Starmer gets betting boost after Britain’s biggest union agrees to back him
It’s hard to see now how he can fail to get on the final ballot
The big LAB leadership news this afternoon has been that the country’s biggest played union , Unison , has announced that it will back Starmer.
The Union which has 1.3 million members decided on the move saying that it believed he was the one best placed to unite the movement and regain public trust in Labour. This follows him reaching a key milestone in the MP nomination process being the first to succeed in in securing the support of 22 MPs.
Dave Prentis, the GenSec of Unison said:
“Keir has a clear vision to get Labour back to the winning ways of the past. He is best placed to take on Boris Johnson, hold his government to account and ensure Labour can return to power and once more change working people’s lives for the better.”
Inevitably this has impacted on the betting markets with Starmer moving up and all the other contenders edging down. It all adds pressure on the Long-Bailey camp which is likely to secure the backing of Unite.