Union leader demands answers over ballot-rigging claim

The Labour Party's biggest financial donor was in turmoil last night over allegations of ballot-rigging as the co-leader of the Amicus trade union demanded from his opposite number an explanation for alleged irregularities.

Roger Lyons, joint general secretary of Amicus, urged Sir Ken Jackson for a "full explanation and comment" on accusations that his supporters had voted more than once. An emergency session of the AEEU section of Amicus today will hear an interim report on claims that full-time officials of the union had been switched from branch to branch to vote for Sir Ken, the Prime Minister's closest ally in the union movement. The meetings were called to nominate candidates for the forthcoming elections for the union leadership.The executive of Amicus-AEEU will decide whether the accusations are valid and if action should be taken against union employees found to be guilty.

Mr Lyons, leader of the MSF section of Amicus, confirmed he had written to Sir Ken and said it would be "extremely helpful to know what is going on" ahead of a meeting of his own officials on Friday. Amicus was formed last year out of a merger between MSF and AEEU,albeit in the middle of a continuing feud between Sir Ken and Mr Lyons.

Derek Simpson, a left-winger who is challenging Sir Ken for the top job at Amicus-AEEU, said Sir Ken's paid officials had been caught voting in more than one branch. In one case at least it swung the decision in Sir Ken's favour and Mr Simpson has demanded an investigation. John Lloyd, national secretary of Amicus, said he had no direct knowledge of any vote-rigging but added that the executive council would take a dim view if the allegations stood up.

Mr Simpson said he had received information that some members appeared to have been attending one branch one day and another the next and appeared to have valid membership cards for both of these branches. He told BBC Radio 4's The World At One: "The concern is it shouldn't be possible to hold cards for different branches and it is certainly not appropriate for people to be voting twice.

"I have no evidence that Sir Ken Jackson even knows about this practice. I am certainly not accusing Sir Ken Jackson of involvement. The concern I have is that someone, somewhere is, and presumably at a senior level, aware of this."