Charlie Alford

EXCLUSIVE: Man who wrote Sharon Graham’s first Unite manifesto now supports challenger

Post author:Skwawkbox
Post published:18 July 2026
Post last modified:18 July 2026

Sharon Graham’s former Unite election campaign organiser Matt Smith now supports her opponent, Simon Dubbins. Having seen Graham in action as general secretary, Smith believes that another five years of Graham would be “an utter disaster for our union”. But he didn’t only play an extensive role in her 2021 general secretary election campaign. According to senior union insiders, he “wrote her manifesto”. Unite endured five misused years under Graham Smith said that Graham has increased corruption at Unite rather than reduce it. He claimed that she had appointed useless cronies to senior positions and even made up a “ghost job”…

Former Sharon Graham election organiser tells Unite members: “Vote Dubbins”

Post author:Skwawkbox
Post published:17 July 2026
Post last modified:17 July 2026

Unite official Matt Smith played an extensive role in Sharon Graham’s 2021 election campaign to become the union’s general secretary. But in the current general secretary election he is calling on members to back her rival Simon Dubbins for the job. Smith’s commitment to a Graham win was so great that he said “we will all work so hard to get Graham elected as Unite’s next general secretary”: Smith was then promoted in 2022 to Unite’s head of Member Relations: Changed tune But now, after five years of Graham running Unite, Smith has changed his mind completely. Now he has published…

Unite boss Graham accused of collaborating with Streeting to attack Miliband

Post author:Skwawkbox
Post published:14 July 2026
Post last modified:14 July 2026

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham, who is trying to win re-election this summer, faces yet more alleged scandal. She has been accused by union insiders of collaborating with right-wing, friend-of-Israel MP Wes Streeting to write an attack piece on Ed Miliband. The plan was to “boost” right-winger Streeting’s prospects under incoming PM Andy Burnham. Hatchet job Miliband was tipped to become chancellor when Burnham takes over from lame duck Keir Starmer. However, Starmer’s team, which includes the same people who ran Starmer, is now said to have ‘blocked‘ the appointment. The ‘Reunite the union’ page, run by figures close to the…

Another Sharon Graham die-hard asks Unite members to vote for her challenger

Post author:Skwawkbox
Post published:6 July 2026
Post last modified:6 July 2026

I now need to put right my wrong. These are the words of long-time Unite executive member and union convenor, Steve Hibbert, in a video he has published for the union’s general secretary election. Hibbert campaigned in 2021 for Sharon Graham to become Unite’s general secretary. Now, like fellow former-diehard Dave Williams, he wants union members to support her challenger, Simon Dubbins. Hibbert cites “grave concerns at the actions taken by the union under Sharon” and the “toxic” environment she (and her husband) have created. https://www.thecanary.co/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Hibbert-Unite-Subbed-hb.mp4 Unite exec member’s video could have been longer Hibbert’s succinct video could have been far,…

Breaking: “You can’t hide” — Dubbins challenges Graham to Unite GS debate

Post author:Skwawkbox
Post published:4 July 2026
Post last modified:4 July 2026

Unite general secretary election challenger Simon Dubbins has publicly challenged incumbent Sharon Graham to stop hiding from him and debate him directly. The explosive challenge comes after Graham repeatedly sent proxies rather than face Dubbins in person, to the disgust of members — even close allies. While Dubbins attended every hustings to which he was invited, according to Unite insiders Graham didn’t attend a single hustings: As a result, Dubbins gained big wins in huge Unite sectors Graham would previously have considered sewn up tightly, including defence, air travel and construction. Dubbins is also set to win Unite’s ‘Community’ section —…

