The Real Unite

So it’s kicking off. As this blog has been reporting, a bunch known as the “United Left (UL) supporters’ group” waddled out of last week’s EC meeting after the first few minutes. Then spent the rest of the week drinking in the hotel bar, firing off angry emails and ranting on facebook.

But why? Why now? What’s it really all about?

It’s unlikely to be a coincidence that this latest bout of childish nonsense, started just prior to Len McCluskey’s good mates the Flanagan Brothers (who built the Birmingham Hotel) being charged as part of a major Merseyside Police corruption investigation. This happened on the Friday before the EC.

And just yesterday the BBC reports that Howard Beckett faces a new investigation from the Solicitors’ Regulator, on top of his continuing police investigation.

Let’s put it plainly. The “UL” faction and their supporters are the Len and Howard gang. The pair of them are cruising down legal shit creek and hitting the rapids. So their friends on the EC are throwing up all the smoke they can to discredit Unite’s own anti-corruption investigation. It’s a frantic last stand.

For example, one of the main instigators of recent EC shenanigans is Eddie Cassidy. He was one of Howard’s campaign managers for his failed GS election attempt. As his own election leaflets boast (see below), he is “proudly backed” by the UL faction.

We’ll get to Birmingham and the Flanagans in a separate “Spotlight” post. But first let’s take a look at Brother Beckett.

Howard Beckett’s legal difficulties came to light in April 2022, when the police raided Unite central office with a warrant to search just his office and computers. This was part of an ongoing criminal investigation into bribery, fraud and money laundering.

Aside from this jiggery pokery, Beckett now poses as a left-wing firebrand on x.com. But it wasn’t always so.

Until he was brought in as Legal Director in 2011 by Len McCluskey, Beckett had never been involved in the labour movement or left-wing politics. He ran a solicitors’ firm in the Wirral called Beckett, Bemrose and Hagan where he employed McCluskey’s son. Then he sold it for £2.7 million to Thompsons, the big law firm that has done lots of work for Unite.

Two years before, Beckett had been found guilty of misconduct by the Solicitors Disciplinary Panel and fined £5,000. Why? For deducting extra money from compensation payments to miners he was supposed to be representing as part of the Miners’ Compensation Scheme.

That’s right. Beckett has already been in trouble before with the Solicitors’ Regulator, in the miners’ compensation scandal. Shortly after, Len McCluskey saw fit to hire him as our Union’s legal director.

Beckett’s new job at Unite also included Affiliated Services. Bringing in outside companies to sell things like life insurance policies or will writing to Unite members. Some of these companies were run by Beckett’s friends. Some were based in a building he owned. Some took millions from the union in unexplained deals.

Lots more will be revealed in the next few weeks when Unite’s corruption report comes out. Even more is still being investigated by the police.

After Sharon Graham was elected, Beckett immediately went off sick for well over a year, then quit, then sued the union for unfair dismissal. His case got to the Employment Tribunal last summer. He lost. The findings are public: you can read it here.

Though tribunal Judge Nicolle couldn’t rule on the corruption allegations, what he could say is damning enough.

The Tribunal threw out Beckett’s case unanimously, on all counts.

Beckett claimed the allegations against him are “baseless”. But the judge rejected this, saying they are “of obvious and serious concern”.

The Tribunal found Beckett resigned because he was “unwilling to engage in answering questions regarding the affiliated services contracts.”

It found that Beckett “consistently sought to evade the issue of the existence, or perception, of a conflict of interest.”

And it found that Beckett had made statements which were “factually incorrect”. Even his pal Len had to admit this when questioned by the Judge.

Said the tribunal: “We consider it to be unequivocal, and is accepted by Mr McCluskey, that the responses given by the Claimant did not represent a complete and candid disclosure of his involvement in or connection to the affiliated service providers.”

In Judge language that’s pretty clear. Beckett hasn’t been telling the whole truth.

So who is the real Howard Beckett? Socialist messiah? One time United Left leadership hopeful? Or, an Ambulance-chasing, multi-millionaire lawyer facing a police investigation into possible fraud and money laundering?

We’ll let you decide…