Eddie Dempsey, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, warned at a trade union meeting in Brighton that an alliance between the Conservatives and Reform UK could pose a significant threat similar to historical political dangers. He urged unions to develop new strategies to counter this potential coalition, noting that left-wing voters are more willing than right-wing voters to vote tactically to prevent such alliances from forming.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-15,
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Story summary
Eddie Dempsey, the general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, warned at the annual trade union gathering in Brighton on Monday that a political alliance between the Conservatives and Nigel Farage's new party, Reform UK, poses a significant threat. This warning comes as left-wing voters are more willing to vote tactically compared to their right-wing counterparts. Dempsey suggested unions need to adopt a different approach to prevent such an alliance from forming ahead of the next general election. He also drew parallels to the 1930s political climate, but emphasized that the current danger is not fascism but rather a united front between Reform and the longest-ruling party in Western Europe, the Conservatives. Kemi Badenoch, a Conservative minister, has previously ruled out any formal pact with Reform UK, but Dempsey remains concerned about potential street movements adopting techniques from paramilitary groups.
Written for “Right Unity Threatens Elections” on 2026-09-17,
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The Right uniting at the next general election represents a 'real danger', a union chief has warned members.
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chief → see → members
Unions must come up with a 'different approach' to preventing an alliance between the Conservatives and Reform, Eddie Dempsey, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union said on Monday.
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Dempsey → come → Monday
Speaking at the annual gathering of trade unions in Brighton, Mr Demspey said we are looking at a 'different prospect' to the political climate of the 1930s, which saw fascist leader Oswald Mosley and his 'black shirts' gain support in Britain.
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Mosley → speak → Britain
And he even suggested that a pact between parties on the Right represented more of a 'real danger' than any return to British fascism.
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pact → suggest → fascism
He explained: 'What we're looking at is not Mosely and the black shirts.
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looking → explain → What
What we're looking at is an alliance between Reform and the oldest ruling party in Western Europe, the Tories.
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looking → look → Europe
'That's the real danger: a political alliance which brings these people into Parliament.
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which → bring → Parliament
Unions must come up with a 'different approach' to preventing an alliance between the Conservatives and Reform, Eddie Dempsey, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union said on Monday
Kemi Badenoch has repeatedly ruled out any pact with Nigel Farage's Reform UK
In a warning to parties on the right, left-wing voters are far more willing to vote tactically than right-wing voters
He added: 'On the fringes of that, there is a burgeoning street movement, which in some cases appears to be making connections even with old paramilitaries in terms of techniques and organisation.
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which → come → techniques
So this is a completely different scenario that requires a different way of approaching things.
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that → require → things
There's a difference between dealing with the National Front and all of that that happened on the streets, and dealing with the prospect of an alliance between a socially right, economically Thatcherite far-right political alliance between the Tory Party – the oldest ruling party in Western Europe – and Nigel Farage.
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that → be → Europe
We've got to think about what that means, including looking at the support networks of crypto billionaires putting huge amounts of money in – and that has got to be approached.'
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that → get → money
Mr Dempsey's intervention comes amid repeated calls for the Right to unite to prevent parties on the left from seizing power.
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Right → come → power
Former Conservative Cabinet minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg told the Daily Mail: 'People voting for what they want is democracy.
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they → tell → what
It is socialism and high taxation that threaten the country not a united right.'
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that → threaten → country
According to website 'Unite the Right UK', if all right-wing voters lent their vote to the party most likely to win each seat, the Right would return 484 MPs to Parliament.
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Right → accord → Parliament
This comes as the results of a poll published last night suggest that a third of Britons would be willing to vote tactically.
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third → come → Britons
But in a warning to parties on the right, left-wing voters are far more willing to vote tactically than right-wing voters, while Conservative voters are more willing to consider voting tactically for the Liberal Democrats than Reform.
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voters → vote → Reform
Luke Tryl, head of More in Common, the polling firm carrying out the research, said on Monday: 'Tactical voting has begun to play a more decisive role in our politics.
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voting → carry → politics
Across by-elections in Caerphilly, Makerfield, Gorton and Denton and even for Count Binface in Clacton, we have seen ruthless tactical consolidation against Reform, with the right struggling to build tactical coalitions in the same way.
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right → see → way
Our research confirms this shift.'
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research → confirm → shift
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