The Trade Union Group of Labour MPs is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

group of all Labour

Members of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

who are members of trade unions that are affiliated to the

British Labour Party The Labour Party is a List of political parties in the United Kingdom, political party in the United Kingdom that has been described as an alliance of Social democracy, social democrats, Democratic socialism, democratic socialists and trade u ...

. The group is a vehicle for promoting the voices of the trade unions in Parliament. The group meets regularly to discuss issues related to trade unions, keeping members informed via a web-based bulletin.

History

The group was founded in 1926, in response to the increasing number of non-trade union sponsored MPs in the Labour Party. In 1929, the

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national tra ...

(TUC) became unhappy with the line of the Labour government on unemployment, and so it reformed the group in an attempt to put pressure on it. At the

1931 UK general election Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

, almost all the Labour MPs were sponsored, so the group was suspended. The group was revived in 1937, on a far more professional basis. It began liaising closely with the TUC, holding its own meetings after each meeting of the

General Council of the TUC The General Council of the Trades Union Congress is an elected body which is responsible for carrying out the policies agreed at the annual British Trade Union Congresses (TUC). Organisation The council has 56 members, all of whom must be proposed ...

. It focused on discussion and information sharing, also bringing in visiting speakers from trade unions around the world, but did not attempt to lobby for any particular policies. The group ceased operating again during World War II, and was not revived until 1954. focused on supporting the party's leadership against critics, often those on the left wing of the trade union movement. It also played a minor role in promoting industrial policies, and the role of working class experience in the party. It first played a leading role in opposing a specific policy when ''

In Place of Strife ''In Place of Strife'' ( Cmnd 3888) was a UK Government white paper written in 1969. It was a proposed act to use the law to reduce the power of trade unions in the United Kingdom, but was never passed into law. The title of the paper was a rework ...

'' was published, the trade unions concerned it was a threat to

collective bargaining Collective bargaining is a process of negotiation between employers and a group of employees aimed at agreements to regulate working salaries, working conditions, benefits, and other aspects of workers' compensation and rights for workers. The i ...

. It then led opposition to the Conservative Party's Industrial Relations Bill. In the 1980s, the Trade Union Group became less important, becoming divided over the best line to take on industrial policy, and seeing splits between an increasing number of left-wing former manual workers, the traditional right, and those sponsored MPs without an industrial background. It focused on organising meetings and arranging speakers.

Ian Lavery Ian Lavery (born 6 January 1963) is a British Labour Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wansbeck since 2010. He served as the Chair of the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn from 2017 to 2020 and was President ...

, MP for Wansbeck, is the current Chair of the group.

Katy Clark Kathryn Sloan Clark, Baroness Clark of Kilwinning (born 3 July 1967) is a British politician and life peer who has served as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the West Scotland region since 2021. A member of the Labour Party, sh ...

, MP for North Ayrshire and Arran, is its Secretary.
A Guide to Trade Union and Labour Party Links p8

Leadership

Secretaries

:1924:

Thomas Mardy Jones Thomas Isaac Mardy Jones (21 January 1879 – 26 August 1970) was a British politician and miner. The son of a Welsh miner Thomas Isaac, who later died in the mines, Jones rose up the ranks of the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party to become Member ...

:c.1930:

Joseph Gibbins Joseph Gibbins, JP (1888 – 26 August 1965) was a British trade unionist and Labour Party politician. Early life Joseph Gibbins was born in the Toxteth Park district of Liverpool in early 1888. He was educated at evening classes at Liverpool ...

:1931: ''Post vacant'' :1937: Rhys Davies :1939: ''Post vacant'' :1953:

Charles Pannell Thomas Charles Pannell, Baron Pannell, PC (10 September 1902 – 23 March 1980) was a British Labour Party politician. He entered local politics in the outer London suburbs: he was a member of Walthamstow Borough Council from 1929 to 1936 a ...

:1964: Neil McBride :1966: Edwin Wainwright :1983: Don Dixon :1996:

Gerry Sutcliffe Gerard Sutcliffe (born 13 May 1953) is a British Labour Party politician who was Member of Parliament (MP) for Bradford South from 1994 to 2015. He was the Minister for Sport and Tourism in the Brown Government. Biography Born in Salford ...

:1998: Ian Davidson :2001: Frank Doran :2015:

:2015: :

Jo Stevens Joanna Meriel Stevens (born 6 September 1966) is a Welsh politician serving as Shadow Secretary of State for Wales since 2021, and previously from 2016 to 2017. A member of the Labour Party, she has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Cardiff ...

Chairs

:1924:

Ben Tillett Benjamin Tillett (11 September 1860 – 27 January 1943) was a British socialist, trade union leader and politician. He was a leader of the "new unionism" of 1889 that focused on organizing unskilled workers. He played a major role in founding ...

:1926:

David Watts Morgan David Watts Morgan, (18 December 1867 – 23 February 1933), who later in life hyphenated his name to Watts-Morgan, was a Welsh trade unionist, a Labour politician, and a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1918 to 1933. Described as " traddlingthe ...

:1931: ''Post vacant'' :1937:

William Dobbie Lieutenant General Sir William George Shedden Dobbie, (12 July 1879 – 3 October 1964) was a British Army officer who served in the Second Boer War and the First and Second World Wars. Early life William was born in Madras to a civil servant ...

:1939: ''Post vacant'' :1954:

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 ...

:1964:

Ness Edwards Ness Edwards (5 April 1897 – 3 May 1968) was a trade unionist and Welsh Labour Party politician: he served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Caerphilly from July 1939 until his death. He was born in Abertillery, Monmouthshire, Wales, the se ...

:1969: James Hamilton :1971:

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 Ch ...

:1974: Tom Urwin :1980s: :1994:

David Clelland David Gordon Clelland (born 27 June 1943) is a British Labour Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tyne Bridge from the 1985 by-election until the 2010 general election. Early life David Clelland was born in Gateshead ...

:1997: :2002:

Tony Lloyd Sir Anthony Joseph Lloyd (born 25 February 1950) is a British Labour Party politician who has discontinuously served as a Member of Parliament (MP) since 1983, currently as the MP for Rochdale since 2017. He was MP for Stretford from 1983 to 1 ...

:2012:

References

{{UK Labour Party Labour Party (UK) Labour Party (UK) trade unions Labour Party (UK) MPs Parliament of the United Kingdom Groups of British MPs 1926 establishments in the United Kingdom