National Executive Committee
Encyclopedia : N : NA : NAT : National Executive Committee
The National Executive Committee or NEC is the chief administrative body of the Labour Party. Its composition has changed over the years, and includes representatives of affiliated trade unions, the Parliamentary Labour Party and European Parliamentary Labour Party, Constituency Labour Parties, and socialist societies, as well as ex officio members such as the Party Leader and Deputy Leader and several of their appointees.
During the 1980s, the NEC had a major role in policy-making and was often at the heart of vitriolic disputes over party policy. In the Tony Blair era, the committee's role has declined and its membership has been reformed, but it retains a certain importance in overseeing the party. 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.
Current Members
(As at October 2005)- Mohammed Azam (Div. III - Constituency Labour Parties)
- Louise Baldock (Div. III - Constituency Labour Parties)
- Jeremy Beecham (Div. IV - Labour Councillors) Chair
- Ann Black (Div. III - Constituency Labour Parties)
- Tony Blair MP (Leader)
- Hazel Blears MP (Government)
- Gordon Brown MP (Government)
- Michael Cashman MEP (Div. V - PLP/EPLP)
- Debbie Coulter (Div. I - Trade Unions)
- Jack Dromey (Treasurer)
- Angela Eagle MP (Div. V - PLP/ELP)
- Michael Griffiths (Div. I - Trade Unions) Vice-Chair
- Dianne Hayter (Div. II - Socialist Societies)
- Diana Holland (Div. I - Trade Unions)
- Jim Kennedy (Div. I - Trade Unions)
- Paddy Lillis (Div. I - Trade Unions)
- Joe Mann (Div. I - Trade Unions)
- Ian McCartney MP (Government and party chair)
- Sally Powell (Div. IV - Labour Councillors)
- John Prescott MP (Deputy Leader)
- Christine Shawcroft (Div. III - Constituency Labour Parties)
- Dennis Skinner MP (Div. V - PLP/EPLP)
- Keith Sonnett (Div. I - Trade Unions)
- Cath Speight (Div. I - Trade Unions)
- Norma Stephenson (Div. I - Trade Unions)
- Gary Titley MEP (EPLP Leader)
- Mary Turner (Div. I - Trade Unions)
- David Ward (Div. I - Trade Unions)
- Peter Wheeler (Div. I - Trade Unions)
- Mel Whitter (Young Labour)
- Pete Willsman (Div. III - Constituency Labour Parties)
- Harriet Yeo (Div. I - Trade Unions)
List of Chairmen
Elected or appointed through convention, for a term of one year. Chairs NEC meetings, Labour party national conference and any special conferences held during term. "Chairman of the Labour Party" until 2001; "Chairman of the NEC" from 2001 after Tony Blair appointed Charles Clarke to the courtesy position of "Party Chairman" without the NEC authorising such a position [link].
- Frederick Rogers (1900-01)
- Allan Gee (1901-02)
- Richard Bell MP (1902-03)
- John Hodge (1903-04)
- David Shackleton MP (1904-05)
- Arthur Henderson MP (1905-06)
- ? 1906-16
- John Hill (1916-17)
- W. F. Purdy (1917-18)
- ? (1918-19)
- William Harold Hutchinson (1919-20)
- ? (1920-21)
- Fred Jowett MP (1921-22)
- Sidney Webb MP (1922-23)
- Ramsay MacDonald MP (1923-24)
- C. T. Cramp (1924-25)
- Robert Williams (1925-26)
- ? (1926-27)
- George Lansbury MP (1927-28)
- Herbert Stanley Morrison MP (1928-29)
- Susan Lawrence MP (1929-30)
- Stanley Hirst (1930-31)
- George Lathan MP (1931-32)
- Joseph Compton (1932-33)
- Walter R. Smith (1933-34)
- W. A. Robinson (1934-35)
- Jennie Adamson (1935-36)
- Hugh Dalton MP (1936-37)
- George Dallas (1937-39 - no conference in 1938)
- Barbara Ayrton Gould (1939-40)
- ? (1940-41)
- ? (1941-42)
- Alfred Dobbs (1942-43)
- George Ridley MP (1943-44)
- Ellen Wilkinson MP (1944-45)
- Harold Laski (1945-46)
- Philip Noel-Baker MP (1946-47)
- Emmanuel Shinwell MP (1947-48)
- Jim Griffiths MP (1948-49)
- Sam Watson (1949-50)
- Alice Bacon MP (1950-51)
- Harry Earnshaw (1951-52)
- Arthur Greenwood MP (1952-53)
- Wilfrid Burke MP (1953-54)
- Edith Summerskill MP (1954-55)
- Edwin Gooch MP (1955-56)
- Margaret Herbison MP (1956-57)
- Tom Driberg (1957-58)
- Barbara Castle MP (1958-59)
- George Brinham (1959-60)
- Richard Crossman MP (1960-61)
- Harold Wilson MP (1961-62)
- Dai Davies (1962-63)
- Anthony Greenwood MP (1963-64)
- Ray Gunter MP (1964-65)
- Walter Padley MP (1965-66)
- John Boyd (1966-67)
- Jennie Lee MP (1967-68)
- Eirene White MP (1968-69)
- Arthur Skeffington MP (1969-70)
- Ian Mikardo MP (1970-71)
- Tony Benn MP (1971-72)
- William Simpson (1972-73)
- James Callaghan MP (1973-74)
- Fred Mulley MP (1974-75)
- Tom Bradley MP (1975-76)
- John Chalmers (1976-77)
- Joan Lestor MP (1977-78)
- Frank Allaun MP (1978-79)
- Lena Jeger (1979-80)
- Alex Kitson (1980-81)
- Judith Hart MP (1981-82)
- Sam McCluskie (1982-83)
- Eric Heffer MP (1983-84)
- Alan Hadden (1984-85)
- Neville Hough (1985-86)
- Syd Tierney (1986-87)
- Neil Kinnock MP (1987-88)
- Dennis Skinner MP (1988-89)
- Jo Richardson MP (1989-90)
- Tom Sawyer (1990-91)
- John Evans MP (1991-92)
- Tony Clarke (1992-93)
- David Blunkett MP (1993-94)
- Douglas Hoyle MP (1994-95)
- Diane Jeuda (1995-96)
- Robin Cook MP (1996-97)
- Richard Rosser (1997-98)
- Brenda Etchells (1998-99)
- Vernon Hince (1999-00)
- Maggie Jones (2000-01)
- Margaret Wall (2001-02)
- Diana Holland (2002-03)
- Mary Turner (2003-04)
- Ian McCartney MP (2004-05)
- Jeremy Beecham (2005-06)
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.