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:

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:

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: 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

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 Chairmen of the National Executive Committee of the Labour Representation Committee 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