GARY SMITH has been re-elected unopposed as general secretary and treasurer of the GMB union, it announced on Thursday evening.

Mr Smith was first elected leader in 2021. A member of GMB since the age of 16 when he started work as an apprentice gas fitter, he was its Scotland secretary from 2015 before winning the top job.

He has been outspoken in his defence of the continued relevance of the oil and gas sectors to the British economy, and critical of those campaigning to end fossil fuel extraction on environmentalist grounds. Under his leadership the GMB has also prioritised equal pay battles — winning over £1 billion in back pay for women at councils including Birmingham, Glasgow and Sheffield — and fought a long and high-profile campaign to win union recognition at the Amazon delivery giant.

GMB is traditionally seen as one of Britain’s “big three” general unions alongside Unison and Unite, and has over half a million members.