Labour must do more to tackle populist right as party’s support leaks to Reform, say unions
Union chiefs have warned that Labour must do more to tackle the threat of the populist right amid concerns the party is losing support among working people to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.Paul Nowak, the general secretary of the TUC, urged the government to show working people “whose side you are on”, saying too many felt that Labour’s promise of change was just a slogan.A second union chief told the Guardian that Keir Starmer had been “too scared, too reticent” to take the fight to Farage and was not doing enough to make a vocal case for Labour values on the economy and migration.A third said that with the departure of Angela Rayner from the top of government, Labour had lost one of its most effective “attack dogs” against Reform.Unless the party “upped its game”, it would lose the next election, they said.
At the annual Trades Union Congress in Brighton, there was alarm among delegates that Rayner’s exit could lead to a watering down of the employment rights bill, which is due back in the Commons next week.Downing Street insisted the reshuffle would have no effect on the bill, confirming that the government planned to overturn amendments made in the Lords.These included removing the right for workers to immediately launch proceedings for unfair dismissal, and changing the automatic right to guaranteed hours after three months, as well a reinstating the 50% turnout threshold for union votes on a strike.“We are absolutely backing the employment rights bill,” Starmer’s official spokesperson said.“We are a pro-worker, pro-business government, and the workers’ rights legislation is the biggest single upgrade of workers’ rights in a generation.
”Alison McGovern, a local government minister who has been tipped for the Labour deputy leadership, told a fringe event at the TUC: “When it comes to the ERB [employment rights bill], that bill was the cornerstone of our manifesto and Labour MPs have voted for it three times and we are committed to it.“I have confidence that we will get to the right place … We’ve voted for the legislation, now let’s get the details right.”However, some union insiders remain concerned that while the government has committed to the legislation, it could still be watered down at implementation stage, as the new business secretary, Peter Kyle, comes under pressure from big business.Mike Clancy, the leader of the Prospect union, said the government had created anxiety within the union movement but it would be “politically untenable” to water down the bill.“That would confirm that there was intent behind the changes in the business department, and it was to favour business over working people,” he said.
Steve Wright, the chief of the Fire Brigades Union, warned that his union’s response to the legislation being watered down would be “robust”.He added: “It would be sharp.And I think it would probably lead to disaffiliation.I feel that strongly.”Asked if the reshuffle, and the ensuing uncertainty, was another example of an own goal by the government, he said: “It does seem like they shot themselves in the foot a few times, actually, and I think they’re running out of legs to shoot at the moment.
”Sign up to First EditionOur morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it mattersafter newsletter promotionThe unions have argued that the changes, which according to the polls are popular among working people – including those who say they would vote for Reform – should be central to Labour’s challenge to Farage.In his speech, Nowak said in an appeal to the government: “Throughout our history, we’ve been at our best when we’ve been ambitious for working people.Deliver the manifesto on which you won a huge majority last July.“Deliver good jobs, decent public services and better living standards in every corner of the country.Deliver the change people voted for and show working people whose side you are on.
”He added: “Nigel Farage, it’s time to come clean about whose side you are really on.Because here’s the truth: you’re not representing working people.You are selling them out.”The union leader told delegates that he understood the frustration with mainstream politics and the slow pace of change that led people to consider voting for Reform.But he added: “Ask yourself this fundamental question: do you believe, in your gut, that Nigel Farage really cares about the people of Clacton, when he is off collecting his speaker fees in the United States?“That Richard Tice really worries about the people of Skegness, while he’s living it up at home in Dubai? Or are they just rightwing con men, lining their own pockets?”Addressing the parliamentary Labour party on Monday evening, Starmer hit out at Farage as a “plastic patriot”.
He said the Reform leader had sought to whip up sanctions against Britain, during his trip to the US, that would hit working people.
