Share

cover art for An uncivil war inside Unite

The Slow Newscast

An uncivil war inside Unite

Season 1, Ep. 356
•

Unite was once the biggest trade union in Britain, and the largest funder of the Labour Party. In the past its reputation has come under scrutiny. Four years after its first female leader was elected on a promise of restoring trust… it remains mired by in-fighting.


In our podcast called “An uncivil war inside Unite”, which was released on 30 September 2025, we failed to convey Unite’s position that it is in good financial health and that the submission of its accounts has been delayed by a re-audit of the 2021 filing involving the Birmingham project which was overseen by the previous leadership regime. We apologise for this omission


Reporter: Jon Ungoed-Thomas


Producer: Jonathan Lewis


Sound design: Dominic Delargy


Art work: Lola Williams


Editor: Jasper Corbett


To find out more about The Observer:


Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content head to our website observer.co.uk


Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More episodes

View all episodes

  • 453. How an innocent man was put on death row

    27:15||Season 1, Ep. 453
    For decades, Paul Skalnik made a living telling police and prosecutors that other prisoners had confessed to crimes. The former police turned con artist and jailhouse informant helped send a man called Jim Dailey to death row for the murder of a teenage girl.Basia Cummings speaks to investigative journalist and author Pamela Colloff who spent years uncovering his deceptions, and his story exposes a criminal justice system prioritising winning convictions over the truth.
  • 452. Bones and all: the trade in human remains

    31:37||Season 1, Ep. 452
    Britain’s cultural institutions are wrestling with what to do with the human remains in their collections. But as they reckon with the ethical ramifications the sale of body parts remains largely unregulated. Who are the people selling? And why is it easier than ever to buy human remains?Reporter: Evan MoffittProducer: Ada BaruméSound design: Dominic DelargyArtwork: Blythe Walker SibthorpExec producer: Matt RussellEditor: Jasper Corbett
  • 448. The Fixer: The life of Len McCluskey | Ep 2

    27:28||Season 1, Ep. 448
    The former Unite boss says the police investigation into alleged corruption during his tenure will clear his name after years of accusations. But whether it can erase this dark episode in British trade unionism is another matter. So will the reputation of someone who was one of the UK's most influential power brokers stand the test of time?
  • 447. The Fixer: The life of Len McCluskey | Ep 1

    24:00||Season 1, Ep. 447
    The former Unite boss says the police investigation into alleged corruption during his tenure will clear his name after years of accusations. But whether it can erase this dark episode in British trade unionism is another matter. So will the reputation of someone who was one of the UK's most influential power brokers stand the test of time?
  • 446. The rivalry that spawned the weight-loss jab race

    33:13||Season 1, Ep. 446
    James Tapper, The Observer's Science editor and a weight-loss jab user, tells the story of his journey using the weight-loss drugs. A journey that along with lost kilograms, led him to the godfather of these drugs: a man who discovered the hormone that led to the development of GLP-1s and who reveals his concerns about their widespread use.
  • 445. Duped and deployed: the Kenyans fighting for Russia

    43:26||Season 1, Ep. 445
    Kenyan men are leaving their country for work – and ending up on the frontlines of Russia’s war in Ukraine. This is the story of the recruiters, the promises and the poverty that keeps the pipeline moving.
  • 444. How I fell in love with a Russian spy

    24:57||Season 1, Ep. 444
    Stephanie Arcanjo spent three years building a life with her boyfriend, Eric. One day he vanished, and the police came knocking. Only then would she learn his true identity, and that their life together was a lie. Basia Cummings speaks to Sao Paolo based reporter Oliver Basciano about Stephanie and hears her side of the story. Oliver Basciano's reporting can be found at https://observer.co.uk/contributor/oliver-basciano
  • 443. Careless

    43:49||Season 1, Ep. 443
    Nkechi Simms is a successful actor who’s had parts in Top Boy and BBC comedy PRU. Outwardly life is good and at 26 she’s got everything going for her. But this hasn’t always been the case. When she was 12 Nkechi’s mother handed her over to Camden Council and she was placed in foster care. Now she wants to find out what happened to her and why. The only way she can do this is by getting hold of her care records. But that’s easier said than done. And will those records answer her questions? Careless is a 4 part original series from Tortoise Investigates and The Observer.To binge listen to all episodes today, ad-free, subscribe to The Observer.Or subscribe to Observer+ on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to listen to all our podcasts, including this one, without any ads.Reported by Ashley John-Baptiste and Madeleine ParrProduced and written by Madeleine ParrSound design by Simon Panayi Artwork by Jon Hill The editor is Jasper Corbett
  • 442. How Ivanka Trump enraged all of Albania

    22:21||Season 1, Ep. 442
    What links a rare breed of flamingo and government corruption? In Albania, plans to redevelop Sazan, the country's biggest island, and disrupt the wildlife that lives there, caused protests. When it emerged that it was Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka who was behind the development, the protests became about not just than just wildlife, but about the way the country is run. Andrew Anthony visited the country to find out more.Host: Basia CummingsReporter: Andrew AnthonyProducer: Poppy BullardExecutive Producer: Matt Russell