Labour needs to “get a spine” and stand up for working people, the general secretary of the Unite union has said.

Sharon Graham told Keir Starmer he is more likely to win the next election if he did more to back workers seeking pay rises as employers make big profits.

“There isn’t really a very strong voice for workers in parliament currently,” she told BBC Radio 4′s Broadcasting House on Sunday.

“It is more likely they (Labour) would get elected more if they spoke up for workers more.”

“I think that if they came out now strongly and said `hang on a second, these abhorrent profits that are going on and what’s happening with the cost of living, this is what we think should happen’ – then I think they would very much get elected.

“From my point of view, I think we are doing Labour a favour actually by saying `look, get a spine, stick up for workers’. Graham told the programme “you cannot defend workers by being silent”.

Starmer has been under pressure from unions and Labour’s left to do more to show support for striking workers across the country.

Starmer has said Labour needs to move away from being a “party of protest” and instead act like a “government in waiting” with an emphasis on negotiating with unions.

Speaking this morning, Pat McFadden, Labour’s shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, said he did not support a general strike but understands why people are pressing for pay increases.

“Our call on government ministers would be to stop being an absent government and to help resolve these disputes to ensure that people get a decent pay rise, but to do that around the negotiating table,” he told Sky News.

“Nobody wants to see industrial action but it is understandable why people at work want a decent pay rise given the inflationary pressures that they’re feeling right now.”

Keir Starmer is facing a leadership crisis over his decision to ban Labour frontbenchers from appearing on picket lines, HuffPost UK has learned.

Allies say it is “a dangerous moment” for the party leader after the edict was challenged by several shadow ministers.

The decision to let shadow levelling up secretary Lisa Nandy attend a picket line in her Wigan constituency last Monday has also angered senior party figures.

One shadow cabinet member said: “People think the policy of not going on picket lines was cack-handed and not thought through.

“They didn’t have a clear idea of what they were going to do when frontbenchers broke the instruction.”

The leader’s office sent an email to members of the shadow cabinet in June ordering them to tell their teams not to join pro-strike demonstrations held during that month’s train strikes.

But some frontbenchers – including Labour whip Navendu Mishra – openly defied the instruction.

The row erupted again last month when shadow transport minister Sam Tarry was sacked after appearing on an RMT picket line.

However, Starmer said he was axed from the frontbench for doing a round of broadcast interviews without permission and “making up policy on the hoof”.

It is understood that Nandy – who was beaten to the leadership by Starmer in 2020 – informed Sam White, Starmer’s chief of staff, in advance that she would be meeting striking members of the Communication Workers Union on a picket line in Wigan.

A source close to Nandy said: “She went down to show her support for constituents campaigning for better pay and conditions at a really tough time, as you’d expect.”

But HuffPost UK understands the decision to allow her to go ahead with the picket line visit has baffled senior party figures.

One senior MP said: “She says she rang Sam White, who told her she could go to the picket line. The big question for him is why did he not say don’t do it?”

It is understood that White, as well as Starmer, were both on holiday when the row over Nandy’s picket line appearance erupted.

A Labour source said: “Nobody forced Keir to choose this issue as the big test of his authority, but he did and his authority has been tested by junior frontbenchers and his opponent in the last leadership election and he is not doing anything about it.

“His office was floundering in terms of its response. It was a total shit show.

“Then when people are trying to get to the bottom of what’s going on, no-one is around to deal with it.”

A source close to Starmer said the policy banning shadow ministers from going on picket lines “has not changed”.

They added: “In Sam’s defence, it’s not illogical for the chief of staff to take holiday the same time as the leader.”

Nandy’s team’s version of events is also disputed by figures close to Starmer, who say they were surprised to see pictures of her on the CWU picket line appear on social media last Monday.

But with the general election less than two years away, and a crunch party conference in Liverpool next month, Labour insiders say the issue has severely damaged Starmer’s authority.

