Members can apply to observe the 10 February Certification Officer hearing online by emailing info [at] certoffice [dot] org

Whatever the outcome, the evidence underpinning this case speaks to wider questions of democratic accountability inside our union. https://vickyblakeucu.uk/2026/02/09/certification-officer-hearing-blake-mcgaughey-v-ucu/

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Members’ subscriptions fund the union’s staff time and infrastructure. Those resources belong to the membership collectively. Clear separation between union resources and election campaigns is a basic democratic requirement. Without it democratic governance cannot function properly.

A CO hearing cannot resolve wider political disagreements in our union. Those challenges remain, and require space and support for open, constructive debate about how we organise, bargain, and campaign together.

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Rather than engaging with the substance of the rule-compliance issues raised, in commentary supplied to THE, UCU described the complaint as a “smear” driven by dissatisfaction with an election result. That is a revealing response to scrutiny of internal governance in a democratic organisation.

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It reflects recent experience inside UCU where raising concerns about governance, decision-making, or use of union resources has not always been possible or consequence-free for everyone.

WhatsApp messages in the evidential record alongside commentary provided by UCU to THE & FE Week point to a culture where challenge is personalised and dissent framed as bad faith.

That helps explain why internal routes could not command confidence and why independent scrutiny became necessary.

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We stand by taking the case forward on the basis of the evidence we have seen. The Certification Officer hearing is scheduled for 10 February 2026. Anyone who wishes to observe can request access in advance by emailing the Certification Office: info [at] certoffice [dot] org.

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Our case concerns a basic democratic principle. Members’ subscriptions fund the union’s staff time and infrastructure. Those resources must not be used for any candidate’s personal advantage in an election. Clear institutional separation must exist between the union and any candidate’s campaign.

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