Don’t rule out EU customs union, TUC boss Nowak tells Starmer | EUROtoday

The chief of the Trades Union Congress has referred to as for “the closest possible economic and political relationship with the European Union”.

The UK’s most senior commerce unionist, Paul Nowak, advised the BBC that he believed this might be “essential” to spice up financial progress and warned that religion in mainstream politics might “drain away” until residing requirements improved.

Nowak urged the PM to not rule out a customs union with the EU, which he argued would decrease limitations to commerce with the UK’s largest market.

Sir Keir Starmer has mentioned he needs to “reset” relations with Brussels however has dominated out rejoining the EU’s single market and customs union.

The prime minister fears that current offers with the US and India could be scrapped if the UK rejoined.

Labour’s manifesto dominated out signing as much as the present EU customized union.

Recently, senior cupboard ministers comparable to Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy have danced alongside the sides of these purple strains, bemoaning what they see because the financial harm of Brexit and extolling the virtues of nearer relations.

Earlier this month, 13 Labour MPs backed a Liberal Democrat invoice requiring the federal government to start negotiations on becoming a member of a bespoke customs union with the EU.

The Conservatives and Reform UK oppose rejoining a customs union, and say it could undermine what they see as the advantages of Brexit.

A customs union would remove tariffs or taxes on items between the UK and the EU, decreasing paperwork.

But critics level out that it could additionally severely curtail the UK’s capability to strike bespoke world commerce offers, because the EU would place a typical tariff on all items from exterior the customs union space and would anticipate the UK to evolve to widespread requirements.

Nowak advised the BBC in an interview: “2026 really needs to be the year when the government gets to grips with the cost of living crisis.”

He mentioned that “one of the reasons we are seeing prices so high in our supermarkets is because of that bad Brexit deal”, including: “Absolutely the government should rule nothing out. They should look at every option for our relationship with the European Union up to and including a customs union.

“I am going spherical workplaces week in, week out – aerospace, automative, metal – and having a very good cope with Europe is important.”

Nowak, who became general secretary of the TUC in 2023, also said the government must act on a wide range of fronts to make people feel better off, or risk paying a political price.

He pointed to research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation that suggested that voters who felt financially insecure were abandoning Labour at a greater rate than those who felt more secure.

The TUC itself commissioned polling suggesting one in five people were skipping some meals, and one in three expected their financial situation to worsen.

Nowak praised action the government had already announced to help some families, such as lifting the two-child benefit cap, but said the government should do more.

As TUC leader, Nowak represents 47 trade unions with a collective membership of more than five million people.

He has the ear of government and this is the message he is shouting into it: that there should be no backsliding on implementing the newly enacted Employment Rights Act.

The legislation will give workers access to sick pay and paternity leave from the first day on the job and contains new protections for pregnant women and new mothers.

But many of its measures will not be implemented immediately and, in November, Labour backed down from its plan to give all workers the right to claim unfair dismissal from their first day in a job. Instead, it will be after a six-month period.

The Conservatives say the act will place new burdens on businesses and destroy jobs.

Nowak also called for no cap to be placed on penalties big employers would face if they tried to prevent unions from organising in their workplaces, and insisted the new rights would boost living standards by “making work pay” and by making employment more secure.

A government spokesperson said it knew there was “extra to do to assist households with the price of residing”, pointing to Budget measures to cut energy bills, freeze rail fares and prescription fees, and raise the living wage, among others.

“With the passing of the Employment Rights Act, we’ll rework staff’ rights for the twenty first Century with a transparent dedication to implement this in full and on time,” they added.

Labour is trailing Reform UK in the polls, but Nowak said the solution was not to “get on the identical pitch” on immigration.

“I do not assume you may out-Reform Reform,” he mentioned.

“For too many individuals on the financial sharp finish in low paid employment, they really feel that change hasn’t come, or come shortly sufficient.

“But for lots of people it looks like there is a simple answer in Reform.

“My job is not to inform union members they’ve voted the fallacious means. The duty is on the federal government to show that mainstream politics can ship the change folks need.”

But it would seem discontented voters are not just drifting to Reform. The left candidate Andrea Egan was elected this month as the leader of the country’s biggest union Unison, and she is calling for a change of direction from the government and a change of Labour leader.

Supporters of the incumbent, Christina McAnea, felt that her perceived closeness to the Labour leadership had harmed her chances.

Nowak said: “You solely have to have a look at the opinion polls – the prime minister is struggling personally too.

“If the government can deliver on improving living standards, then I think the polls will look after themselves. A Labour government is always at its best when it is ambitious and on the front foot.”