Die-hard supporter turns publicly on Sharon Graham as Unite election begins

Post author:Skwawkbox
Post published:1 July 2026
Post last modified:1 July 2026

Dave Williams is a Liverpool-based Unite union stalwart and former member of its executive council. When Skwawkbox writer Steve Walker was chair of a Liverpool constituency Labour party (CLP) in the Corbyn era, Williams was the CLP’s ‘TULO’ (trade union liaison officer). He has also been an ardent supporter of Unite’s general secretary Sharon Graham. And when Skwawkbox started to expose Graham’s failings and misdeeds as Unite general secretary, Williams was highly critical of it doing so. Very highly critical. But now he has, very publicly, changed his tune. With Graham in the middle of a highly-criticised re-election campaign and reeling…

Unite nominations close sees Simon Dubbins win ‘core Graham’ sectors

Post author:Skwawkbox
Post published:30 June 2026
Post last modified:1 July 2026

Unite leadership challenger Simon Dubbins – the only candidate to consistently oppose Israel’s genocide, UK warmongering, and the union’s withdrawal as a political force – has secured more than enough branch nominations to stand against incumbent Sharon Graham. Not just enough nominations, but nominations in many of the sectors Graham’s supporters would have considered her core support. Graham has outraged Unite members and activists with her support for the arms industry and her opposition to anti-genocide protests. Unite’s war on its workforce, apparently to protect Graham’s husband Jack Clarke, has also disgusted many. Clarke was promoted – outside the union’s usual…

BBC and Sky unite to push defence spend propaganda

Post author:Willem Moore
Post published:28 June 2026
Post last modified:28 June 2026

Over the past few months, we’ve been told that we have to massively increase defence spending. While the media — BBC, Sky and others — usually shouts down calls for spending bumps, they haven’t just accepted this line of thought; they’re actually bullying politicians into agreeing: #TrevorPhillips interrogating Steve Reed on why the govt isn't increasing 'defence' spending by more and doing it faster. This is the narrative our mainstream media is pushing. pic.twitter.com/uH48PPFNUU — Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) June 28, 2026 The Military Industrial Complex If you’re wondering why we need to increase defence spending, the most common answers are: Vaguely gesturing…

Exclusive: Unite tells Community members ‘cancel fuel poverty protest with Greenpeace’

Post author:Cameron Baillie
Post published:26 June 2026
Post last modified:26 June 2026

Unite Community (UC), set up by then-general secretary Len McCluskey, is the Unite union’s section for unwaged people — and Unite’s most politically active. But members and officials feel marginalised by new general secretary Sharon Graham. They resent the union’s interference in their political activities, and have now been told they can’t participate in a climate protest. Probably because of who created it, and its campaigning focus, ‘workplace-only’ Graham was planning to wind down Unite Community and merge it with the retired members’ section. Graham U-turned on the plan after Skwawkbox exposed it — but the interference continues. Graham is currently…

Celtic fan groups unite in opposition over Robbie Keane appointment

Post author:Faz Ali
Post published:5 June 2026
Post last modified:9 June 2026

Robbie Keane’s path back to Celtic has hit a massive wall, is due to him not condemning Israel’s ongoing genocide in Palestine. A club where he once dazzled on loan is no longer warmly remembering him for his footballing achievements. What began as murmurs of discomfort has now hardened into robust opposition. Dozens of Celtic supporter groups have signed a joint letter opposing Keane’s potential appointment, citing his decision to manage Maccabi Tel Aviv during Israel’s genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza. The message is blunt. The mood is serious and the pressure on the Celtic board is unmistakable. Celtic fans aren’t…

Muslims unite at funeral prayer for San Diego heroes

Post author:The Canary
Post published:22 May 2026
Post last modified:8 June 2026

A funeral prayer held on 21 May for three Muslim men killed in an Islamophobic hate-crime shooting in San Diego was attended by more than 2,000 people. The San Diego deadly anti-Muslim terror attack took place earlier this week. Two teenagers known for their white supremacist views were responsible for the attack. They fled the mosque in their vehicle and were later ⁠found dead from self-inflicted gunshots. More than 2,000 people gathered at Mission Valley River Park in San Diego for the funeral prayer for the three men killed while trying to stop the attack on the city’s largest mosque. The…