Keir Starmer MP says: “I’m honoured to have the support of Usdaw in this leadership campaign. It means a huge amount to me in terms of how I will lead the Labour Party.

“Having the support of the union, I wanted to come to Manchester to meet the full-time organising staff, who deliver a great service for Usdaw members in workplaces across the UK, and listened to their concerns and aspirations about the future of our country.

“I also wanted to demonstrate to Usdaw how I will work with the members, reps and staff in the campaign to win the next election, walking shoulder to shoulder with the trade unions, day in day out.”

Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says: “We’re absolutely delighted to have Keir here to engage with our organising staff. He was very well received and we hope that he will go on to lead Labour to victory and be our next Prime Minister.

“We need to restore trust and faith in politics and Keir is the right person to do that as well as uniting and rebuilding Labour after a devastating election loss. Our members desperately need Labour in power; they cannot afford another decade of the Conservatives attacking workers’ rights, incomes and public services.

“The Labour Party must be led by someone who can persuade voters that they have what it takes to be a Prime Minister and we are a government in waiting. That is at the heart of Usdaw’s decision to support Keir Starmer.”

Notes for editors:
 
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest and the fastest growing trade union with over 410,000 members. Membership has increased by more than one-third over the last couple of decades. 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