Chief Whip of the Labour Party
The Chief Whip of the Labour Party is responsible for administering the whipping system in the party which ensures that members attend and vote in parliament when the party leadership requires a majority vote. Whips, of which two are appointed in the party, a member of the House of Commons and a member of the House of Lords also help to organise their party’s contribution to parliamentary business. On some occasions, the party leadership may allow MP's to have a free vote based on their own conscience rather than party policy, of which the chief whip is not required to direct votes.
This is a list of those people who have served as Chief Whip of the Labour Party in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
House of Commons
| Chief Whip of the Labour Party | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Appointer | Leader of the Labour Party |
| Inaugural holder | David Shackleton |
| Formation | circa 1906 |
| Year | Name | Constituency |
|---|---|---|
| 1906 | David Shackleton | Clitheroe |
| 1906 | Arthur Henderson | Barnard Castle |
| 1907 | George Roberts | Norwich |
| 1914 | Arthur Henderson | Barnard Castle |
| 1914 | Frank Goldstone | Sunderland |
| 1916 | George Roberts | Norwich |
| 1919 | William Tyson Wilson | Westhoughton |
| 1920 | Arthur Henderson | Widnes |
| 1924 | Benjamin Spoor | Bishop Auckland |
| 1925 | Arthur Henderson | Burnley |
| 1927 | Thomas Kennedy | Kirkcaldy Burghs |
| 1931 | Charles Edwards | Bedwellty |
| 1942 | William Whiteley | Blaydon |
| 1955 | Herbert Bowden | Leicester South West |
| 1964 | Edward Short | Newcastle upon Tyne Central |
| 1966 | John Silkin | Deptford |
| 1969 | Robert Mellish | Bermondsey |
| 1976 | Michael Cocks | Bristol South |
| 1985 | Derek Foster | Bishop Auckland |
| 1995 | Donald Dewar | Glasgow Garscadden |
| 1997 | Nick Brown | Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend |
| 1998 | Ann Taylor | Dewsbury |
| 2001 | Hilary Armstrong | Durham North West |
| 2006 | Jacqui Smith | Redditch |
| 2007 | Geoff Hoon | Ashfield |
| 2008 | Nick Brown | Newcastle upon Tyne East |
| 2010 | Rosie Winterton | Doncaster Central |
| 2016 | Nick Brown | Newcastle upon Tyne East |
House of Lords
| Chief Whip of the Labour Party | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Appointer | Leader of the Labour Party |
| Inaugural holder | The Lord Muir-Mackenzie and The Earl De La Warr |
| Formation | 1924 |
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| Feb 1924 | The Lord Muir-Mackenzie |
| Feb 1924 | The Earl De La Warr |
| 1930 | The Lord Marley |
| 1937 | The Lord Strabolgi |
| 1941 | The Earl of Listowel |
| 1944 | The Lord Southwood |
| 1945 | The Lord Ammon |
| 1949 | The 1st Lord Shepherd |
| 1954 | The Earl of Lucan |
| 1964 | The 2nd Lord Shepherd |
| 1967 | The Lord Beswick |
| 1973 | The Baroness Llewelyn-Davies of Hastoe |
| 1982 | The Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede |
| 1990 | The Lord Graham of Edmonton |
| 1997 | The Lord Carter |
| 2002 | The Lord Grocott |
| 2008 | The Baroness Royall of Blaisdon |
| 2008 | The Lord Bassam of Brighton |
| 2018 | Lord McAvoy |
Sources
- Chris Cook and Brendan Keith, British Historical Facts 1830-1900, Macmillan, 1975
- David Butler and Gareth Butler, Twentieth-Century British Historical Facts 1900-2000, Macmillan, 2000