Exclusive: Corbyn has emerged stronger from campaign, says Len McCluskey

Len McCluskey has issued a strong show of support for Jeremy Corbyn in the final hours before polls open.

The Unite boss attacked the “opportunistic” Theresa May but said the Labour leader had “brought life and direction” back to a party which was “struggling to understand its place” in a Britain undergoing facing deep changes, seen as a reference to Brexit.

Unite, Britain’s largest union, backed Corbyn in the two leadership contests and today McCluskey used a LabourList article to praise Corbyn as a “humble man” who, he said, had “emerged stronger” at the end of a bruising election campaign, following well-received appearances in television debates which were largely ducked by May.

McCluskey, who was re-elected as general secretary in the spring, spoke out as speculation intensified that Labour MPs would seek to remove Corbyn in the event of a Labour defeat tomorrow. Many are also thought to want to return to the old electoral college system for electing leaders in which the votes are split between MPs and MEPs, party members and trade unions.

Corbyn, however, is thought likely to want to stay if Labour loses but achieves more than the 30.4 per cent of the vote achieved by Ed Miliband in 2015.

Today McCluskey warns that the anti-establishment tremors which led to Brexit are “still rolling” and calls for a form of politics based in communities rather than the “Westminster bubble”.

“Against this backdrop we have Jeremy Corbyn, that rare creature, an optimist. He has withstood the slingshots and fusillades from all comers and emerged the stronger. Because he is convinced of Labour’s vision for our better Britain he can lead his team to find their voice, to show up the dangers of Theresa May and her Tory party and let people believe there really can be alternative.

“In six intense but short weeks, this humble man has brought life and direction back to a party struggling to understand its place in a Britain undergoing profound social change.”

Len McCluskey: Corbyn has brought life back to a Labour Party struggling to understand its place in Britain