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.

History

During the 1980s, the NEC had a major role in policy-making and was often at the heart of disputes over party policy.

In 1997, under Tony Blair's new party leadership, the General Secretary Tom Sawyer enacted the Partnership in Power reforms. 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. Moreover, under Blair, the committee's role declined. Its former policy development function is now largely carried out by the National Policy Forum.

In 2016, two new seats, one each for Scottish Labour and Welsh Labour, were added.

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.

Organisation

NEC Officers

, the Officers of the NEC are:

  • Leader of the Labour Party: Keir Starmer MP
  • Deputy Leader of the Labour Party: Lucy Powell MP
  • Chair of the National Executive Committee: Shabana Mahmood MP
  • Vice-Chair of the National Executive Committee: Cllr Peter Wheeler
  • Treasurer: Mike Payne
  • Chair of the Organisation Committee: Tom Williams
  • Chair of the Disputes Panel: Gurinder Singh Josan MP
  • NEC co-convenor of the Joint Policy Committee (JPC): Keiran O’Neill
  • Chair of the Equalities Committee: Abdi Duale
  • Chair of the National Policy Forum (when a member of the NEC): Ellie Reeves MP

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 sub-committees

The following are sub-committees of the NEC:

  • 3: Ex officio positions: Leader and 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
  • 9: from CLPs
  • 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, 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". 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

: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

: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

See also

  • Conservative Party Board
  • Liberal Democrats Federal Board

Notes

References

Further reading

  • "Members of the NEC" Labour (2024)