Chair of the Labour Party (UK)
The Chair of the Labour Party is a position in the Labour Party of the United Kingdom. The Chair is responsible for administration of the party and overseeing general election campaigns, and is typically held concurrently with another position.
| Chair of the Labour Party | |
|---|---|
| Style | Party Chair (informal) |
| Appointer | Leader of the Labour Party |
| Formation | 9 June 2001 |
| First holder | Charles Clarke |
History edit
Established by Tony Blair in the aftermath of the 2001 general election, the chair of the Labour Party was a Cabinet position held alongside the minister without portfolio post during his tenure as prime minister.[1] The position is not to be confused with that of Chair of the Labour National Executive Committee, described as 'chair of the party' in the Labour Party Constitution. The role had a larger portfolio for organising election campaigning under Jeremy Corbyn, with Ian Lavery working alongside the co-national campaign coordinator, Andrew Gwynne.[2]
From June 2007 to June 2017 and again from April 2020 to May 2021, the seat was held concurrently by the party's deputy leader. The position was held by Angela Rayner, who was appointed by Sir Keir Starmer following her election as deputy leader, until 2021 when she was sacked after Labour performed poorly at the local elections and the Hartlepool by-election.[3]
List of chairs edit
| Name | Portrait | Term of office | Length of Term | Concurrent office(s) | Party Leader | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Clarke | 9 June 2001 | 24 October 2002 | 1 year, 137 days | Minister without Portfolio | Tony Blair | |
| John Reid | 24 October 2002 | 4 April 2003 | 162 days | |||
| Ian McCartney | 4 April 2003 | 5 May 2006 | 3 years, 31 days | |||
| Hazel Blears | 5 May 2006 | 24 June 2007 | 1 year, 50 days | |||
| Harriet Harman | 24 June 2007 | 12 September 2015 | 8 years, 80 days | Deputy Leader of the Labour PartyLeader of the House of Commons (2007–10) Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal (2007–10) Minister for Women and Equality (2007–10) | Gordon Brown | |
| Leader of the Opposition (2010) | Herself (acting) | |||||
| Shadow Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (2010–15) Shadow Secretary of State for International Development (2010–11) Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (2011–15) | Ed Miliband | |||||
| Leader of the Opposition (2015) | Herself (acting) | |||||
| Tom Watson | 12 September 2015 | 14 June 2017 | 1 year, 275 days | Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport | Jeremy Corbyn | |
| Ian Lavery | 14 June 2017 | 5 April 2020 | 2 years, 296 days | Shadow Minister without Portfolio National Campaign Coordinator | ||
| Angela Rayner | 5 April 2020 | 8 May 2021 | 1 year, 33 days | Deputy Leader of the Opposition Shadow First Secretary of State National Campaign Coordinator | Sir Keir Starmer | |
| Anneliese Dodds | 9 May 2021 | Incumbent | 2 years, 358 days | Chair of the Labour Policy Review | ||
References edit
- ^ Hattersley, Roy (26 July 2001). "Blair mistook his Clarke for a chair". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 May 2007.
- ^ "The Latest from Labour Shadow Cabinet Appointments". Labour Party. 15 June 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
- ^ Way, Fran (9 May 2021). "Oxford MP Anneliese Dodds sacked as Labour's Shadow Chancellor". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 10 May 2021.