National Executive Committee of the Labour Party (UK)

{{short description|Governing body of the UK Labour Party}} {{Use British English|date=April 2026}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}} {{Infobox organization | name = National Executive Committee | image = | image_size = | caption = | abbreviation = NEC | formation = {{start date and age|1900|02|27|df=yes}} | status = | purpose = | headquarters = London, England | location = | region_served = | num_members = | leader_title = Chair | leader_name = Shabana Mahmood | leader_title2 = Vice-chair | leader_name2 = Peter Wheeler | main_organ = | parent_organisation = Labour Party | affiliations = | num_staff = | budget = | website = }}

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.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}

In 1997, under Tony Blair's new party leadership, the General Secretary Tom Sawyer enacted the Partnership in Power reforms.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Massey |first=Christopher |date=29 March 2021 |title=The Changing of the Praetorian Guard? The Size, Structure and Composition of the Labour Party's National Executive Committee and the Enduring Importance of Labour's Trade Unions |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1467-923X.12984 |journal=The Political Quarterly |volume=92 |issue=2 |pages=343–351 |doi=10.1111/1467-923X.12984 |access-date=1 June 2024 |via=Wiley Online Library}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Macintyre |first=Donald |author-link=Donald Macintyre (journalist) |date=9 September 1998 |title=How we all fought to end Labour's political corruption |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/how-we-all-fought-to-end-labour-s-political-corruption-1197106.html |access-date=1 June 2024 |work=The Independent}}</ref> 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.<ref name=independent-19970930>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/labour-conference-left-jubilant-as-mandelson-fails-in-nec-election-1242024.html |title=Labour Conference: Left jubilant as Mandelson fails in NEC election |last=Abrams |first=Fran |newspaper=The Independent |date=30 September 1997 |access-date=1 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180801072624/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/labour-conference-left-jubilant-as-mandelson-fails-in-nec-election-1242024.html |archive-date=1 August 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> Moreover, under Blair, the committee's role declined. Its former policy development function is now largely carried out by the National Policy Forum.<ref name=":1" /> 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|date=October 2024}}

In 2007, a new seat on the NEC was made for the Black Socialist Society, now known as BAME Labour.<ref name="labour-uncut">{{cite news |last=Katwala |first=Sunder |date=1 October 2010 |title=And Labour's top baron is…Keith Vaz |url=http://www.labour-uncut.co.uk/2010/10/01/and-labours-top-baron-is-keith-vaz-by-sunder-katwala/ |access-date=1 June 2024 |work=Labour Uncut}}</ref>

In 2016, two new seats, one each for Scottish Labour and Welsh Labour, were added.<ref>{{Cite news |date=28 September 2016 |title=Conference liveblog: Welsh and Scottish Labour celebrate party reform victory |url=https://labourlist.org/2016/09/conference-liveblog-2016-leadership-contest-draws-to-a-close/ |access-date=1 June 2024 |work=LabourList}}</ref>

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.<ref name=":1" />

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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.phm.org.uk/archive-study-centre/ |title=Archive & Study Centre |publisher=People's History Museum |date=6 October 2015 |access-date=17 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160713111543/http://www.phm.org.uk/archive-study-centre/ |archive-date=13 July 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{citation |title=Collection Catalogues and Descriptions |publisher=People's History Museum |url=http://www.phm.org.uk/archive-study-centre/online-catalogue/ |access-date=20 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113161101/http://www.phm.org.uk/archive-study-centre/online-catalogue/ |archive-date=13 January 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Organisation ==

===NEC Officers===

{{As of|2026|January}}, the Officers of the NEC are:<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=NEC Committees|url=https://labour.org.uk/about/how-we-work/national-executive-committee/nec-committees/|access-date=2022-10-11|website=The Labour Party|language=en}}</ref>

* 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:<ref name=":0" />

====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.<ref name="Members of the NEC" /> {{As of|2023}}, the NEC has 39 members, as follows:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Rule-Book-2023-FINAL_web_v3.pdf |publisher=Labour Party |title=Rule Book 2023 |at=Chapter 1, Clause VIII; Chapter 4, Clause III |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240915001927/https://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Rule-Book-2023-FINAL_web_v3.pdf |archive-date= Sep 15, 2024 }}</ref>

* 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{{Efn|Elected by and from councillors, directly elected mayors, and/or Police and Crime Commissioners}} * 9: from CLPs{{Efn|nominated by CLPs, elected by all party members on a one member one vote basis}} * 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,<ref name="Members of the NEC"/> the Chief Whip and the PLP Chair also attend as non-voting members.<ref name="Members of the NEC" />

== Current members == {{updated|1 October 2025}} ; Leader of the Labour Party: * Sir Keir Starmer MP

; Deputy Leader of the Labour Party: * Lucy Powell MP

; Treasurer: * Mike Payne

; House of Commons Front Bench: *Shabana Mahmood MP *Ellie Reeves MP *Anna Turley MP

