The 1922 Committee, formally known as the Conservative Private Members' Committee, is the
parliamentary group
A parliamentary group, parliamentary party, or parliamentary caucus is a group consisting of some members of the same political party or electoral fusion of parties in a legislative assembly such as a parliament or a city council.
Parliamentar ...
of the
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
in the
House of Commons of the United Kingdom
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England.
The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 me ...
. The committee, consisting of all Conservative
backbench
In Westminster and other parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a member of parliament (MP) or a legislator who occupies no governmental office and is not a frontbench spokesperson in the Opposition, being instead simply a member of the " ...
members of
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
, meets weekly while Parliament is in session and provides a way for backbenchers to co-ordinate and discuss their views independently of
frontbencher
In many parliaments and other similar assemblies, seating is typically arranged in banks or rows, with each political party or caucus grouped together. The spokespeople for each group will often sit at the front of their group, and are then kn ...
s. Its executive membership and officers are by consensus limited to backbench MPs, although since 2010 frontbench Conservative MPs have an open invitation to attend meetings.
The committee can also play an important role in choosing the party leader. The group was formed in 1923 (by MPs who were
elected Elected may refer to:
* "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973
* ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008
*The Elected, an American indie rock band
See also
*Election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population ...
in
1922
Events
January
* January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes.
* January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...
) but became important after 1940. The committee, collectively, represents the views of the Conservative Party parliamentary rank and file to the party leader, usually also the
prime minister of the United Kingdom
The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern pr ...
or
leader of the Opposition
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...
.
Whips
A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally ...
are present but their role is limited to announcing future business and reporting questions and complaints to the chief
whip
A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...
.
Committee constitutional matters
The 1922 Committee has an 18-member executive committee, whose members are elected by all Conservative MPs except those who are members of the Government, i.e. the electorate comprises all "backbench" Conservative MPs. Candidates need to be nominated by two Conservative colleagues, and it is a first-past-the-post voting system, meaning the person with the most votes in each category wins.
The committee oversees the election of party leaders, or any Conservative party-led vote of confidence in a current leader. Such a vote can be triggered by 15% of Conservative MPs (currently 54 MPs out of the 360 sitting Conservative MPs ) writing a letter to the chairman of the committee asking for such a vote. This process was used most recently on 6 June 2022, against
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...
. The last time a leader lost such a vote was on 29 October 2003, when
Iain Duncan Smith
Sir George Iain Duncan Smith (born George Ian Duncan Smith; 9 April 1954), often referred to by his initials IDS, is a British politician who served as Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from 2001 to 2003. He was S ...
was defeated by 90 to 75.
Origins
The name does not, as is sometimes wrongly supposed, stem from the 19 October 1922
Carlton Club meeting
The Carlton Club meeting, on 19 October 1922, was a formal meeting of Members of Parliament who belonged to the Conservative Party, called to discuss whether the party should remain in government in coalition with a section of the Liberal Part ...
, in which Conservative MPs successfully demanded that the party withdraw from the
coalition government
A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...
of
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for leading the United Kingdom during t ...
, and which triggered the
1922 general election. The committee was formed following the election, in April 1923.
The MPs who founded the committee were not the same as those who had taken the decision to end the 1916–1922 coalition government. It began as a small dining group of new members elected in 1922. The committee soon developed into a
ginger group
The Ginger Group was not a formal political party in Canada, but a faction of radical Progressive and Labour Members of Parliament who advocated socialism. The term ginger group also refers to a small group with new, radical ideas trying to act ...
of active backbenchers. After the
1923 and
1924 elections, the membership expanded as more new Conservative MPs were elected, and in 1926 all backbench MPs were invited to become members. It became known as the Conservative Private Members' Committee. Consequently, it became a platform for the majority rather than a focus for discontent.
The term
"men in grey suits", meaning a delegation of Conservative MPs who tell a party leader that it is time for them to step down without forcing an open challenge, is often used in reference to members of the 1922 Committee.
It became popular following the resignation of
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. S ...
.
2010 changes
On 19 May 2010, shortly after the Conservatives had formed a
coalition government
A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...
with the
Liberal Democrats, Prime Minister
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...
suggested altering the committee to involve frontbench
ministers
Minister may refer to:
* Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric
** Minister (Catholic Church)
* Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department)
** Minister without portfolio, a member of governme ...
in the recommendation forming process, angering some
backbench
In Westminster and other parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a member of parliament (MP) or a legislator who occupies no governmental office and is not a frontbench spokesperson in the Opposition, being instead simply a member of the " ...
