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<http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2004/07/06/uk_union_pulls_support_from_labour_party/>://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2004/07/06/uk_union_pulls_support_from_labour_party/
union pulls support from Labour Party
By Beth Gardiner, Associated Press Writer | July 6, 2004
LONDON --One of Britain's biggest unions yanked much of its financial support from Tony Blair's Labour Party Tuesday, a fresh display of the prime minister's increasingly strained ties with the groups that once formed the party's political base.
The GMB general workers' union said that instead of giving money to the Labour Party's central campaign fund, as it has traditionally done, it would donate directly to individual Labour lawmakers and candidates who share its views.
The 700,000-member union's general secretary, Kevin Curran, harshly criticized Blair's centrist, pro-business policies, saying there was "a growing disconnect between the aspirations of working people and 10 Downing Street," the prime minister's office.
It was just the latest sign of trouble between Labour and the unions that dominated the party for decades. Blair wrested control from them and dragged the party to the center, bringing it back to power in 1997 after 18 years in the opposition.
Relations with the unions have been tense ever since. Blair has angered them with plans to partly privatize some hospitals and the divide has grown recently as his talk of "choice" in schools and health care has raised fears about the government's commitment to keep such services public.
The party formally broke its ties with the Rail Maritime and Transport Union in February after the union decided to let its branches affiliate with other parties.
The Fire Brigades Union, which represents Britain's 55,000 firefighters, severed its 86-year-old links with Labour last month. It had infuriated the government and many Britons with a series of strikes in late 2002 and early 2003.
Despite their frustration with Blair, most unions have continued to support Labour, maintaining official links, donating funds and urging members to vote for the party's candidates.
The GMB, which is Britain's fourth-largest union and includes workers in a wide variety of fields and industries, will maintain its affiliation with Labour, which gives it voting rights at party conferences at a cost of $1.6 million a year.
But the union said it turned down the party's request to chip in an extra $1.3 million to its campaign fund for the general election expected next year.
"Like the prime minister, the GMB supports increased choice, so from now on our members will be free to choose which Labour candidates they want to help return to Parliament," Curran said.
He said the government's emphasis on choice in education and health, its focus on keeping the work force flexible and its hiring of poorly paid subcontractors to work in public services "are disturbing examples of a growing disconnect between the aspirations of working people and 10 Downing St."
The Labour Party had no immediate response to the decision but said it expected to comment later Tuesday.
The union said its members would make a list of those Labour lawmakers who they believe share their values and consider how to help them individually.
It said it still wanted to help Labour win a third term but only if it adopts "a radical manifesto that will deliver social justice to every citizen in the U.K."
It said it would be watching closely as the party shapes its campaign platform.