; Young Labour Representative: * Elsie Greenwood

; Disabled Members Representative: * Ellen Morrison-Smith

; BAME Representative: * Carol Sewell

; Division I – Trade Unions: * David Agbley (Unite) * Sonya Davis (GMB) * Isabelle Gutierrez (Musicians' Union) * Linda Hobson (UNISON) * Jane Jones (Usdaw) * Nicola Jukes (TSSA) * Ian Murray (FBU) * Keiran O'Neill (GMB) * Karen Rose (CWU) * Aimy Saunders (UNISON) * Cerys Way (ASLEF) * Mary Williams (Unite) * Tom Williams (Usdaw)

; 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 (Jonathan Reynolds 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/Archive/Article/0,4273,4228365,00.html|title=Blair mistook his Clarke for a chair|author= Roy Hattersley|work=The Guardian|date=26 July 2001|access-date=24 May 2007}}</ref> 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".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.labour.org.uk/nec_committees|title=NEC committees|publisher=Labour Party|access-date=24 May 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070713084455/http://www.labour.org.uk/nec_committees |archive-date=13 July 2007}}</ref> 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'''<ref>'British Political Facts 1900–1994', Butler & Butler 1994, PP144-5</ref>

: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'''<ref>Kevin Jefferys, ''Leading Labour: From Keir Hardie to Tony Blair'', p.4</ref>

: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'''<ref>'British Political Facts 1900–1994', Butler & Butler 1994, pp.144–5 for the period down to 1993</ref><ref name="Members of the NEC">{{Cite web|url=https://labour.org.uk/about/how-we-work/national-executive-committee/whos-on-the-nec/|title=Who's on the NEC?|website=The Labour Party|access-date=25 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610041647/https://labour.org.uk/about/how-we-work/national-executive-committee/whos-on-the-nec/|archive-date=10 June 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{columns-list| :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<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U231068/ROBERTS_Rt_Hon._Frederick_Owen?index=118&results=QuicksearchResults&query=0 |title=Who's Who |publisher=Ukwhoswho.com |access-date=18 March 2012}}</ref> :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{{Efn|no conference was held in 1938}} :1939–40: Barbara Ayrton-Gould :1940–41: James Walker MP :1941–42: Walter Henry Green MP<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U237936/GREEN_Walter_Henry?index=13&results=QuicksearchResults&query=0 |title=Who's Who |publisher=Ukwhoswho.com |access-date=18 March 2012}}</ref> :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 :2025–26: Shabana Mahmood MP |colwidth=20em}}

==See also== *Conservative Party Board *Liberal Democrats Federal Board

==Notes== {{notelist}}

== References == {{reflist|30em}}

==Further reading== * {{Cite journal |last1=Laffin |first1=Martin |last2=Shaw |first2=Eric |last3=Taylor |first3=Gerald |date=January 2007 |title=The New Sub-National Politics of the British Labour Party |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1354068806071265 |journal=Party Politics |language=en |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=88–108 |doi=10.1177/1354068806071265 |hdl=1893/1049 |issn=1354-0688|hdl-access=free }} * {{Cite journal |last=McCormick |first=Paul |date=1980 |title=The Labour Party: Three Unnoticed Changes |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/193528 |journal=British Journal of Political Science |volume=10 |issue=3 |pages=381–387 |doi=10.1017/S0007123400002258 |jstor=193528 |issn=0007-1234}}

* {{Cite journal |last=McKenzie |first=R. T. |date=January 1956 |title=The Wilson Report and the Future of the Labour Party Organization |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-9248.1956.tb00943.x |journal=Political Studies |language=en |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=93–97 |doi=10.1111/j.1467-9248.1956.tb00943.x |issn=0032-3217|url-access=subscription }}

* {{Cite journal |last=Massey |first=Christopher |date=April 2021 |title=The Changing of the Praetorian Guard? The Size, Structure and Composition of the Labour Party's National Executive Committee and the Enduring Importance of Labour's Trade Unions |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-923X.12984 |journal=The Political Quarterly |language=en |volume=92 |issue=2 |pages=343–351 |doi=10.1111/1467-923X.12984 |issn=0032-3179}} * {{Cite book |last=Russell |first=Meg |title=Building New Labour: The Politics of Party Organisation |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-4039-3994-4 |pages=172–189 |chapter=The National Executive Committee |doi=10.1057/9780230513167_7 |chapter-url=http://link.springer.com/10.1057/9780230513167_7}}

* {{Cite journal |last=Shaw |first=Eric |date=April 1989 |title=The Labour Party and The Militant Tendency |url=https://academic.oup.com/pa/article/1453359/THE |journal=Parliamentary Affairs |language=en |volume=42 |issue=2 |pages=180–196 |doi=10.1093/oxfordjournals.pa.a052189 |issn=1460-2482|url-access=subscription }}

* {{Cite journal |last=Sibley |first=John Richard |date=March 1978 |title=Labour Party Committee Elections and The Labour Leader, 1945–1976 |url=https://ejpr.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1475-6765.1978.tb00550.x |journal=European Journal of Political Research |language=en |volume=6 |issue=1 |pages=71–104 |doi=10.1111/j.1475-6765.1978.tb00550.x |issn=0304-4130|url-access=subscription }}

==External links== * [https://labour.org.uk/whos-on-the-nec/ "Members of the NEC" ''Labour'' (2024)]

{{UK Labour Party}}

Category:Organisation of the Labour Party (UK) Category:Executive committees of political parties Category:Labour Party (UK)-related lists