The Treasurer of the Labour Party is a position on the

National Executive Committee National Executive Committee is the name of a leadership body in several organizations, mostly political parties: * National Executive Committee of the African National Congress, in South Africa * Australian Labor Party National Executive * Nationa ...

of the British Labour Party. Although a post with little power, in the past, it was often hotly contested by people who later became big names in British politics:

Arthur Greenwood Arthur Greenwood, (8 February 1880 – 9 June 1954) was a British politician. A prominent member of the Labour Party from the 1920s until the late 1940s, Greenwood rose to prominence within the party as secretary of its research department f ...

beat

Herbert Morrison Herbert Stanley Morrison, Baron Morrison of Lambeth, (3 January 1888 – 6 March 1965) was a British politician who held a variety of senior positions in the UK Cabinet as member of the Labour Party. During the inter-war period, he was Minis ...

in 1943, Hugh Gaitskell beat Aneurin Bevan in 1954, who in turn beat

George Brown George Brown may refer to: Arts and entertainment * George Loring Brown (1814–1889), American landscape painter * George Douglas Brown (1869–1902), Scottish novelist * George Williams Brown (1894–1963), Canadian historian and editor * G ...

in 1956, while James Callaghan beat

Michael Foot Michael Mackintosh Foot (23 July 19133 March 2010) was a British Labour Party politician who served as Labour Leader from 1980 to 1983. Foot began his career as a journalist on ''Tribune'' and the ''Evening Standard''. He co-wrote the 1940 p ...

in 1967. Since the 1990s, the post has typically been held by a senior member of one of the larger Trade Unions. Since the

Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (c. 41) is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom that sets out how political parties, elections and referendums are to be regulated in the United Kingdom. It formed an important pa ...

(PPERA) came into force, the Labour Party has had to register a Treasurer to the

Electoral Commission An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...

, who becomes legally responsible for various returns to the Electoral Commission. It has been the practice of the NEC to register the full-time General Secretary as Treasurer under PPERA, rather than the elected volunteer Treasurer. This has created two Treasurer roles within the party, so to disambiguate these roles the elected Treasurer is often called ''Party Treasurer'', and the PPERA Treasurer is often called ''Registered Treasurer''. The party accounts are signed by both treasurers using these titles, though under PPERA only the General Secretary need sign them. In 2008 the post was contested by the incumbent

Jack Dromey John Eugene Joseph Dromey (29 September 1948 – 7 January 2022) was a British politician and trade unionist who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Erdington from 2010 until his death. A member of the Labour Party, he was depu ...

and by human rights lawyer Mark McDonald, with Dromey being re-elected. In 2010, former Deputy Prime Minister

John Prescott John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott (born 31 May 1938) is a British politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and as First Secretary of State from 2001 to 2007. A member of the Labour Party, he w ...

was defeated by Diana Holland.

List of Treasurers

*1904:

Arthur Henderson Arthur Henderson (13 September 1863 – 20 October 1935) was a British iron moulder and Labour politician. He was the first Labour cabinet minister, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1934 and, uniquely, served three separate terms as Leader of th ...

*1912: Ramsay MacDonald *1929:

*1936: George Lathan *1943:

*1954: Hugh Gaitskell *1956: Aneurin Bevan *1960:

Harry Nicholas Sir Herbert Richard Nicholas OBE (13 March 1905 – 15 April 1997) was a trade unionist and political organiser. Early life Born in Bristol, Nicholas worked for the Port of Bristol Authority until 1936, when he took a full-time post in the T ...

*1964: Dai Davies *1967: James Callaghan *1976:

Norman Atkinson Norman Atkinson (25 March 1923 – 8 July 2013) was a British politician who served as Labour Member of Parliament for the London constituency of Tottenham from 1964 until 1987. Early life Manchester-born, Atkinson was educated at technical sch ...

*1981:

Eric Varley Eric Graham Varley, Baron Varley, (11 August 1932 – 29 July 2008) was a British Labour Party politician and cabinet minister on the right-wing of the party. Early life Varley was born at 15 Poolsbrook Square, Poolsbrook, Staveley, near C ...

*1983: Albert Booth *1984: Sam McCluskie *1992: Tom Burlison *1996:

Margaret Prosser Margaret Theresa Prosser, Baroness Prosser, (born 22 August 1937) is a Labour life peer and former trade unionist. Prosser was born on 22 August 1937 in Tooting, London, the daughter of Frederick James and Lillian (née Barry) Prosser. She wa ...

*2001: Jimmy Elsby *2004:

*2010: Diana Holland

References

{{UK Labour Party Organisation of the Labour Party (UK) Labour Party