A senior trade union figure has warned that a potential electoral alliance between the Conservatives and Reform UK poses a greater threat than any resurgence of British fascism, urging unions to rethink their strategy for opposing the right at the next general election. Eddie Dempsey, general secretary of the RMT union, made the comments at the TUC's annual conference in Brighton, arguing that a formal pact between the two parties would be far more consequential than the fringe street movements of the 1930s or the National Front, partly due to the financial backing such an alliance could attract from wealthy donors.

Dempsey contrasted the current political landscape with the era of Oswald Mosley's Blackshirts, saying today's danger lies in "the oldest ruling party in Western Europe" potentially joining forces with Nigel Farage's Reform UK. His remarks come amid wider debate about right-wing unity, with analysis from "Unite the Right UK" suggesting a fully consolidated right-wing vote could yield 484 MPs. Separately, polling by More in Common found that a third of Britons would consider voting tactically, though left-wing voters are currently far more willing to do so than those on the right, who have struggled to build similar tactical coalitions against Reform.