Firefighters’ union looks to re-affiliate with Labour party after Jeremy Corbyn victory

The union's leadership is impressed with Jeremy Corbyn's new stance

The FBU left Labour in 2004 (Getty Images)

The trade union that represents firefighters should re-affiliate with the Labour party now that it is led by Jeremy Corbyn, its general secretary has said.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has been independent from the Labour party after it disaffiliated during a pay dispute with the Government in 2004.

Firefighters at the time voted five-to-one to break with the Labour party, then led by Tony Blair.

The union has called a special conference next month to decide democratically whether it should re-join the party.

Matt Wrack, the union’s general secretary, said Mr Corbyn and MPs on his frontbench had a record of representing firefighters’ interests.

“We have seen a remarkable turn of events during the summer, which we hope will change the political landscape to make for a fairer, more just Britain. The Labour leader is fully and unreservedly pro trade unions,” he said.

“Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell have supported the FBU for many years. In fact, more than a decade ago they co-founded the FBU’s parliamentary group, of which they are still both members.”

Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn during the Labour Party Autumn Conference (Getty)

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said in September that the party would start to "automatically" back strikes.

Mr Corbyn’s victory could encourage other wayward trade unions to re-affiliate with his party.

Mark Serwotka, the general secretary of the PCS civil service trade union, has not ruled out supporting reaffiliation with Labour under Mr Corbyn.

The RMT rail union’s general secretary Mick Cash has said the union has “no plans to reaffiliate” but that a decision could be made by members’ at its annual conference.

“But we will continue to support John and Jeremy,” he said in September shortly after Mr Corbyn’s victory.

Fifteen of the TUC’s 52 trade unions are affiliated with the Labour Party. The voluntary organisations’ donations are an increasingly important source of cash for the party, which has increasingly repelled wealthy donors first under Ed Miliband and now under Mr Corbyn.