Durham Miners’ Association chair STEPHEN GUY speaks to Ben Chacko about the Reform threat, what’s needed from Labour and why the Big Meeting will never lose its politics
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Expansion or decline - the future of the Bakers' Union
SARAH WOOLLEY explains why she, as a 32-year-old single mum who came from the shop floor, would be the best choice to lead her union
![Durham Miners' Gala 2026 [Pic: Neil Terry]](https://morningstaronline.co.uk/sites/default/files/styles/desktop/public/2026-07/SSS_20260711_DURHAM_MINERS_GALA_0-21.jpg.webp?itok=NUVjowji)
Andy Burnham’s message of hope will defeat Reform if Labour delivers the New Deal for Working People in full, says JOANNE THOMAS
General Federation of Trade Unions president and bakers’ union general secretary, SARAH WOOLLEY, guides us through the GFTU’s Summer School happening this week at Quorn Grange Hotel
The government’s latest asylum proposals abandon labour movement values and fuel division by aping Reform UK, writes DIANE ABBOTT MP
Can Andy Burnham’s programme deliver a productive economy – or merely a softer version of capitalism, asks VINCE MILLS
IAN LAVERY MP warns that decades of neoliberal policies have left former industrial communities behind — but a renewed Labour commitment to working people could change the political landscape
AS you are reading this BFAWU members everywhere will be receiving forms through the post for one of the most significant ballots in our history.
Our current general secretary Ronnie Draper is retiring and our members need to choose who is going to lead our fantastic union into its next phase. There are two of us standing, but I hope our members choose me.
My name is Sarah Woolley and I joined the BFAWU as a Saturday assistant at Bakers Oven (which became Greggs) when I was 16. I have never been part of another trade union. The BFAWU is all I know and I’ve a lot to be thankful for from my membership.
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