John Hannett – Usdaw General Secretary says: “Richard Leonard is a committed trade unionist and understands the real change that Scotland needs, so we are delighted that he won the support and confidence of Labour’s members and affiliated members in Scotland.

“The SNP government are failing to deliver social justice, tackle poverty and address the crisis in health and education, our members need Labour in power to deliver change. I know that Richard does not underestimate the challenge ahead for Labour, and Usdaw will be working with him to help improve Scottish workers’ lives.”

Notes for editors:

Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest trade union with over 430,000 members. Membership has increased by more than 28% over 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: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion