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The National Executive Committee (NEC) is the governing body of the UK Labour Party, setting the overall strategic direction of the party and policy development. Its composition has changed over the years, and includes representatives of affiliated trade unions, the Parliamentary Labour Party, constituency Labour parties (CLP), and socialist societies, as well as ex officio members such as the party Leader and Deputy Leader and several of their appointees.
| Abbreviation | NEC |
|---|---|
| Formation | 27 February 1900 |
| Headquarters | London, England |
Chair | TBC |
Vice-Chair | Ellie Reeves |
Parent organisation | Labour Party |
During the 1980s, the NEC had a major role in policy-making and was often at the heart of disputes over party policy.[citation needed]
In 1997, under Tony Blair's new party leadership, the General Secretary Tom Sawyer enacted the Partnership in Power reforms.[1][2] This rebalanced the NEC's membership, including by reducing trade union membership to a minority for the first time in its history. The reforms also introduced new seats: two for local government, three for the Parliamentary Party, three for the (Shadow) Cabinet, and one for the European Parliamentary Labour Party (EPLP). Until these reforms, Member of Parliament could stand for CLP section seats on the NEC, but thereafter MPs and MEPs could not stand in this section.[3] Moreover, under Blair, the committee's role declined. Its former policy development function is now largely carried out by the National Policy Forum.[citation needed] One of its committees has disciplinary powers including the ability to expel members of the party who have brought it into disrepute or to readmit previously expelled members. However, the NEC remains the administrative authority of the party.[citation needed]
In 2007, a new seat on the NEC was made for the Black Socialist Society, now known as BAME Labour.[4]
In 2016, two new seats, one each for Scottish Labour and Welsh Labour, were added.[5]
The 2017 Conference saw the creation of four additional NEC seats: one in the trade union section and three in the CLP section. Although the additional union seat was elected at Conference, the extra CLP seats were not elected until January 2018.
In November 2020, following the Brexit withdrawal agreement ending UK representation within the European Parliament and ending the European Parliamentary Labour Party, the single seat on the NEC for the EPLP leader was replaced by a new disability representative.[citation needed]
The Labour History Archive and Study Centre at the People's History Museum in Manchester has the full run of the minutes of the National Executive Committee in their collection.[6][7]
NEC Officers
As of October 2023, the Officers of the NEC are:[8]
- Leader of the Labour Party: Keir Starmer MP
- Deputy Leader of the Labour Party: Angela Rayner MP
- Chair: Jessica Morden MP[9]
- Vice-Chair: Ellie Reeves MP
- Treasurer: Mike Payne
- Chair of Organisation Committee: Wendy Nichols
- Chair of the Equalities Committee: Angela Eagle MP
- Chair of the Disputes Panel: Gurinder Singh Josan MP
- Chair of the National Policy Forum (when a member of the NEC): Anneliese Dodds MP
- Former Chair of the National Policy Forum (when a member of the NEC): Ann Black
- NEC Co-Convenor of the Joint Policy Committee: Gavin Sibthorpe
Joint Policy Committee
The Joint Policy Committee (JPC) has strategic oversight of policy development in the party through overseeing the rolling programme of Partnership in Power. The JPC acts as the steering group for the National Policy Forum. It is therefore a joint committee made up of NEC, Government and National Policy Forum representatives.
NEC Co-Convenor: Gavin Sibthorpe
NEC sub-committees
The following are sub-committees of the NEC:[8]
Equalities Committee
The Equalities Committee responsibilities and roles include:
- Women's recruitment, retention and participation in the party in elected office and the development of women's forums at local level
- Black, Asian and ethnic minority recruitment, retention and participation in the party
- Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender representation and participation within the party
- Disability access and increased representation and participation of members with disabilities
- Considering effective party responses to Employment Framework Directive based on Article 13 (Treaty on European Union) and the European Union Action Programme to Combat Discrimination
- Responsibility for driving the Party's equality agenda and the development of an inclusive organisation at all levels
- Link with Organisation Committee and Young Labour Co-ordinating Committee on issues of age discrimination
- Biannual women's forum
- Biannual ethnic minorities forum
Chair: Angela Eagle MP
Business Board
The Business Board is responsible for overseeing the business functions of the organisation including the management of the finances.
Chair: Mike Payne
Audit, Risk Management and Compliance Committee
The Audit, Risk Management and Compliance Committee has responsibility for audit and compliance oversight, and is accountable for internal audit procedures providing a systematic approach to risk management in all of the party's activities. The committee ensures that the Labour Party's financial activities are within the law, and that an effective system of internal control is maintained.
