GMB back Findlay and Clark because they say Labour have to “return to its roots”

After interviewing the candidates yesterday, GMB have today announced that they will be backing Neil Findlay to be leader of the Scottish Labour Party and Katy Clark to be deputy leader.

This makes GMB the seventh trade union to back the two candidates, and it is a particularly interesting announcement as earlier in the week there were suggestions that GMB would come out to back one of the other leadership candidates, Jim Murphy – which is also the union that he is a member of.

Harry Donaldson, GMB Scotland Regional Secretary explained the union’s decision: “After having gone through a thorough process in which all candidates for the Leader and Deputy Leader were interviewed, the lay member-led Scottish Regional Committee decided to support Neil Findlay and Katy Clark for leader and deputy leader.

“The view of the committee following a lengthy debate was that it was time for change and that Labour had to return to its roots and regain its Socialist values.”