MPs.
On 20 May 2010, committee members voted to approve the change, with 168 votes in favour and 118 against. Many backbench party members criticised the move and voted against it, while ministers had argued such a change would be necessary to continue operating coherently as a party during its membership of a
coalition
A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces.
Formation
According to ''A Gui ...
government.
However, under
Graham Brady
Sir Graham Stuart Brady (born 20 May 1967) is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Altrincham and Sale West since 1997. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been Chairman of the 1922 Committee since ...
, who became chairman in 2010, it was clarified shortly after that vote that although frontbenchers became eligible to attend meetings of the committee, only backbenchers would be able to vote for its officers and executive committee, similarly to the
Parliamentary Labour Party
In UK politics, the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) is the parliamentary group of the Labour Party in Parliament, i.e. Labour MPs as a collective body. Commentators on the British Constitution sometimes draw a distinction between the Labour P ...
.
Current executive committee
As of 11 July 2022, the executive committee comprised:
*Chairman
**
Sir Graham Brady
Sir Graham Stuart Brady (born 20 May 1967) is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Altrincham and Sale West since 1997. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been Chairman of the 1922 Committee since 2 ...
*Joint Vice-Chairmen
**
William Wragg
William Peter Wragg (born 11 December 1987) is a British Conservative Party politician. He has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Hazel Grove in Greater Manchester since May 2015. He is a vice-chairman of the 1922 Committee.
Early life
Wragg ...
**
Nus Ghani
Nusrat Munir Ul-Ghani (born 1 September 1972) is a British Conservative Party politician who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Wealden in East Sussex since 2015. She is serving as Minister of State in the Department for Business, Energy ...
*Joint Executive secretaries
**
Bob Blackman
Robert John Blackman (born 26 April 1956) is a British politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Harrow East since 2010. A member of the Conservative Party, he has served as the Joint Executive Secretary of the backbench 1922 C ...
**
Gary Sambrook
Gary William Sambrook (born 25 June 1989) is a British Conservative Party politician who has served as the Joint Executive Secretary of the backbench 1922 Committee since 2021. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Northfield ...
*Treasurer
**
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown
*Executive members:
**
Aaron Bell Aaron Bell may refer to:
* Aaron Bell (musician)
Samuel Aaron Bell (April 24, 1921 – July 28, 2003) was an American jazz double-bassist.
Career
Bell was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, on April 24, 1921. He played piano as a child and learned to pl ...
**
Miriam Cates
Miriam ( he, מִרְיָם ''Mīryām'', lit. 'Rebellion') is described in the Hebrew Bible as the daughter of Amram and Jochebed, and the older sister of Moses and Aaron. She was a prophetess and first appears in the Book of Exodus.
The ...
**
Jo Gideon
**
Richard Graham
**
Chris Green
**
Robert Halfon
Robert Henry Halfon (; born 22 March 1969) is a British Conservative Party politician, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Harlow since 2010.
Halfon was formerly a researcher for Conservative MPs, including as Chief of Staff to Shadow Chancellor ...
**
Sally-Ann Hart
Sally-Ann Hart (born 6 March 1968) is a British politician who has been the member of parliament (MP) for Hastings and Rye since 2019. A member of the Conservative Party, she succeeded Amber Rudd, the former home secretary, who did not seek re- ...
**
Andrew Jones
**
Tom Randall
**
David Simmonds
David Timothy Simmonds is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner since 2019. A member of the Conservative Party, he is a former councillor on Hillingdon London Borough Council, ...
**
John Stevenson
**
Martin Vickers
Martin John Vickers (born 13 September 1950) is a British Conservative Party politician. He was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Cleethorpes at the 2010 general election.
Early life
Born in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, Vickers was ed ...
Former chairs
*
Gervais Rentoul
Sir Gervais Squire Chittick Rentoul KC (1 August 1884 – 7 March 1946) was a British Conservative politician.
He was the eldest son of Judge James Alexander Rentoul, M.P. for East Down 1890–1902, and his wife, Florence Isabella Young. Jame ...
