Left-wing bakers’ union nominates Long-Bailey and Burgon

The left-wing Bakers, Food and Allied Workers’ Union (BFAWU) has decided to support Rebecca Long-Bailey for the Labour leadership and Richard Burgon in the deputy race.

The nominations will help both of the candidates secure places on their respective ballot papers as all ten contenders seek endorsements from local parties and affiliated organisations.

The BFAWU announced on Friday morning that Long-Bailey – the leadership contender considered closest to Jeremy Corbyn – had “demonstrated her support for our aims and objectives as a union”.

It was revealed on Thursday afternoon that Burgon – also a shadow cabinet member close to Corbyn’s politics – would be gaining the nomination as the “first BFAWU member to be elected as an MP”. 

The union said Burgon had joined the BFAWU while working at Thompsons Solicitors. Before becoming an MP, the deputy leadership candidate was a solicitor specialising in employment law.

They said the nominating decisions had been made “following consultations with regional and branch activists”.

All leadership candidates must be nominated by either 5% of local parties or three affiliated groups, including two trade unions, amounting to 5% of Labour’s affiliated membership.

So far, Keir Starmer has been nominated by UNISON and environmental group SERA; Lisa Nandy by the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and Long-Bailey by BFAWU.

TSSA has announced that it will ballot members on the executive body recommendations of Starmer or Long-Bailey for leader, and Angela Rayner or Rosena Allin-Khan for deputy.

There are 12 unions formally linked to the Labour Party, of which five – Unite, UNISON, GMB, Usdaw and CWU – are large enough to help candidates get to the ballot paper through the affiliates route.