Rebecca Long-Bailey will be on the final ballot to become the next Labour leader after an endorsement from the Fire Brigades Union was enough to see her become the third candidate to gain the required support.
To make it to the final ballot which is open to the party’s wider membership, the candidates must be nominated by two unions and one affiliate group, or alternatively by 33 constituency Labour parties.
Long-Bailey had already received nominations from two unions, Unite and the Bakers & Allied Food Workers Union, with the FBU endorsement enough to see her over the line.
Sir Keir Starmer and Lisa Nandy were the first two candidates to cross the threshold.
Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry will be hoping to join them, but is yet to secure the support of any union.
Long-Bailey expressed her delight at receiving the nomination, saying that the FBU “embodies the values of our movement”.
FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said in a statement confirming their endorsement that Long-Bailey was the only candidate who “has what it takes to transform the country, win back Labour’s heartlands, and put power back into the hands of working class people”.
Wrack added: “There can be no going back to the so-called centrism of New Labour - we never again want to see our party turn its back on workers, public ownership, and its own members.”
The Fire Brigades Union also endorsed Richard Burgon in the deputy leadership contest, meaning he has made the final ballot alongside Angela Rayner.
The new Labour leader and deputy leader will be announced on April 4.
