Unite boss Sharon Graham: I’ve been threatened over fraud inquiries

Unite chief Sharon Graham has alleged she has received threats since ordering two inquiries into how funds were spent by her union.

The union has handed two reports to the police, with one uncovering what it described as "potential criminality".

One inquiry investigated a contract to build an over-budget hotel that houses a Unite office in Birmingham.

Ms Graham said she wanted to leave "no stone unturned" after being elected as general secretary in 2021.

In an interview with the BBC's Political Thinking podcast, Ms Graham was asked about the reaction to the inquiries she commissioned.

She said she had "got a lot of flak for it" and "threats" since replacing Len McCluskey, the previous general secretary of Labour's biggest union backer.

Calling herself "a tough person", Ms Graham said, as the union's most senior official, she "can't shy away from these things".

"There was definitely threats," she said. "But, you know, I expected that to happen and, obviously, I'm dealing with it."

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Ms Graham did not say anything about the nature of the alleged threats or who made them.

Soon after taking over from Mr McCluskey in 2021, Ms Graham asked a senior lawyer - Martin Bowdery - to investigate the contract to build a hotel and office complex in Birmingham.

The contract had been approved by the union's executive and Mr McCluskey when he was general secretary.

The complex, which houses Unite's regional headquarters, a hotel and a conference centre, is thought to have cost more than £90m.

Ms Graham told Political Thinking the project was £31m over budget, which "came out in invoices".

"We either got fleeced by every contractor going or there was another reason for it," Ms Graham said. "Now, I don't know what it what the reason is. That's why the police have it."

Mr McCluskey has previously suggested questioning the project is a "smear", and last year said the hotel complex "will be a powerful resource for working people for many years to come, and will stand as a monument to Unite's financial strength and commitment to its members".

A separate second inquiry - by accountants Grant Thornton - looked at contracts awarded to the union's suppliers and companies which carry out work on behalf of the union.

Ms Graham said the internal reports would not be published until the police had decided what to do.

You can listen to the latest episode of the Political Thinking podcast on BBC Sounds or on BBC Radio 4 at 17:30 on Saturday 21 January