TUC Leader Paul Nowak Urges Sir Keir Starmer to Address Cost-of-Living Crisis to Combat Rise of Far-Right
Paul Nowak, leader of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), has warned that Sir Keir Starmer must urgently tackle the cost-of-living crisis in 2026 to prevent increasing support for the Reform party and far-right figures such as Nigel Farage. A TUC-38 Degrees survey conducted by Survation highlights the severity of hardship, revealing that about one-third of people skip heating, one-fifth skip meals, and around 80% say their financial situation is not improving.
Nowak emphasized the necessity of government measures either underway or needed, including heating-bills support, raising the minimum wage, holding down train fares, and lifting the two-child benefit cap. He cautioned of a real danger that disillusioned voters will turn to Farage and Tommy Robinson if the government fails to deliver, urging a focus on providing people with hope.
He also stated that Labour should concentrate on delivering for working people instead of engaging in internal leadership speculation about successors like Burnham, Rayner, or Streeting. Nowak described Reform as a dead end, characterized by a privatization agenda targeting the NHS and deregulation of the City, which he argues would harm working people.
On trade union leadership, Nowak noted Andrea Egan's election as Unison general secretary and expressed his anticipation of working with her and 46 other unions to defend low-paid workers. He stressed the importance of the Employment Rights Act timetable not slipping. The Act's provisions include sick pay from day one, ending exploitative zero-hours contracts, and giving workers a union voice; unfair dismissal rights are to come after six months, rather than immediately, marking one of the biggest upgrades in workers' rights in a generation.