Chair: George Howarth MP
Organisation Sub-Committee
The Organisation Sub Committee is a sub-committee of the NEC (generally known as Org Sub) and is responsible for party rules and constitution; ensuring parties are operating effectively throughout the country to the highest standards and has overall responsibility for membership, investigations, selections, Conferences, electoral law, boundaries strategy and internal elections.
Chair: Wendy Nichols
Complaints & Disciplinary Sub-committee
The NEC Complaints & Disciplinary Sub-committee is a sub-committee of the NEC Organisation Sub-committee which hears membership appeals; re-admission applications; party disputes and conciliation; minor investigations and local government appeals where referred to the NEC. It operates in a quasi-judicial fashion, conducting hearings and interviews around the country where necessary.
Chair: Gurinder Singh Josan
Excluding ex officio members, NEC members are elected by their respective constituencies, and each serve a two-year term.[10] As of 2023, the NEC has 39 members, as follows:[11]
- 3: Ex officio positions: Leader & Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, and Party Treasurer
- 13: Trade Unions representatives
- 6: MPs
- 3 Frontbench MPs (nominated by the Cabinet)
- 3 Backbench MPs (elected by the members of the Parliamentary Labour Party)
- 2: Local Government representatives[a]
- 9: from CLPs [b]
- 1: from the Socialist and Co-operative Societies
- 2: Scottish and Welsh Labour
- 3: 1 BAME Labour, 1 Young Labour, 1 Disabled members
The General Secretary of the Labour Party acts as the non-voting secretary to the NEC[citation needed], the Chief Whip and the PLP Chair also attend as non-voting members.[10]
- As of 26 September 2024
- Leader of the Labour Party
- Keir Starmer MP
- Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
- Treasurer
- Mike Payne
- House of Commons Front Bench
- Shabana Mahmood MP
- Ellie Reeves MP
- Jonathan Reynolds MP
- Young Labour Representative
- Elsie Greenwood
- Disabled Members Representative
- Ellen Morrison
- BAME Representative
- Carol Sewell
- Division I - Trade Unions
- Kathy Abu-Bakir (GMB)
- David Agbley (Unite)
- Maggi Ferncombe (UNISON)
- Isabelle Gutierrez (Musicians' Union)
- Jane Jones (Usdaw)
- Nicola Jukes (TSSA)
- Ian Murray (FBU)
- Wendy Nichols (UNISON)
- Karen Rose (CWU)
- Gavin Sibthorpe (GMB)
- Joanne Thomas (Usdaw)
- Mick Whelan (ASLEF)
- Mary Williams (Unite)
- Division II - Socialist Societies
- Claire Reynolds (Socialist Societies)
- Division III - Constituency Labour Parties
- Cat Arnold
- Jessica Barnard
- Ann Black
- Gemma Bolton
- Yasmine Dar
- Angie Davies
- Abdi Duale
- Peter Mason
- Jane Thomas
- Division IV - Labour Councillors
- Cllr Claire Holland
- Cllr Peter Wheeler
- Division V - Parliamentary Labour Party
- Luke Akehurst MP
- Gurinder Singh Josan MP
- Melanie Onn MP
- Scottish Labour and Welsh Labour
- Jackie Baillie MSP (Deputy Leader of the Scottish Labour Party)
- Ann Jones (Welsh Labour Representative)
In addition, the General Secretary (Hollie Ridley), the PLP Chief Whip (Alan Campbell MP), and PLP Chair (Jessica Morden MP) attend ex officio without a vote
The chair of the party is elected by the NEC from among its own members, and holds office for a calendar year, chairing both NEC meetings and national party conferences.
The name of this post has become confused since 2001 when Labour Party leader Tony Blair appointed Charles Clarke to the courtesy position of Chair of the Labour Party without the NEC or the national conference authorising such a position.[12] The office's name remains "chair of the party" in the Labour Party Constitution, but elsewhere the party presents the position as "Chair of the NEC".[13] Prior to 2001 the position was called "Chair of the Labour Party", and before that "Chairman of the Labour Party".
