membership fee.
She added: "In the light of that, I may well be considering whether I want to remain a member of the GMB."
But, by last night, only six of the MPs had been identified, leaving three others waiting to learn if they will also lose vital cash to fund constituency and campaign work.
Maria Eagle (Liverpool Garston), Stephen Hesford (Wirral West) and Derek Twigg (Halton) are also among the 108 GMB-backed MPs. Of those, Ms Eagle (justice minister) and Mr Halton (defence minister) are members of the Government and, therefore, most at risk.
Paul Kenny, the GMB’s general secretary, said it had examined the records of all 108 MPs and identified those not supporting union campaigns and not engaging with local branches.
He said: “The Government is very keen on testing for everybody, performance related pay, and we’ve applied exactly the same principle.
“There are a number who at times seem to be embarrassed by a relationship with the unions and we don’t want to embarrass them by giving them union money.”
The Conservatives leapt on the announcement as evidence that Labour’s financial crisis meant it was now “being held over a barrel by union barons”.
The row blew up at the GMB’s annual conference in Plymouth, where Mr Kenny vowed to no longer be an “unquestioning cash cow for Labour”.
The conference heard protests at recent moves to “privatise” the NHS, with plans for private firms to take over the running of struggling hospitals described as “kamikaze”.
The GMB said the £20,000 received by each of its sponsored MPs was typically used to fund an agent, a vital post before a general election with Labour in turmoil.
Francis Maude, the Tory Cabinet Office spokesman, said 92% of Labour’s donations came from the trades unions, up from under 52% a year earlier.
Mr Maude said: “Mired in debt, the Labour Party is being held over a barrel by union barons. This is extremely unhealthy for democracy.”
A separate motion calling on the GMB to disaffiliate entirely from Labour, which was due to be debated yesterday, was withdrawn at the last minute.
