Exclusive: Union Boss Slams Farage’s Claim That Reform Are ‘Party Of The Working Class’

A trade union boss has dismissed Nigel Farage’s claim that Reform UK is now the party of the working class.

He spoke out after new polling showed that union members are now just as likely to vote Reform as they are Labour.

The Times reported that 28% of them would now back Farage’s party, the same proportion as back Labour.

It follows a remarkable turnaround in the fortunes of both parties since the general election in 2024.

At that time, just 16% of trade union members backed Reform, while 48% supported Labour.

Reacting on X, Farage said: “Labour is no longer the party of the patriotic working class. That mantle now belongs to Reform.”

But speaking to HuffPost UK last month, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham pointed out that Farage’s voting record in the House of Commons flew in the face of his claim to speak for working people.

She said: “The reality is that Nigel Farage has shown no indication to me that he’s the voice of workers. He voted against the Employment Rights Act, for example.

“He’s said that when he goes into the local authority areas he’s going to be looking at [cutting] local authority pensions. So to me, if your go-to lever in terms of what is happening in councils is to attack workers, then you can’t be the voice of workers. That is just the reality of it.”

Graham said she had “put Reform on notice” that Unite will fight any attempts by the party to attack the rights of public sector workers.

“We will not accept that in any way, shape or form,” she said.

“I’ve been asked would Unite work with Reform. I’m on record saying I’d dance with the devil if it was something that was important to my members. But the broader issue here is ‘is Reform the party of workers’? No, it isn’t.”

She added: “I very often hear words about people backing workers, it’s very different when you’re asking them to do something about that.

“If Reform go after workers in local councils, then Unite will be going after Reform.”

However, Graham also accused Labour of “abandoning” the party’s traditional working class supporters.

She said: “The problem that Labour have is that they are supposed to be the voice of workers, and essentially workers feel abandoned by Labour.

“The working class feels abandoned by Labour, and now the working class have abandoned Labour. The question is can Labour get that back?

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