The RMT union has endorsed the independent candidate Jamie Driscoll in the north-east mayoral election, after Driscoll was barred from standing for Labour in the race.
The union said it was giving £10,000 to Driscoll’s campaign. Driscoll is currently the mayor of the North of Tyne combined authority, which is being integrated into the new North East combined authority.
Mick Lynch, the RMT’s general secretary, said that while the union backed Labour in national politics, Driscoll would be “a strong voice that will put the north-east first, whatever government is in power”.
The endorsement adds to Labour headaches in the mayoral race since Driscoll was barred last year from standing for the party in the new mayoral contest – a decision condemned by some in Labour as opaque and overly factional.
Driscoll responded to the ban by announcing he would run as an independent, and has since raised nearly £150,000 in donations via a crowdfunding website.
Lynch said: “Jamie has been a solid ally of the RMT and the wider trade union movement for many years. He’s supported countless picket lines and has helped us campaign to gain important victories for transport workers and the travelling public, including our recent victory to keep our ticket offices open.
“Nationally, we need to put a Labour government in to get the Tories out, but we also need a strong voice that will put the north-east first, whatever government is in power. That’s why the RMT and our north-east region is completely behind Jamie’s campaign.”
Driscoll said: “I’ve always been clear about my politics – I believe Britain should be run in the interests of those who do the work. It’s a big deal to have the backing of this trade union. It’s a demonstration of real solidarity and a drive to build political power that is in service of the people of the north-east.”
The move is a blow to Keir Starmer but it will not come as a huge surprise for Labour. The RMT has not been formally affiliated with the party for 20 years and has not donated to Labour centrally since 2019, although it still funds an RMT parliamentary group within the party.
The money and the public backing from Lynch will boost Driscoll in a race he believes he can win, while some in Labour worry he could split the Labour vote, helping the Conservatives to victory.
In the 2019 North of Tyne mayoral election, Driscoll narrowly beat the Conservative candidate on first-preference votes, by 33.9% to 24.9%, and won on second preferences. The voting system has since been changed to first past the post, which gives voters only one choice.
No formal reason was given why Driscoll was excluded from Labour’sshortlist for north-east mayor, from which Kim McGuinness, the Northumbria police and crime commissioner, was selected as the candidate.
At the time, a party spokesperson said Labour candidates were “held to the highest standard”. One suggestion by some in Labour was that Driscoll was blocked from the race for taking part in an event in 2023 with the film director Ken Loach, who was expelled from the party in 2021.
Labour has been contacted for comment.
