Sharon Graham has won the race to be Unite’s next general secretary. She is becoming the union’s first female leader. 

Graham takes over from Len McCluskey, who has been at the helm since 2010. She saw off a challenge from Steve Turner, the candidate of the union’s United Left, and forced Gerard Coyne, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s pick, into third place.

Graham said: “I am honored to have been elected by our members, and I understand that the trust that they have placed in me brings with it tremendous responsibility.  As general secretary, I will put all the power of our union into defending their jobs, improving their pay, and protecting their rights. Bad bosses take note. A strong Unite is the best defense that our members can have my focus now is to build that strength.”

About 125,000 votes were cast and  Graham, from Hammersmith, west London, took 46,696 votes, ahead of Turner, who polled 41,833. Coyne, the runner-up to McCluskey in 2017, came up short again, with 35,334 votes. A fourth candidate, Howard Beckett, withdrew from the race earlier this summer to help avoid a split in the left vote.

After 20 years in the union firstly in the Transport and General Workers’ Union before the merger to create Unite in 2007, Graham became executive officer of its organizing or “leverage” department.

It has won several major victories, including in a fire-and-rehire dispute with British Airways last year. Graham is currently leading a campaign against Amazon for union recognition.