Analysis

Wrack wins NASUWT GS election despite Israel lobby smear campaign

Matt Wrack (image by DimiTalen – Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=152026178)

Former Fire Brigades Union leader Matt Wrack has convincingly won the election for general secretary of teaching union NASUWT that was called in April after a smear campaign by the UK Israel lobby against his appointment.

The union had also paid £65,000 in costs to Wrack’s opponent, who had used a notorious firm of pro-Israel lawyers – fined a record amount for ‘serious breaches’ of money-laundering rules – to go to court for an injunction against Wrack’s appointment.

NASUWT had appointed Wrack after telling Neil Butler that he was not eligible to stand for the position because he was not a member of the union, but made the appointment interim and called an election including Butler after pro-Israel groups and figures mounted a smear campaign against Wrack.

But on Wednesday night, NASUWT president Wayne Broom sent out an circular announcing that Wrack had won the election with almost two thirds of the vote:

Dear colleagues,

I am pleased to inform you that the ballot for NASUWT’s General Secretary has concluded, and Matt Wrack has been elected as our new General Secretary.

The postal ballot of all NASUWT members, which opened on 19 June and closed on 23 July, was conducted under the supervision of Civica Election Services and has been certified by them. Voting details: Neil Butler 3,126 Matt Wrack 5,249 Turnout: 4.7%

We appreciate the professionalism and dedication everyone showed throughout this unprecedented process. Matt has expressed his gratitude to the National Executive and staff for their support during the interim period and is eager to work with all of us to advance the Union’s mission of being the voice of the teaching profession. I want to thank Neil for his candidacy and commitment to our union’s democratic process. Both candidates ran campaigns focused on strengthening NASUWT and championing members’ interests, and we will carry that energy forward.

Now that the election is decided, it is essential that we come together as one team. Our unity and shared purpose are what give NASUWT its strength. Let us all congratulate Matt on his election and give him our full support as we embark on this next chapter for NASUWT. Under his leadership, and with your continued hard work, we will persist in advocating for teachers and delivering the high-quality support our members deserve. Thank you for your dedication and adaptability during this period of change.

By uniting behind our new General Secretary, we honour our commitment to NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union and to the teachers we represent. I am confident that, together, we will continue to make a positive difference for teachers across the UK.

In solidarity and appreciation,
Wayne Broom National President

Wrack has taken a consistently strong position against Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

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12 comments

  1. Well done Matt Wrack. The ‘socialist firebrand’ won on a solid platform of fair pay, manageable workloads, and safe working environments for teachers.

    He’ll be delighted with his significant result but disappointed less than 1 in 20 union members took part in the GS elections. He knows he needs to change that. His close political ally, Daniel Kebede, was elected as National Education Union leader in 2023 on a turnout of 9 per cent (nearly twice NASUWT’s 4.7% turnout).

    Like all good ‘socialist firebrands’, Wrack is determined to increase member involvement and policy input to the union.

    All power to him in that.

  2. Well done Matt!
    And Yes great news Jeremy Corbyn & Zara Sultana today (24/7/25) have launched a new Left party with a Founding Conference probably in the Autumn of this year and it is to be grassroots, bottom up led.
    So exciting times are back and diverse working class people, the progressive middle class & all now will have a voice as we take on the main Neo-Liberal capitalist parties: Labour, Tories, Lib Dem’s & Reform.
    I’ve signed up and are claims 500 people a minute are signing up too.
    Hope we get hundreds & hundreds of thousands joining and have millions in the bank to campaign with.
    Should hopefully have candidates in place for the local elections in May 2026.
    Real Politics is back after years of the careerist drones! Solidarity!

  3. The Sados in Labour are already blaming Zarah and Jeremy’s embryonic party for splitting the left-vote and making Nigel Farage the bookies’ favourite to be next PM.

    The Telegraph reckons ’embryo-party’ already has 15% voter-support and could attract as many votes at its first GE as Starmer’s pretend-Labour did at GE25.

