Keir Starmer has become the first candidate to secure their place on the ballot to be the next Labour leader.
Shop workers union Usdaw declared their support for Starmer this afternoon after a meeting of its 15-member executive.
Usdaw’s backing means Starmer has met nomination requirement of three affiliated organisations – two of which must be unions. Unison was the first of the big five unions to declare its support for a candidate, also throwing its weight behind Starmer.
Responding to the backing, Starmer said: “Usdaw represent over 400,000 workers and fights every day for its members and for a fairer society.
“If I’m elected leader, Labour will stand shoulder to shoulder with the trade union movement as we take on the Tories and rebuild trust with working people.”
GMB is expected to declare which candidate it will back tomorrow. Who GMB backs could prove decisive for Lisa Nandy’s campaign.
Nandy is in the strongest position to get the union’s support alongside Starmer. Many MPs who nominated Nandy have strong GMB credentials.
Candidates who fail to secure the backing of unions and affiliated organisations will be hoping to secure their place through the CLP route. The nominations of 33 local Labour parties are required to get on the ballot without union support.
Leadership hopefuls have until 14 February to bag the required number of union or CLP nominations. The ballot of Labour members and supporters will be open between 21 February and 2 April with a winner announced on 4 April.
A full list of CLP and union nominations can be found here: https://polireview.com/labour-leadership-candidate-endorsements/
