Joanne Thomas – Usdaw general secretary says: “Andy Burnham is right when he recognises that the country is stuck in a rut and people’s lives are not getting better, which damages confidence in politics. We welcome his commitment to no more of the same, to work collaboratively to solve problems, ending a focus on point scoring. That is a challenge to all other political leaders, because collaboration is a two-way street and we need to know if they will join Andy in putting place before party.
“I was pleased to hear his ten-year mission to improve living standards, by tackling youth unemployment, the housing crisis and breathing new life into high streets. Also securing growth for the whole country by regenerating and empowering all regions.
“This is a substantial plan to raise living standards through growth to provide more secure and decently paid jobs, alongside improving much-needed investment in our public services. These are the changes that our members desperately need, and they show how Andy is going to build on the achievements of Labour’s first two years in Government and accelerate delivery of a fairer, inclusive society. Today, Andy Burnham showed why he is the right person to lead the Labour Party and the country.”
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is one of the fastest growing unions in the TUC and the UK's fifth biggest with around 370,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also represents many workers in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades www.usdaw.org.uk
For Usdaw press releases visit: www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Bluesky @usdawunion.bsky.social and Twitter/X @UsdawUnion