BLAIRITES “should be honest” about wanting to drag Labour to the right rather than pretend they are only interested in “winning power,” CWU general secretary Dave Ward said yesterday amid an angry backlash after he described New Labour as a “virus.”

The union, which represents post and telecoms workers, nominated leftwinger Jeremy Corbyn for the top job on Thursday.

In a statement announcing the decision, Mr Ward said that the Blairites’ “grip” on the party “must be loosened once and for all.”

“There is a virus within the Labour Party and Jeremy Corbyn is the antidote,” he said.

But appearing on Newsnight on Thursday night, Liz Kendall, the most right-wing candidate in the race, said Mr Ward’s comments were “offensive.”

Ms Kendall said Labour needed to provide “an antidote to the Tories.”

But speaking on the BBC News channel at lunchtime yesterday, Mr Ward refused to take back his comments.

“The virus I referred to is about the influence of people like Peter Mandelson on the future of the Labour Party,” he said.

“They continue to suggest that the values of the market economy should be in front of the values of society.”

He said New Labour’s support for market “liberalisation” had led to the loss of colossal numbers of British jobs.

Blairites constantly spoke as if their motivations were “all about winning power” whereas in fact they wanted to “turn the clock back to 1997,” Mr Ward said.

“What they should be honest about is that they want to take the Labour Party further to the right,” he added.

“I don’t think we can afford to go round the same loop again.”

Ahead of the nominations deadline passing at midnight last night, entertainment union Bectu confirmed it would not be expressing a preference — bringing it in line with general union GMB.

A spokeswoman told the Star that the union executive had decided not to nominate at a meeting in June.

• Over 1,300 people have registered to attend a Corbyn campaign event at the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool at 6pm this evening.