Starmer hints Labour could link state contracts to how firms treat unions

JESSICA FRANK-KEYES

KEIR Starmer has suggested that, under a Labour government, the awarding of state contracts could hinge on how companies treat trade unions that represent their staff. Speaking at the annual congress of trade union GMB in Brighton yesterday, Starmer said that Amazon should “recognise unions”, arguing that his party would beef up the power of trade unions if it was elected into government.

When he was asked what a Labour government would do if Amazon –which earned £222m from the government and public sector contracts last year –refused to recognise the workers’ union, he replied: “There’s lots of public money tied up in procurement, and an incoming Labour government is entitled to ask ‘what are the terms and conditions?’

“There’s a framework for public procurement, at the heart of which is dignity and respect, and we expect