But now he appears more ambivalent: “There are times when we are firm but critical friends. You know, we’re founding members of the party, there will be things we agree on and disagree on.”
At its annual assembly of delegates this year, ASLEF voted to remain affiliated to Labour, after Haigh re-committed to public ownership of rail (with Starmer’s blessing). But Whelan thinks the issue has not been put to bed: “I think it will keep coming. People are dissatisfied and people want there to be a viable option.”
As a member of the party’s ruling National Executive Committee, Whelan himself sees “the policies they’re creating”, although he acknowledges that “quite often other people don’t, and therein lies the problem”.
He adds: “The real problem is, we’re really a two-party system. So, even if we left the Labour party, we’re not going to vote for the Tories, are we? Where would we go?”
ASLEF would not be the first rail union to sever its links with Labour. The RMT was forcibly removed from affiliation in 2004, after members in Scotland voted to donate funds to the Scottish Socialist Party, which at the time had seats in the Scottish Parliament.
In 2019, the RMT’s AGM voted against a proposal to re-affiliate - a plan which was backed at the time by the union’s broad left faction, which dominates the RMT leadership. And following the election of Starmer, it seems unlikely that re-affiliation will be on the left-leaning RMT’s agenda any time soon.
The other two unions representing rail workers (the TSSA and Unite) remain affiliated, although Sharon Graham, Unite’s general secretary since last year, has repeatedly threatened to pull the plug on support for Labour.
She was elected amid a shift in the wider trade union movement to a more ‘syndicalist’ style of unionism, which firmly advocates prioritising workplace organising ahead of attempting to influence party politics.
This is also the political tradition from which RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch hails. Although Lynch was a political ally of his predecessors Mick Cash, Bob Crow and Jimmy Knapp, he is probably less inclined towards affiliation (to any party) than any of the union’s former leaders.
After a period of close engagement with Labour under Corbyn, trade unions have now become frustrated with a party which they feel once again treats them - in the words of former TUC General Secretary John Monks - like “embarrassing elderly relatives”. And such frustration becomes especially pronounced when a party repeatedly fails to win power.
Yet it’s arguable that the policy of rail public operation has survived - at the same time as Labour has abandoned public ownership of energy, mail and water - only because of the union link. The trade union backgrounds of McDonald and Haigh is crucial here - both had a natural, easy relationship with the movement in which their careers were forged.
“Not every shadow minister would have spoken out,” the party source says of Haigh’s decision to make clear that Reeves’ comments did not reflect policy.
Union leaders, for their part, have much more confidence that a politician from a trade union background will have a sympathetic ear. In the world of politics, a bit of optimism and good faith can go a long way.
And with the TSSA having backed Starmer’s leadership campaign, and with ASLEF (despite backing his opponent Rebecca Long Bailey) having maintained cordial relations with the new leader’s office, it’s likely that Starmer’s advisers would have hammered home the importance of clearly advocating public ownership.
Having gritted their teeth as the Blair and Brown governments refused to reverse privatisation, and then finally achieving a policy change under Corbyn, affiliated rail unions would be unlikely to stay that way if the commitment was undone once again.
Because despite rail unions having done well (both in membership numbers and wage rises) since privatisation, the principle of public ownership is probably (in policy terms) now their red line. That the party recognised the need to court ASLEF by reiterating this commitment earlier this year demonstrates that Starmer’s office fully understands this.
