Union barons fund Labour trio's £7,000 jaunt to Spain

2022-12-05

Union barons fund Labour trio’s £7,000 jaunt to Spain so they can meet counterparts in Madrid

Trades Union Congress paid almost £7,000 for three-day junket to Madrid
The Labour MPs logged the trip on register of interests
They went to meet Spanish union chiefs and government officials

Union chiefs funded an all-expenses paid jaunt to Spain for three Labour frontbenchers, it emerged last night.

The Trades Union Congress, which is backing widespread strikes, shelled out nearly £7,000 for the politicians to meet Spanish union chiefs and government officials in the capital Madrid.

Jonathan Ashworth, the party’s health spokesman, and transport and employment spokesmen, Louise Haigh and Justin Madders, were on the three-day junket. The Labour trio logged the trip, which took place in late October, on the MPs’ register of interests. Its purpose was to ‘meet members of the Spanish government to discuss employment rights and trade union reforms’.

Pictures on social media suggest the trio found time for sight-seeing. One image shows them linking arms in front of a statue with TUC chiefs Frances O’Grady and Paul Nowak, and Mary Bousted of the National Education Union, which is balloting teachers on strikes.

Chris Loder, a Tory member of the Commons transport committee, said: ‘The Labour Party is in bed with union leaders, not just to fully disrupt our railways, but to drive at full speed their December of disruption. If ever we need proof that Labour are in the pockets of their union paymasters, then this is it.’

A Labour spokesman said: ‘These members of the Shadow Cabinet… met with the Spanish government discussing their plans for government and measures to tackle inequality.’

A TUC spokesman said that the delegation had focused on workers’ rights.

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