Britain’s second-largest union, UNISON, yesterday endorsed Jeremy Corbyn for Labour leader, and recommended a second preference for Yvette Cooper.
This will be a major boost for Corbyn and shows how rapidly his campaign has developed. When Unite, Britain’s largest, endorsed Corbyn on July 5th, many were surprised. For a union considered more moderate than Unite to back Corbyn too should be worrying for the ‘Anyone but Corbyn’ camp, and shows their attacks are not cutting through.
While Cooper’s campaign will welcome the second preference, they will be bitterly disappointed that a union that had previously been widely rumoured to endorse their candidate has nominated the one who is now her main competitor. The recommendation to second preference Cooper behind Corbyn will matter very little given that Corbyn now seems certain to storm into first place after the first round of voting, rendering his second preferences redundant.
Dave Prentis, unison general secretary, went on Channel Four to explain the decision, saying, “Jeremy Corbyn’s message has resonated with public sector workers who have suffered years of pay freezes and redundancies with too many having to work for less.”
Contrasting this and showing how unexpected this decision was, orchestrator of the ‘Anyone but Corbyn’ campaign coming from the old right’s factional group, Labour First, Luke Akehurst tweeted, “Disappointed, UNISON. You fight the hard left so hard inside your union then capitulate to them on such an important vote.”
Meanwhile Cooper’s campaign are quietly confident they are eclipsing Andy Burnham as the main rival to Corbyn, following a poll seen by the Daily Mirror that had the Shadow Home Secretary just two points behind the left-winger once transfers had been taken into account.
Burnham’s campaign have maintained that they are front-runners, based on their own polling data. The difficulty with believing the data of campaign’s own ‘polling’ is that it often refers to responses received while canvassing for votes, which tend to be concentrated in CLPs where the candidate can reasonably expect to win the nomination. Burnham repeatedly canvassing his own Northwest backyard is not as scientific as the poll conducted by YouGov for The Times, which had Corbyn beating him by six points in the final round.
Grassroots support for Corbyn continues to swell. A meeting in Norwich received over seven hundred sign-ups in just half a day, while almost two thousand have indicated their intention to attend a rally in London on the 3rd of August.
The first stage of the campaign is almost over, with CLP nominations concluding tomorrow, and the 20th and final hustings in Warrington having now taken place (where Corbyn, I am told, once again received the largest applause). The deadline for supporters to register for a ballot is approaching, on August 12th, after which the ballots will be sent out with the result announced at a special conference on September 12th.
Given that a fifth of respondents to the YouGov poll stated they were undecided, the contest is clearly open between Corbyn, Burnham and Cooper, but as Ladbrokes change of odds indicate, Corbyn is now the favourite – and it is his election to lose.
The Corbyn Trouser Press moves on.
Yvette should be thankful that she’s coming 2nd because that means a chance of a better job in JC’s ShadCab, maybe something really difficult like ShadChancellor or the FO. Andy will be stuck with the HO which will harm his prospects even further. And Liz should get Social Security (about time we dropped welfare dependency, and went back to what its meant to be a safety net)
Swat you can half talk some rubbish why put Liz in Welfare when they have the best person doing it IDS nope sorry Reeves .
I’m thinking gates with work sets you free.
Have you read JCs view on welfare?
“Liz should get Social Security”
Kendall is far too naive for a shadow cabinet position.
She needs to broaden her experience – the Westminster bubble has hindered her political development.
It would be best if she was sent off to Greece for a year or two as an intern for Syriza.
Why do that on Greece, they have enough issue without her.
That’s true.
I suppose we could have a whip round and send her off to a Himalayan retreat and only allow her to return after she’s attained enlightenment.
Is that what the left defines as a proper job these days
This revolution will need to be pressed home. There will need to be a scortched earth approach to New Labour. Not a single seat for the Brownites and the Blairites in JC’s shadow cabinet. They are a tainted brand that the public no longer wants anything to do with or any reminder of. If JC cannot find enough Labour MP of the left persuasion to fill his shadow cabinet he should bring in Caroline Lucas and a couple of SNPer including that Mhairi Black. No backsliding.
Every New Labour clone in the shadow cabinet will knock tens of thousands off Labour’s vote in the next general election every time they appear on the box. They are as electorally toxic as Nick Clegg.
Well lets wait and see first we are getting carried away again with Polls, we never seem to learn.
And the Blair-rites and the Brown lot will be used they have to be unless you wish to have a major split
I don’t think it matters anyway Robert even if the right wing manage to gerrymander a victory for themselves or carry out some kind of coup because whether Corbyn wins or not the LEft Labour MPs if they do not wish to disappear down the toilet with New Labour after sitting behind one of their clones offering zero opposition to this vicious tory government for the next five years are going to have to form themselves into an anti-austerity bloc that can offer genuine opposition not only to the Tories but to New Labour’s capitulation to them. The growing mass movement must be given parliamentary voice.
And what if Corbyn wins,leads us to the next election and we get 15%’ will you accept the public, feel that austerity is necessary
How can new labour knock tens of thousands of votes off, as if there’s that many respect green voters who’d come over,and swing voters only voted a labour PM into. Power in the shape of Balir, in the last 41 years
Dead right about a scorched earth policy re New Labour. We’re long overdue in taking our party back from these entryist parasites and we’re entitled to our retribution. I’m gonna love every minute of it!
Maybe the Gaistkelkites felt Bennites were parasite entryists in the 70’s, when Scargills no co left, it didn’t affect labours vote, when the SDP left, it cost us 4m votes.assuminh your a me. Ed, what do you think of non members, the £3 supporters who are paying to influence leader, surely that’s entryism
Every one on LL says they are going to vote how can that be, only a few months ago they said the Party is finished.
Different people blogging,, after the election various Blirites,blue Labour, right wing old labour sIs
“Miliband was like a sixth form student, coming out with daft policies about being angry,on things he thought, wrongly, were important to the electorate” this started the campaign,with Cooper,to some extent Butnham and the deputies distancing themselves from,near everything, this allowed the left to arrange organize around the Net,a lot of whom ,who backed Ed last time didn’t like the tone of the campaign,and got Corbyn a lead, to force Burham,and Cooper to have to say stuff to swung left to get a win, it’s like Harman being the 2nd most left wing candidate in 2007′ and now backs Osbournes cuts. Without realizing that Corbyns campaign, doesn’t reflect the silent members who don’t attend meetings