John Hannett – Usdaw General Secretary says: “Now that the election is over the leader must heal the rifts and work to ensure that Labour is a strong and credible opposition in Parliament. Our party is and always has been a broad church; a place where people who don’t necessarily agree on everything are welcomed and respected. There is more that unites us than divides us.
“However, Jeremy’s challenge isn’t confined to the Parliamentary Labour Party. He must also reach out to the Labour Party members who didn’t vote for him, many of whom are long-standing activists who have been knocking on doors and delivering leaflets for years. These are not people who joined Labour to support one person; they have given a lot of their time and energy to the Party through good times and bad, regardless of who has been the leader, and are crucial to Labour getting our message out to voters and winning elections.
“Therein lies the ultimate challenge for Jeremy. To win the trust and confidence of the voters, he needs to make the Labour Party look and sound like a government in waiting so that we can win the next election. Our policies, principles and opposition to the Tories mean nothing if we cannot win power.
“The Labour leader must earn the confidence of our MPs, members and voters. Only with the support of all three, can a Labour leader offer real hope to the millions of people who rely on us to get rid of the Tories and their failed and divisive policies.”
Notes for Editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fourth biggest and the fastest growing trade union with over 430,000 members. Membership has increased by more than 17% in the last five years and by nearly a third in the last decade. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the Union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemicals and other trades.
For Usdaw press releases visit: www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion