# National Executive Committee (Labour Party)

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. 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.
In 2007, a new seat on the NEC was made for the Black Socialist Society, now known as BAME Labour.
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.
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.

## Organisation
### NEC Officers

As of October 2023, the Officers of the NEC are:
* Leader of the Labour Party: Keir Starmer MP
* Deputy Leader of the Labour Party: Angela Rayner MP
* Chair: Jessica Morden MP
* 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 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:

#### 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

#### Business Board

The Business Board is responsible for overseeing the business functions of the organisation including the management of the finances.

#### 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.

#### 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.

##### 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.

## Membership

Excluding ex officio members, NEC members are elected by their respective constituencies, and each serve a two-year term. As of 2023, the NEC has 39 members, as follows:
* 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 Chief Whip and the PLP Chair also attend as non-voting members.

## Current members

    As of 26 September 2024

### Leader of the Labour Party

* Keir Starmer MP

### Deputy Leader of the Labour Party

* Angela Rayner MP

### 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

* Anu Prashar (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

## Chair of the National Executive Committee

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. 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
    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
    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
    1939–40: Barbara Ayrton-Gould
    1940–41: James Walker MP
    1941–42: Walter Henry Green MP
    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
    2024–25: Ellie Reeves MP