Dave Prentis speaks out in support of Jeremy Corbyn's leadership as thousands rally in London

https://www.unison.org.uk/news/2016/06/the-tories-are-divided-but-at-this-crucial-time-labour-should-not-be/

UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis, in a well-timed intervention, has reaffirmed UNISON support for the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn.

As members of the Parliamentary Labour Party gathered at Westminster for their meeting they could be in no doubt that there is no support of any consequence within the trade unions for the coup plotters.

With the Tory Party leaderless and rudderless (the Remainers having no plan B and the Brexiteers no obvious plan A) the Labour Parliamentarians who are attempting a putsch give relief only to our adversaries.

Plainly this attempted coup was some time in the planning and the timing is as much to do with Chilcot as it is with Brexit - but crucially it is an opportunist ‎(if ham-fisted) attempt to both manufacture and then capitalise upon a crisis (knowing that the media can be relied upon to fan the flames). In this way the resignation crisis repeats on a grander scale the equally confected anti-semitism crisis of recent months.

A coterie ‎of the self-righteously entitled, viewing the world outside from within their Westminster bubble and believing (against all evidence) in their own importance, are trying to put pressure on Jeremy Corbyn to resign, knowing that unless he buckles to such pressure they cannot regain their former dominance of our movement.

Thousands‎ of protesters in Parliament Square this evening may prick their bubble or we may not, but the solid support of the trade unions, as well as the majority of Party members, for our Party's elected Leader should (but probably will not) give the plotters pause for thought.

Tomorrow the brave little soldiers of the PLP will courageously have a secret ballot in the hope that they can undermine our Leader without having to put their names to their deeds.

Jeremy Corbyn will be right to ignore this arrogance whatever the result - and Party members and trade unionists alike will be right to support him in so doing.

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Now more than ever we need an anti-austerity, anti-racist and anti-establishment Leader for Labour.