McCluskey to lead the giant Unite

Len McCluskey has been elected general secretary of Unite, Britain's biggest trade union. Mr McCluskey received 101,000 votes. Jerry Hicks, a lay member of the union, came second with 52,000 votes. Assistant general secretary Les Bayliss came third with 46,000 and another assistant general secretary, Gail Cartmail, came fourth with 39,000.

Mr McCluskey, 61, is a lifelong trade union activist and has held several senior posts with Unite and the Transport and General Workers Union. He will take over from Tony Woodley and Derek Simpson, who have been joint general secretaries since Unite was formed.

Unite is the country's largest union with more than 1.4 million members and is the biggest union affiliate to the Labour Party. Mr McCluskey said: "I am honoured and humbled at the confidence Unite members have shown in me. My first task now will be to bring our union together and unite it in a campaign against the devastation the Government is unleashing against working people and their communities throughout the land."