Sweet-and-sour figs and roast chicken: Ben Lippett’s savoury fig recipes
There are a handful of moments on the culinary calendar that feel like striking gold: rhubarb in January, peas and broad beans in spring, summer cherries and tomatoes, and, for just a few short weeks in late-summer, figs. Typically, they might be torn over yoghurt and granola for breakfast or baked into a tart with frangipane, but they belong in the savoury kitchen, too. Combined with salt, savoury ingredients and a little vinegar, a good fig will bring a gorgeous sweet-sour note to your dinner table.As the warmer months come to an end, I like to cook with both comfort and freshness in mind. Rich, buttery, warming polenta is offset with a vibrant, bright, jammy topping of onions, rosemary and torn figs
How to make perfect nanaimo bars – recipe | Felicity Cloake's How to make the perfect …
Canadians are famously nice – think laid-back Keanu Reeves, sunny Pamela Anderson, the charmingly incompetent Inspector Gadget – except when it comes to their beloved nanaimo bars. Get the ratio of this three-tier national treasure wrong, as the New York Times stood accused of doing in 2021, when its Instagram account posted a picture of squares that one user described as “an insult to Canadians everywhere”, and you’ll discover you can push them only so far.The Times is not alone in attracting ire. So popular are nanaimo (pronounced nuh-NYE-mo) bars, named after the British Columbian town where they are said to have originated, that Canada Post put them on a stamp in 2019 … only to face similar howls of outrage, albeit in Canadian: “One hesitates to be critical,” Nanaimo’s mayor explained carefully, “but it’s not a very accurate depiction.”In short, Canadians, who in 2006 voted the nanaimo bar the “nation’s favourite confection”, feel very strongly about these sugary little treats, a mainstay of kids’ birthday parties, wedding buffets and funeral teas from Nanaimo to Nova Scotia, though if Justin Trudeau had any problem with the version served up by White House chefs during his state dinner with Barack Obama in 2016, he was too polite to say so
The Duck & Rice, London SW11: ‘Filling, but largely unmemorable’ – restaurant review
Not really your typical bowl-of-noodles stopgap jointThe Duck & Rice, the Chinese gastropub in Soho, London, has opened a second site in Battersea power station’s shopping precinct. To be fair, my use of the word “precinct” to describe this lovingly titivated landmark feels a bit shabby, as does “retail experience”. And plain old “mall” definitely won’t do, because Battersea’s collection of 150-odd shops is very much in the la-di-da, aspirational, lululemon, Mulberry and Malin+Goetz range of money-frittering, all set over multiple floors with dramatic mezzanines. This is a sumptuous paean to industrial chic, with pleasing air-conditioning and polished floors, and there is currently no more jocund and luxurious a place in London to spend money you don’t have on things you don’t need.In keeping with all this luxury, Battersea’s flagship restaurant right now is the new Duck & Rice, created 10 years ago by the renowned Hong Kong-born British restaurateur Alan Yau OBE, who also founded the likes of Wagamama, Yauatcha and Hakkasan
From Vietnam to Costa Rica, putting ice in beer is nothing new | Letters
In the tropics, ice in your beer is normal (Ice cubes in beer: is this popular pub order atrocious – or ingenious?, Pass notes, 2 September). In Vietnamese restaurants, servers wander around taking partially melted ice blocks out of your glass and replacing them with new ones. Of course, this is fine with low-cost options such as 333, Bia Saigon and even Tiger. The beer stays cold, and in any case it is drunk rather quickly with little chance of any meaningful dilution. Would I put ice in a pint of Pasteur Street Jasmine IPA or Heart of Darkness Dream Alone pale ale? I would not
Benjamina Ebuehi’s recipe for chocolate and malted buttercream cake | The sweet spot
Being a twin, I’ve always shared a birthday cake. Each year, I ask my sister what I should bake and the answer is almost never chocolate, despite it being one of my favourite cake flavours. However, this year, I’ll be changing that and making this lovely, fudgy two-layer chocolate cake filled and topped with a luscious, malty buttercream that I could eat by the spoonful. If you want to make it extra celebratory, swap the chocolate shavings for sprinkles.Prep 10 min Cook 1 hr Serves 12315g plain flour 150g caster sugar 120g light brown sugar 50g cocoa powder 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda ¼ tsp fine sea salt 3 large eggs 60ml neutral oil 225g plain yoghurt 115g unsalted butter, melted170ml hot brewed coffeeFor the malted buttercream250g unsalted butter 1 tsp vanilla bean paste 40ml whole milk 50g malted milk powder (eg, Horlicks)175g icing sugar¼ tsp fine sea salt Milk chocolate, shaved, to finishHeat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4 and grease and line two 20cm loose-bottomed cake tins
Losing the taste for vegan restaurants | Letters
Isobel Lewis’s article on vegan restaurants suggests two reasons that they may be closing: general problems in the hospitality industry and a shift in cultural values (The plant-based problem: why vegan restaurants are closing – or adding meat to the menu, 2 September). Surely, it’s missing the real reason? I am vegetarian, but I rarely eat in vegetarian or vegan restaurants because I rarely dine out alone.People usually want to dine with their partner, or their friends. Quite a few people are vegan, but far fewer couples are likely to both be vegan. Even fewer friend groups are all vegan
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