DEPUTY PM Angela Rayner is facing pressure to hand back £10,000 she received from the trade union at the centre of the Birmingham bin strike.
Ms Rayner is in charge of trying to end the dispute.
GettyAngela Rayner has been urged to hand back the £10,000 she received from the union at the centre of Birmingham bin strikes[/caption]
ReutersChaos is unfolding on the streets of Birmingham due to the ongoing bin strikes[/caption]
But she accepted a £10,000 donation from the Unite union last year to help bankroll her general election campaign.
Conservative frontbencher Kevin Hollinrake has written to Labour demanding to know if Ms Rayner will now hand the money back.
He said: “Rats the size of cats are roaming the streets. Rubbish is piling up at an astonishing rate.
“It’s not just a local scandal. It’s a national embarrassment — and a public health emergency.
“The city is being held hostage by Unite.
“Unite has donated tens of millions to Labour.
“Since Keir Starmer became leader, Labour has received over £30million from the unions.
“Even more troubling, Angela Rayner, Secretary of State responsible for resolving this strike, has received £10,000 from Unite during the last general election.
“That raises serious questions about potential conflicts of interest — and whether Labour ministers are putting union barons before Birmingham residents.”
Ms Rayner has urged the union to accept what she said was a “significantly improved” pay offer from the council.
She also said the strike was “causing misery and disruption to residents”.
Labour said: “As the Deputy PM made clear, the council have put a significantly improved offer on the table and we urge Unite to suspend their action, accept the offer, and bring this situation to an end.”
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