Left-wing candidate Sharon Graham wins Unite leadership election
Sharon Graham has won the election to be the next general secretary of Unite – becoming the first woman to hold the role.
A national organiser with the union, Ms Graham won the election with 46,696 votes (37.7 per cent) and will succeed Len McCluskey as Unite leader.
Steve Turner – who was backed by Mr McCluskey and was seen as favourite to win – received 41,833 votes, and Gerard Coyne, a former West Midlands regional secretary, was third with 35,334 votes.
Ms Graham, who was endorsed by the Socialist Workers Party, said: "I am honoured to have been elected by our members, and I understand that the trust that they have placed in me brings with it tremendous responsibility.
"Our members expect their union to be in their corner so I was proud to stand on a manifesto that pledged to put our members and our workplaces first. I will deliver on those promises.
"Unite is an incredible force for good in the UK and Ireland but I am fully aware of the huge challenges our members face in the workplace.
"As general secretary, I will put all the power of our union into defending their jobs, improving their pay and protecting their rights.
"Bad bosses take note. A strong Unite is the best defence that our members can have - my focus now is to build that strength."
Unite said a total of 124,147 votes were cast in the ballot, which is believed to be around 10 per cent of the current membership.
Mr McCluskey said: "I thoroughly congratulate Sharon on her victory, which reaffirms her as the most formidable campaigning force in our movement.
"It's a fantastic achievement and I am very proud to be handing over to our first woman general secretary.
"I have been hugely privileged to be at the helm of Unite for the past eleven years. Sharon has been a valued and close friend an integral part of my senior team throughout my time in office so I know from experience that she is a talented, dedicated and passionate trade unionist.
"I have every faith that she will run our union in a manner true to its fighting back spirit."
He added that Ms Graham would enter office "at a time of great uncertainty for our members and a challenging political environment".
"From assaults on workers' rights to the fear that the end of furlough will bring with it increased and needless unemployment, the in-tray is full," he said.
"But I know that she will build on our values and harness the talents of our great union in the service of our members and our movement."
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer tweeted: "Congratulations to [Sharon Graham] on her election as general secretary of Unite - the first ever woman to hold that role.
"I'm looking forward to working together to improve the lives of working people across the country."
Ms Graham is considered to be from the Labour left and ran a campaign focused on women’s rights and her track record of resolving industrial disputes with employers.
She has called for the union to return its focus to workers’ rights rather than Westminster politics.
In an often hostile campaign, Ms Graham said she had received abuse after refusing to stand aside to allow Mr Turner to be the only left-wing candidate against Mr Coyne
