Tony Woodley, BA strike union leader, given Commons pass by Labour

By James Kirkup, Political Correspondent 1000PM GMT sixteen March 2010

Previous of Images Next Tony Woodley, Unite"s corner leader, is paid a six-figure income by the kinship Photo PA Mr Brown had been wordless on the BA dispute, but the forceful involvement from Lord Adonis on Sunday effectively forced the Prime Minister to criticism on Monday. Photo GETTY

Charlie Whelan, the domestic executive of the Unite union, has additionally been since a Westminster pass by Labour, giving him free run of the Commons estate.

In total, eight Unite officials hold Commons passes sponsored by Labour. One binds a pass postulated by a portion Government minister.

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The Conservatives pronounced that carrying since millions to Labour in new years, Unite officials are right away "roving around Parliament similar to they own the place."

The Unite chiefs" absolved entrance to Parliament was disclosed as the Conservatives published investigate display that scores of Labour ministers, MPs and candidates, together with Gordon Brown, have perceived thousands of pounds of monetary await from the union.

Labour is right away "in hock" to Unite, that has donated some-more than �11 million since 2007 years, the Tories said.

More than �460,000 of Unites income has left without delay to some-more 148 subdivision Labour parties.

Around �33,000 went to account the internal parties of comparison ministers. Mr Browns internal celebration got �1,000 and �5,395 went to the celebration of Ed Balls, the propagandize secretary.

At slightest 110 Labour MPs are Unite members. Nine are Cabinet ministers, together with Douglas Alexander, the growth cabinet member and Labour ubiquitous choosing coordinator, and Mr Balls.

The others are Bob Ainsworth, the counterclaim secretary; Yvette Cooper, the work and pensions secretary; Liam Byrne, the arch cabinet member to the Treasury, Hilary Benn, the sourroundings secretary, John Denham, the communities secretary, Tessa Jowell, the Cabinet Office minister; and Shaun Woodward, the Northern Ireland secretary.

And at slightest 59 Labour parliamentary possibilities are Unite members, together with multiform Unite officials. Jack Dromey, the Unite emissary leader, is station in the protected Labour chair of Birmingham Erdington. John Cryer, a Unite domestic officer, is station in Leyton and Wanstead.

Mr Cryer is one of eight Unite officials who hold Commons security passes. His is sponsored by his mother, Ann Cryer, a Labour backbencher.

Commons manners contend that Westminster passes cannot be released to lobbyists representing blurb interests. Passes are released usually to people who work for MPs as secretaries and researchers.

Ben Wallace, a Conservative frontbencher, has created to the Commons authorities asking if Unite has been since absolved entrance to the Commons in sell for monetary await to Labour.

He pronounced "The unions brag child and Labour"s paymaster are sailing around Parliament similar to they own the place. They are shopping process and rambling the truth."

Mr Woodley, Unites corner leader, is paid a six-figure income by the kinship and has entrance to a London prosaic owned by the union.

He is additionally listed with the parliamentary authorities as a "researcher" operative for Rob Marris, a backbench Labour MP.

Mr Marris last night pronounced "Tony Woodley does no work for me. He receives no arrangement from me or Parliament. I asked for a pass for him to promote his entrance to the House of Commons.

"As corner personality of the UKs largest union, he utterly scrupulously attends meetings in Parliament with me and others."

Parliamentary annals show that multiform alternative Labour MPs have sealed for security passes for Unite officials, inventory them as staff members.

Mr Whelan is accepted to have been since a pass on the drift that he functions for the Parliamentary Labour Party.

Other Unite officials since entrance to Parliament

John ORegan, the parliamentary confidant of Unite, has a Commons pass sponsored by Gerry Sutcliffe, the sports minister.

Hannah Blythn, who has a pass as researcher for Mark Tami MP, is a "parliamentary relationship officer" for Unite.

Christian Matheson, a Unite official, has a pass sponsored by Lindsay Hoyle, a Labour MP.

Sarah Merrill, the "trade kinship organiser" of the Parliamentary Labour Party, receives a income from Unite. Her parliamentary pass is sponsored by Fabian Hamilton, a Labour MP.

Stephen Turner, a inhabitant military officer at Unite, has a Commons pass sponsored by Ronnie Campbell, a Labour MP and former kinship official.

A Labour orator pronounced "Our appropriation arrangements have regularly been transparent for all to see and we have regularly been pithy that the donations from some-more than 6 million typical traffic kinship supporters do not buy power."