Nandy’s team’s version of events is also disputed by figures close to Starmer, who say they were surprised to see pictures of her on the CWU picket line appear on social media last Monday.

But with the general election less than two years away, and a crunch party conference in Liverpool next month, Labour insiders say the issue has severely damaged Starmer’s authority.

“I think it’s a dangerous moment for Keir,” said one MP. “The whole thing is just a mess and I don’t see it being resolved. It will be cast a very long shadow and has the potential trial to derail conference.”

Keir Starmer has said he is “pragmatic” about the question of public ownership of rail, energy and water companies, amid confusion over Labour’s stance.

The Labour leader used a speech in Liverpool on Monday to say the priority for the next Labour government would be to “reboot” the economy with a focus on “growth, growth, growth”.

He was challenged about his view on nationalising utilities after shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves earlier said mass nationalisation was not compatible with the party’s new “fiscal rules” to control public spending.

“I take a pragmatic approach rather than an ideological one, I agree with what Rachel Reeves said this morning,” Starmer said.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4′s Today programme on Monday, Reeves was asked if the party had abandoned previous plans to nationalise water, energy and train companies if it wins power.

“They were a commitment in a manifesto that secured our worst results since 1935,” she said.

“To be spending billions of pounds on nationalising things, that just doesn’t stack up against our fiscal rules.”

Reeves added: “We have scrapped the 2019 manifesto. That is not the starting point.”

But a Labour spokesperson later said Reeves’ comments had been misinterpreted.

“We are pragmatic about public ownership as long as it sits within our fiscal rules – a point Rachel was underlining in the interview by referencing this framework,” they said.

“For example, we know there is a positive role for rail in public ownership.”

Labour’s shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh tweeted: “Labour is committed to public ownership of rail and putting the public back in control of our bus network to drive down prices, improve services and meet net zero.”

And shadow transport minister Sam Tarry added: “Just to be absolutely 100% crystal clear – this is the Labour Party position on the public ownership of rail.”

Jeremy Corbyn’s 2019 general election manifesto promised to “bring rail, mail, water and energy” and “the broadband-relevant parts of BT” into public ownership.

Starmer has faced accusations from his opponents on the left of the party that he campaigned for the leadership by promising to introduce leftwing policies before shifting to the right after he won.

The Labour leader has said “the slate is wiped clean” as Labour gears up for the next election.

“What we’ve done with the last manifesto is put it to one side. We’re starting from scratch,” he said last month.

Labour would not pursue mass nationalisation of industries if it wins the next election, Rachel Reeves has said, although the party later clarified there was a “positive role for rail in public ownership”.

Jeremy Corbyn’s 2019 general election manifesto promised to “bring rail, mail, water and energy” and “the broadband-relevant parts of BT” into public ownership.

But speaking to BBC Radio 4′s Today programme on Monday, Reeves suggested the party had now ditched those ideas.

“They were a commitment in a manifesto that secured our worst results since 1935,” the shadow chancellor said.

“I’ve set out fiscal rules that say all day-to-day spending will be funded by day-to-day tax revenues.

“Within our fiscal rules, to be spending billions of pounds on nationalising things, that just doesn’t stack up against our fiscal rules.”

She added: “So we have scrapped the 2019 manifesto. That is not the starting point.”

Reeves said the party would be going into the next election with new ideas “not the policies of 2019”.

A Labour spokesperson later added: “We are pragmatic about public ownership as long as it sits within our fiscal rules – a point Rachel was underlining in the interview by referencing this framework.

“For example, we know there is a positive role for rail in public ownership.”

Starmer has faced accusations from his opponents on the left of the party that he campaigned for the leadership by promising to introduce leftwing policies before shifting to the right after he won.

The Labour leader has said “the slate is wiped clean” as Labour gears up for the next election.

“What we’ve done with the last manifesto is put it to one side. We’re starting from scratch,” he said last month.