(1923–1932)
*
William Morrison (1932–1935)
*
Hugh O'Neill (1935–1939)
*
Patrick Spens (1939–1940)
*
Alexander Erskine-Hill (1940–1944)
*
John McEwen
Sir John McEwen, (29 March 1900 – 20 November 1980) was an Australian politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Australia, holding office from 1967 to 1968 in a caretaker capacity after the disappearance of Harold Holt. He was the ...
(1944–1945)
*
Arnold Gridley
Arnold Babb Gridley, 1st Baron Gridley, KBE (16 July 1878 – 27 July 1965) was a British Conservative Member of Parliament (MP).
Gridley was the son of Edward Gridley of Abbey Dore in Herefordshire. He worked as a consulting engineer but later t ...
(1946–1951)
*
Derek Walker-Smith
Derek Colclough Walker-Smith, Baron Broxbourne, (13 April 1910 – 22 January 1992), known as Sir Derek Walker-Smith, Bt, from 1960 to 1983, was a British Conservative Party politician.
The son of Sir Jonah Walker-Smith (1874–1964) and his ...
(1951–1955)
*
John Morrison (1955–1964)
*
William Anstruther-Gray (1964–1966)
*
Arthur Vere Harvey
Arthur Vere Harvey, Baron Harvey of Prestbury, Knight Bachelor, Kt. (31 January 1906 – 5 April 1994) was a senior Royal Air Force officer and a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who served as a Member of Parliament (Un ...
(1966–1970)
*
Harry Legge-Bourke
Major Sir Edward Alexander Henry Legge-Bourke, (16 May 1914 – 21 May 1973), was a British politician, and a Member of Parliament for Isle of Ely from 1945 until his death in 1973.
Early life
Legge-Bourke was born as the only child of Lt. Ni ...
(1970–1972)
*
Edward du Cann
Sir Edward Dillon Lott du Cann (28 May 1924 – 31 August 2017) was a British politician and businessman. He was a member of Parliament (MP) from 1956 to 1987 and served as Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1967 and as chairman ...
(1972–1984)
*
Cranley Onslow
Cranley Gordon Douglas Onslow, Baron Onslow of Woking, (8 June 1926 – 13 March 2001) was a British politician and served as the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), MP for Woking (UK Parliament constit ...
(1984–1992)
*
Marcus Fox
Sir John Marcus Fox MBE (11 June 1927 – 16 March 2002) was a British Conservative Party politician. He served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Shipley from 1970 to 1997. He was chairman of the 1922 Committee between 1992 and 1997.
Als ...
(1992–1997)
*
Archie Hamilton
Archibald Gavin Hamilton, Baron Hamilton of Epsom, (born 30 December 1941) is a British Conservative Party politician.
Background and education
Hamilton is the second son of the 3rd Baron Hamilton of Dalzell, a Lord-in-waiting to the Queen. ...
(1997–2001)
*
Michael Spicer
William Michael Hardy Spicer, Baron Spicer, (22 January 1943 – 29 May 2019) was a British politician and life peer who was a Conservative member of the House of Lords from 2010 until 2019. He served as Member of Parliament for West Worcest ...
(2001–2010)
Secretaries
*
Victor Goodhew
Sir Victor Henry Goodhew (30 November 1919 – 11 October 2006) was a British Conservative politician. He served as Member of Parliament (MP) for St Albans for 24 years, from 1959 to 1983, and was an early member of the Conservative Monday Club ...
(1979–1983)
*
Jill Knight
Joan Christabel Jill Knight, Baroness Knight of Collingtree, (; 9 July 1923 – 6 April 2022) was a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, she served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Edgbaston from 1966 to 1997. ...
(1983–1987)
See also
*
Parliamentary Labour Party
In UK politics, the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) is the parliamentary group of the Labour Party in Parliament, i.e. Labour MPs as a collective body. Commentators on the British Constitution sometimes draw a distinction between the Labour P ...
*
Parliamentary group
A parliamentary group, parliamentary party, or parliamentary caucus is a group consisting of some members of the same political party or electoral fusion of parties in a legislative assembly such as a parliament or a city council.
Parliamentar ...
References
Further reading
*
*
*
{{authority control
Organisation of the Conservative Party (UK)
1923 establishments in the United Kingdom