    No-where else to go? LINO-Labour is rushing to the lavatory – it’s shitting bricks already.

  4. Q – Yes and that’s before all these passionate young people & very experienced older campaigners start engaging with and trying to politicise the masses, and this time there is no Right Wing like in Labour to internally hold us
    back & sabotage us.
    Have already shared it with 30 Left Wing union activists and can’t wait to promote it amongst Pro Palestine activists.
    Can’t wait to get cracking!
    We and the people who are currently being hammered, now have a voice.
    Solidarity.

  5. BREAKING NEWS:
    JC/ZS initiated new Left party has 80,000 sign ups on its first day & still counting!
    The many may sleep well tonight & wake up to bloody good days from now on.
    Sign up for the transformation & fight back!
    Love, Peace & Solidarity!

    1. “Sign up for the transformation & fight back!”

      ‘Transform’ certainly ticks a lot of boxes as a party name.

  6. George Galloway’s WORKERS PARTY has been hammering away at it for the last few years while Corbyn&Co have been thinking about it.
    We have been deliberately blanked by the mainstream media on behalf of the establishment who hate us and fear us.
    Sadly – Most of the left alternative media (who I support and help to finance) have also blanked us and many have treated us to unwarranted and dishonest sectarian attacks.
    We are not going away and hope to work constructively with the new JC/ZS party.

    I was a Labour member for 24 years.
    When JC was elected leader, with my support, I sent him the email below:
    . “Jeremy – Congratulations on your great victory as Labour leader. I know that you will not have under-estimated the magnitude of the forces that will be lined up against you to ensure that you fail”.
    Those words still ring true today —and are a warning.
    The importance of the left working together is as true today as it ever was.
    The enemy is still the same.
    Western Imperialism is increasingly desperate as its hold on its world hegemony is weakening day by day.
    Look at USA if you doubt these words.

    The Workers Party holds out its hand of friendship to the new party.
    We are all on the same side.

  7. Latest I heard JC/ZS initiated new party has 190,000 sign ups and people still being added by the minute.

  8. UK Political Party Members (to nearest thousand) in 2025:
    1.Labour – 309,000 (Claimed).
    2.Reform – 227,000. (Claimed).
    3.JC/ZS – 190,000 (by day 2).
    4.Tories – 132,000.
    5.Lib Dems – 90,000.
    6.SNP – 59,000. (Now minus Mahri Black).
    7.Greens – 65,000.
    I’ve made my own poster to put in my front window:
    Sign Up to Jeremy Corbyn/Zara Sultana’s new party. http://www.yourparty.uk
    Now ASAP let’s get out there to try to politicise the masses for a transformation of society and as an example to the masses in other countries of the world.
    Solidarity!

  9. Breaking: New JC/ZS initiated party sign ups now 230,000 (Morning Star,25/7/25).
    Now number 2.
    Oops & Greens 6 not 7.

  10. JC/ZS new party sign ups now 300,000.
    – Novara Media (25/7/25).
    Only 9,000 behind figure claimed by Right Wing Labour & after only 2 days!
    Bring it on!

  11. Latest on JC/ZS initiated new Left Party.
    According to Ian Hodgson sign ups are up to 500,000 making working title Your Party no 1 in the UK in terms of party membership.
    Almost 200,000 more than Right Wing Lab
    273,000 more than Reform.
    368,000 more than the Tories.
    410,000 more than the Lib Dem’s.
    435,000 more than The Greens.
    441,000 more than the SNP.
    The rich and powerful are kegging it already as their lumpen lightweight
    journalists were already starting to be vicious to JC et al today.
    Now let’s get organised and get these brilliant passionate young people and older experienced activists out there trying to politicise the masses and this time we fight back against attacks and we will have no dreadful Right as in Labour to hold us back and sabotage us.
    Time to work to transform society for the benefit of diverse working class people & others + as an example to others around the world.
    Solidarity.

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