Farage stunt decried by Community

The Community union last month criticised a photo stunt in which Nigel Farage, leader of the right wing Reform UK party, was featured as part of a group holding up “Save our Steel” union posters.

The image featured Farage alongside a group including Reform’s mayoral hopeful for East Lincolnshire, Andrea Jenkyns. The mayoral election takes place on 1 May and Farage was visiting the endangered Scunthorpe steel works as part of Jenkyns’ campaign.

The Labour government has subsequently rushed through emergency legislation to take control of the plant (see page 4).

Community was swift to condemn the PR stunt and to point out that not only did Farage “not speak for Community”, but that the image featured old posters that were at least five or six years old and from before the Covid pandemic.

• Community’s new Third Sector Steering Committee held its first inaugural meeting last month.

The union’s national secretary for London and the South East and third sector lead, David Weeks, described the union’s membership in the third sector — including in charities, not-for-profits, voluntary organisations, and among faith workers — as “fast-growing”.

He said that, as a result, “we have established a new steering group which will meet regularly to discuss feedback from our branches on the main issues”.