TRANSPORT union RMT voted today to “align itself” towards the Labour Party while remaining unaffiliated at a special general meeting.

Delegates meeting in Doncaster, a town commonly identified as the birthplace of Labour, voted narrowly to reject reaffiliation.

Labour chucked out the union in 2004 after a dispute regarding Scottish local branches voting to back non-Labour candidates.

It later helped fund the Trade Union and Socialist Coalition (Tusc), an unsuccessful electoral rival to Labour run by various left groups.

However, significant unrest from the union’s rank-and-file over the coalition’s poor performances, coupled with the change in Labour’s leadership, led to the union renewing debate over its political strategy.

The union began a consultation earlier this year with branches and regional councils, but the union’s national executive committee said the numbers were too close to make a clear case for reaffiliation.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said that the “finely balanced” numbers led the special meeting to decide that, while the union does not currently support reaffiliation, “there is potential for the union to affiliate to the Labour Party at a future date,” should the support be made clearer.

Mr Cash stressed that this was not a rejection of Labour, noting that “there is a clear desire among RMT members to support Jeremy Corbyn and the left leadership of the Labour Party.”

The union will now encourage its members to get involved in local Labour branches and support the Labour leadership in any way they can.

The special general meeting also agreed that the union should consider “what other steps” it can take to support, defend and develop the “socialist advances” that have been made in Labour.

Alex Gordon, chair of the RMT Campaign for Labour Affiliation, told the Morning Star that RMT members “detest the Progress wreckers in Labour” who have attempted to “undermine the leadership and seek to overturn the democratic decision to leave the EU.

“Our members have spoken. [We] must now unite around our decision, get rid of the Tories as soon as we can and get a Labour government that stands up for our class.”