Unite chief facing a revolt as her attacks on Ed Miliband's Net Zero agenda are claimed to be 'boosting Reform UK'

By GREG HEFFER, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT Published: 13:26, 30 June 2026 | Updated: 13:40, 30 June 2026 The boss of one of Britain's largest trade unions is facing an internal revolt over her attacks on Ed Miliband's Net Zero agenda. Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite, has come under fire from within her union's own ranks following her criticism of the Energy Secretary. She has been a persistent opponent of Mr Miliband's ban on new oil and gas exploration in the North Sea, which she has branded an 'act of self-harm'. Ms Graham has also recently warned Andy Burnham against promoting Mr Miliband to become Chancellor, if he succeeds Keir Starmer as Prime Minister. She claimed putting Mr Miliband in charge of the Treasury would be 'a noose around the neck' of job creation. But the Unite boss has sparked internal unease with her anti-Miliband and pro-drilling stance, which is claimed to be playing into the hands of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. A senior trade union source told The Guardian: '[Graham's] interventions are boosting Farage and his crypto backers. And her attack on Ed played right into the hands of the Labour Right.' It comes as Ms Graham is being challenged for the leadership of Unite by far-Left contender Simon Dubbins, an executive committee member of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. The boss of one of Britain's largest trade unions is facing an internal revolt over her attacks on Ed Miliband's Net Zero agenda Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite, has come under fire from within her union's own ranks following her criticism of the Energy Secretary Mr Dubbins told the newspaper: 'Our campaign for a new start for our union has won overwhelming backing from our organised membership in half the usual time.  'Members are tired of old divisions and frustrated with a leadership more obsessed with playing political games than stopping job losses and the attacks we face.' He claimed Unite, under Ms Graham's leadership, was failing to do enough to challenge Reform. And he argued the green economy was key to securing well-paid, long-term jobs for Unite members. Mr Dubbins called for a 'genuine workers' transition that safeguards jobs', adding: 'I'm very proud to be nominated by union branches of refinery and manufacturing workers as well as those working to tackle climate change.' In a major intervention amid Labour's leadership crisis earlier this month, Ms Graham has appealed to Mr Burnham not to name Mr Miliband as his Chancellor. 'It is no secret that I disagree with Ed on almost every issue relating to a workers' transition,' she said. 'Ed only seems to be interested in one side of the equation, rushing Britain to Net Zero with almost no thought for jobs, skills and national security.  'In my view, a Labour chancellor needs a vision for Britain that understands the skills we have, nurtures those skills and sees Britain as an industrial force that can lead in industries, not decimate them. 'Good investment in British industry is a no-brainer. Anyone who does not get that it matters where things are made and produced should not be Chancellor.' Unite's 1.2million-strong membership will have between 14 July and 11 August to cast their vote for general secretary, with the result being announced on 14 August. Ms Graham is seeking a second term after she was first elected as the union's first female general secretary in 2021. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.