USDAW general secretary-elect Joanne Thomas told today of how her daughter has inspired her to do her “very best.”

The 46-year-old will become the first female leader of the retail union when she takes over from Paddy Lillis, who is retiring, on July 25.

Ms Thomas was 17 when she gave birth to her daughter Abbie, who is now a 28-year-old lawyer.

Speaking to the Morning Star at the Usdaw annual conference in Blackpool, she said: “She’s been my inspiration throughout all of this.

“Working as a young mother struggling to make ends meet, you don’t forget them days. You don’t forget that how you live your life depends on the political agenda around you.

“I learnt that at a very early age as a young mother and, actually, Abbie has always inspired me to do the very best, so I could be the best role model for her or for any other person that has ever been in my situation or currently in my situation. It’s really important that we have a political-industrial movement to take part in the political world.”

Ms Thomas, who grew up in the former mining village of Shiney Row, near Durham, added: “I think if you really want to make a difference, it will be by having people like me, like our members, whether it will be in parish councils, local councils, MPs — all of those political role models.”

The union leader, who started as an Usdaw workplace rep 25 years ago while she was employed by wholesaler Makro, paid tribute to her predecessor’s “absolutely monumental” service to the union.

She said that her unopposed election “has had ramifications, particularly among female membership, but also across the piste because they see the fact that this glass ceiling has been smashed.

“I am absolutely ecstatic that other women are seeing that and coming forward to put themselves into more senior roles.”

Among her priorities as general secretary will be campaigning for “practical solutions” to ensure that jobs are protected from the rollout of AI in the retail sector.

She also aims to attract new membership within the gig economy and believes that Usdaw can counter the rising popularity of Reform UK by exposing its politicians’ anti-working-class voting records.

“One of my favourite phrases in life is ‘don’t write cheques you can’t cash’,” she said.

“What Reform are doing is promising the world because they think it’s popular, when actually they are not going to be in a position to deliver anything even remotely like that.

“What we need to do as part of this strategy to combat Reform is to make sure people are aware of what they vote for.

“It goes back to them being a populist party, but ultimately they are not on the side of working people because their voting records proves that.”