REBECCA Long-Bailey’s campaign to lead the Labour Party was given a significant boost last night when she won the backing of a major trade union.
Unite’s general secretary Len McCluskey announced that it would endorse the shadow business secretary, as well as Richard Burgon for deputy leader.
Long-Bailey, a frontrunner in the race to replace Jeremy Corbyn, needs the backing of one more Labour affiliate to secure a place on the ballot paper.
She was endorsed by the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers’s Union last week.
McCluskey said Long-Bailey has the “brains and the brilliance” to beat Boris Johnson and was the “candidate best placed to take the fight to the Tory Party on behalf of Unite members and their communities”.
“She is standing for unity, socialism and the determination to make Johnson’s term in office short-lived,” he added.
READ MORE: GMB union backs Lisa Nandy in Labour leadership contest
“Unite is also confident that Richard will make a superb deputy to Becky, displaying the qualities that have long been absent from that post – pride in our values, a passion for our party to succeed and, above all, loyalty to their leader.”
Long-Bailey said she was “honoured” to receive the nomination, and said trade unions will be “at the heart” of Labour’s “path back to power”.
She added: “I didn’t see myself as the kind of person who could ever become an MP. It was Unite, my trade union, that supported me to realise my potential.”
Candidates are required to have won the nomination of three Labour affiliates, including at least two unions, which amount to at least 5% of affiliate members.
The only other route onto the ballot is by receiving nominations from at least 5% of constituency Labour parties.
READ MORE: Labour hustings: Candidates clash over antisemitism
Shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer and Wigan MP Lisa Nandy have already made it through the nomination process, and Long-Bailey is widely expected to join them in the coming weeks.
Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry also hopes to be in the final stage of the contest.
Earlier in the day, Labour announced it had cancelled its leadership hustings in Leeds today after Starmer pulled out as his mother-in-law is critically ill in hospital.
He said on Thursday that he was suspending campaigning after his mother-in-law was involved in a serious accident.
General secretary Jennie Formby said that to ensure fairness to all the candidates, the party’s procedures committee had agreed today’s hustings should not now go ahead. The deputy leadership hustings will take place as planned.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here