Finally ultra left-wing Morning Star newspaper got a match in British politics. Unite union announces Corbyn one, Burnham two in Labour leader vote….reports Asian Lite News. Corbyn has frequently been at odds with his party, opposing the Iraq war and other foreign interventions and backing public ownership of the banks. Voting records suggest he has rebelled against Labour 533 times since the party came to power under Tony Blair in 1997
The opposition Labour party is heading for a nasty campaign as Unite, the biggest and the most powerful union, support Jeremy Corbyn in the upcoming vote for the leader of the national Labour Party.
The unions played a role in the selection of “wrong Milliband” in the 2010 hustings which ended with a disastrous campaign in 2015. Several MPs who nominated Corbyn for the leadership later disclosed that they won’t vote for him in the race.
The union, which is Labour’s biggest financial backer, supported Ed Miliband in the 2010 Labour leadership contest.
The unions will have less influence on this year’s contest because the party has moved to a “one member one vote” system for choosing its leader. But the decision is a big boost for Mr Corbyn, who has been well received at hustings involving trade unions in recent weeks, BBC reported.
First elected to Parliament in 1983, the former trade union official has campaigned on a succession of left-wing causes, including the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and the Stop The War coalition, and is a columnist for the Morning Star.
Corbyn has frequently been at odds with his party, opposing the Iraq war and other foreign interventions and backing public ownership of the banks. Voting records suggest he has rebelled against Labour 533 times since the party came to power under Tony Blair in 1997.
He has said his leadership campaign marked the launch of a broader anti-austerity movement.
The Islington North MP thanked Unite and other trade unions who have nominated him – Aslef and the BFAWU – and for the endorsement of two unions not affiliated to Labour, the FBU and the RMT.
“Trade unions are a force for good, a force for prosperity and we should listen to them more. For Labour to win again it must show it is on the side of the majority,” Corbyn told BBC.
“It is a great honour to receive Unite’s nomination, and it underlines that this a serious campaign that has growing momentum,” he said. “The leadership election is about one issue above others: whether we accept another five years of a race to the bottom based on cuts that destroy services and damage living standards, or whether we invest our way to a growth and fairness.”
The union said it will advise members that the executive council also voted to back Andy Burnham as the second preference candidate.
“The backing for Jeremy Corbyn was in recognition that his policies were most closely aligned with those of Unite,” a statement said. “Further, Unite confirmed that there would be no nomination made for the position of deputy, but a recommendation will be made to members that they support Tom Watson and Angela Eagle to reflect the strong support for these candidates, by using their first and second preferences as they see fit.
The decisions on who to support were taken following debate by the union’s executive committee, an elected body of 63 men and women from workplaces across the UK.
It follows the mutli-union hustings held on June 30 and consultation with members’ elected representatives across the union.