List of chairs of the Labour Party National Executive Committee
Chairmen of the Annual Conference of the Labour Representation Committee[14]
- 1900: William Charles Steadman MP
- 1901: John Hodge
- 1902: William John Davis
- 1903: Joseph Nicholas Bell
- 1904: John Hodge
- 1905: Arthur Henderson MP
Chairmen of the National Executive Committee of the Labour Representation Committee[15]
- 1900: William Charles Steadman MP
- 1901: Allan Gee
- 1902: Richard Bell MP
- 1903: John Hodge
- 1904: David J. Shackleton
- 1905: Arthur Henderson MP
Chairmen of the Annual Conference of the Labour Party[16][10]
- 1906: Arthur Henderson MP
- 1907: J. J. Stephenson
- 1908: Walter Hudson MP
- 1909: John Robert Clynes MP
- 1910: Keir Hardie MP
- 1911: William Cornforth Robinson
- 1912: Ben Turner
- 1913: George Henry Roberts MP
- 1914: Tom Fox
- 1915: No conference held
- 1916: William Crawford Anderson MP
- 1917: George Wardle MP (acting)
- 1917–18: W. F. Purdy
- 1918–19: John McGurk
- 1919–20: William Harold Hutchinson
- 1920–21: Alexander Gordon Cameron
- 1921–22: Fred Jowett MP
- 1922–23: Sidney Webb MP
- 1923–24: Ramsay MacDonald MP
- 1924–25: Charlie Cramp
- 1925–26: Robert Williams
- 1926–27: Frederick Roberts MP[17]
- 1927–28: George Lansbury MP
- 1928–29: Herbert Morrison MP
- 1929–30: Susan Lawrence MP
- 1930–31: Stanley Hirst
- 1931–32: George Lathan MP
- 1932–33: Joseph Compton
- 1933–34: Walter R. Smith
- 1934–35: William Albert Robinson
- 1935–36: Jennie Adamson
- 1936–37: Hugh Dalton MP
- 1937–39: George Dallas[c]
- 1939–40: Barbara Ayrton-Gould
- 1940–41: James Walker MP
- 1941–42: Walter Henry Green MP[18]
- 1942–43: Alfred Dobbs
- 1943–44: George Ridley MP
- 1944–45: Ellen Wilkinson MP
- 1945–46: Harold Laski
- 1946–47: Philip Noel-Baker MP
- 1947–48: Emmanuel Shinwell MP
- 1948–49: Jim Griffiths MP
- 1949–50: Sam Watson
- 1950–51: Alice Bacon MP
- 1951–52: Harry Earnshaw
- 1952–53: Arthur Greenwood MP
- 1953–54: Wilfrid Burke MP
- 1954–55: Edith Summerskill MP
- 1955–56: Edwin Gooch MP
- 1956–57: Margaret Herbison MP
- 1957–58: Tom Driberg
- 1958–59: Barbara Castle MP
- 1959–60: George Brinham
- 1960–61: Richard Crossman MP
- 1961–62: Harold Wilson MP
- 1962–63: Dai Davies
- 1963–64: Anthony Greenwood MP
- 1964–65: Ray Gunter MP
- 1965–66: Walter Padley MP
- 1966–67: John McFarlane Boyd
- 1967–68: Jennie Lee MP
- 1968–69: Eirene White MP
- 1969–70: Arthur Skeffington MP
- 1970–71: Ian Mikardo MP
- 1971–72: Tony Benn MP
- 1972–73: William Simpson
- 1973–74: James Callaghan MP
- 1974–75: Fred Mulley MP
- 1975–76: Tom Bradley MP
- 1976–77: John Chalmers
- 1977–78: Joan Lestor MP
- 1978–79: Frank Allaun MP
- 1979–80: Lena Jeger
- 1980–81: Alex Kitson
- 1981–82: Judith Hart MP
- 1982–83: Sam McCluskie
- 1983–84: Eric Heffer MP
- 1984–85: Alan Hadden
- 1985–86: Neville Hough
- 1986–87: Syd Tierney
- 1987–88: Neil Kinnock MP
- 1988–89: Dennis Skinner MP
- 1989–90: Jo Richardson MP
- 1990–91: Tom Sawyer
- 1991–92: John Evans MP
- 1992–93: Tony Clarke
- 1993–94: David Blunkett MP
- 1994–95: Gordon Colling
- 1995–96: Diana Jeuda
- 1996–97: Robin Cook MP
- 1997–98: Richard Rosser
- 1998–99: Brenda Etchells
- 1999–00: Vernon Hince
- 2000–01: Maggie Jones
- 2001–02: Margaret Wall
- 2002–03: Diana Holland
- 2003–04: Mary Turner
- 2004–05: Ian McCartney MP
- 2005–06: Jeremy Beecham
- 2006–07: Michael Griffiths
- 2007–08: Dianne Hayter
- 2008–09: Cath Speight
- 2009–10: Ann Black
- 2010–11: Norma Stephenson
- 2011–12: Michael Cashman MEP
- 2012–13: Harriet Yeo
- 2013–14: Angela Eagle MP
- 2014–15: Jim Kennedy
- 2015–16: Paddy Lillis
- 2016–17: Glenis Willmott MEP
- 2017–18: Andy Kerr
- 2018–19: Wendy Nichols
- 2019–20: Andi Fox
- 2020–21: Margaret Beckett MP
- 2021–22: Cllr Alice Perry
- 2022–23: Johanna Baxter
- 2023–24: James Asser
- Elected by and from councillors, directly elected mayors, and/or Police and Crime Commissioners
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