Unite ballot box result as far right quashed

Unite has hailed the defeat of the far right in the North West after a union advertising campaign to stop the likes of Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson, proved successful.

Standing as a candidate for the North West, Yaxley-Lennon faced crushing defeat in the European Parliament elections – on Sunday, when it became apparent he received little support as the results came in, he left the election count in central Manchester just an hour after he had arrived.

Because he won less than five per cent of the vote – in the end he received just 2.2 per cent – he will lose his £5,000 deposit. Garnering only 38,908 votes, the former English Defence League (EDL) leader finished in 8^th place out of 11 candidates.

Unite’s advertising campaign launch last week saw billboards in 44 locations across the North West unveiled, including in Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Liverpool. Full page adverts appeared in the Liverpool Echo, Manchester Evening News and Metro newspapers, while a major national Facebook campaign reaching millions of voters was also launched.

Slogans on Unite’s billboards included ‘we will fight them at the ballot box’ which invoked Winston Churchill’s famous ‘we will fight them on beaches’ quote.

Unite members in the North West also took to the streets ahead of the election, joining grassroots protests against Yaxley-Lennon and other far-right activists.

Commenting ahead of the election on Thursday (May 23), Unite member and former councillor for Woolton, Alice Bennett, told Unite that, based on the protests she attended, she did not envision Yaxley-Lennon garnering much support.

“There was this real sense of solidarity among our people at the demo – we stood united as trade unionists, socialists and anti-racists, and we were all local people,” she said. “On the other hand, the people out supporting Yaxley-Lennon were all his pals who travel with him and just follow him around. It was obvious to all that there’s very little local support for him here.”

‘Proud to play our part’

Unite head of political Anneliese Midgley tweeted that Unite and its political department were “proud to have played our part in defeating this fascist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon”.

Unite political advisor Shelley Asquith likewise hailed a victory for Unite and others standing against the far right, but she warned that those fighting their ideology cannot rest on their laurels.

“Robinson is back in court for a two-day hearing in July,” she tweeted. “While he may have been humiliated at the polls, his posing as a ‘free speech martyr’ emboldens his supporters, and their real battleground is on our streets. Keep up the fight.”

Unite assistant general secretary Steve Turner agreed.

“Yaxley-Lennon’s trouncing at the European Parliament elections is a welcome example of what we can accomplish when we work together to defeat the far right’s vile narrative of hate and division,” he said.

“But let this victory spur us on to continue challenging the far right, whether that’s in our workplaces, our pubs or communities, on our football terraces or streets. The far right doesn’t simply rear its ugly head in elections – their opportunistic, populist approach to genuine fears and concerns can become embedded in our communities, on social media platforms as well as public argument where we aren’t vigilant.

“That’s why Unite will continue its work as it has long done to oppose the far right, by developing our education and awareness programme for reps and activists ‘Unity Over Division’ and supporting the work of fantastic organisations such as Show Racism the Red Card and Kick It Out, which work with schools and use football as a tool to deliver anti-racism education,” he added. “We will never give up our fight for a fairer, more equal society — one in which we can all live respectfully together, without fear and in dignity.”

Unite the nation call

Meanwhile, Unite general secretary Len McCluskey called on progressive voters who seek unity in a divided country to back Labour.

He said the results of the European elections were for Labour supporters “obviously disappointing” and  “confirm a country divided by Brexit”.

“For that the blame lies firmly with the Tory party which has handled the Brexit process disastrously causing despair and disillusion among voters driving many to Farage and his simplistic offer,” he noted.

“Labour has been the only party that has sought to unite the nation on Brexit and this is an honourable objective that must not be abandoned.

“This is the time to hold our nerve because the true prize is the very real possibility of a looming general election,” McCluskey added. “That is the opportunity for Labour to go to the people to present its programme to transform our country, rebuilding our communities and restoring hope to those who feel abandoned by Westminster.”