Unite leadership contest

After months of speculation, Unite union general secretary Len McCluskey has announced his resignation, kicking off perhaps the most significant of the union leadership elections due to be held this year.

McCluskey has led the union for over a decade, having been first elected in 2010, then again in 2013 and — somewhat controversially — in 2017.

The nomination period for the post runs from 6 May to 7 June. The ballot opens on 5 July, closing on 23 August with the result expected on 26 August.

Four hopefuls have announced their plans to stand for the post, three of whom are supported by left groups in the union.

The three are: current assistant general secretary Steve Turner, who was picked by the United Left group; another assistant general secretary, Howard Beckett, who narrowly lost out on getting United Left backing and is standing under a grouping called Unite Unity Left; and Sharon Graham, the union’s executive officer for organisation, whose support group is called Workers Unite and is styled as “the workplace candidate”.

The fourth candidate — seen as from the right wing of the union — is former secretary for the union’s West Midlands region, Gerard Coyne.

Coyne was fired by the union shortly after losing the 2017 general secretary election to Len McCluskey for his conduct during that election.

He lost his subsequent unfair dismissal claim.