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Unite Votes To Back Corbyn As Labour Leader

Unite Votes To Back Corbyn As Labour Leader

Britain's biggest union, Unite, has voted to support Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader with Andy Burnham as second preference.

The decision is a big boost for the veteran anti-war campaigner who has been well received at hustings involving trade unions in recent weeks.

Mr Corbyn, the Islington North MP and anti-austerity candidate, said: "It is a great honour to receive Unite's nomination, and it underlines that this a serious campaign that has growing momentum.

"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 left-winger added that for Labour to win the next election the party "must show it is on the side of the majority".

In a press release, Unite said: "The backing for Jeremy Corbyn was in recognition that his policies were most closely aligned with those of Unite."

An elected body of 63 people from workplaces across the country voted for Mr Corbyn.

Unite affiliates 500,000 of its 1.4 million members to Labour, giving the party £1.5m a year.

It is the first of the big three unions to decide which of the four Labour candidates to back, with Unison and the GMB some weeks away from making a recommendation.

The unions were widely seen as having had a major influence in choosing the last Labour leader, Ed Miliband, over his Blairite brother - and frontrunner for the role - David Miliband.

However, Unite general secretary Len McCluskey subsequently clashed with Ed Miliband over changes to the leadership election rules and the unions' role in selecting Labour parliamentary candidates .