The increasing scrutiny of Labour’s relationship with militant unions is becoming a serious problem for Ed. The Times splashes on Labour taking control of 14 constituency parties after internal concerns about attempts to manipulate selections, with Unite caught red-handed trying to stitch up Ilford North. Miliband is still refusing to publish Labour’s report into Unite’s plotting in Falkirk. Until he does this story is just going to snowball…

Eric Joyce has come out swinging, accusing Unite of threatening to sue him for talking about the allegations:

“Unite’s middle-class political officer, Jennie Formby, has argued that Unite is desperate to hear what allegations are being made. Odd, then, that I have been for weeks receiving letters from Unite’s middle-class lawyers threatening to sue me for defamation because I’ve been doing just that. No proceedings have actually been initiated yet, mind you. I wonder why?”

Perhaps most awkwardly of all, the unions are now pointing to this video of Miliband himself defending the right of unions to buy party membership.

Labour’s rotten relationship with trade unions is finally coming out into the open, and it goes right to the top…