Morgan Walter Phillips (18 June 1902 – 15 January 1963) was a

colliery Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

worker and

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...

activist who became the General Secretary of the British Labour Party, involved in two of the party's election victories.

Life

Born in Aberdare, Glamorgan, one of the six children of William Phillips, Phillips was brought up in

Bargoed Bargoed ( cy, Bargod) is a town and community in the Rhymney Valley, Wales, one of the South Wales Valleys. It lies on the Rhymney River in the county borough of Caerphilly. It straddles the ancient boundary of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, wit ...

. He left school when he was 12 to become a

surface worker. When he was 18, Phillips became a member of the Caerphilly divisional Labour Party, and served as

secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a ...

of the party in Bargoed, 1923–25. He was chairman of the Bargoed Steam Coal Lodge, 1924–26. He was able to attend the Labour College,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

for a two-year course in economic and social subjects. He remained in London and became secretary of the Labour Party in West Fulham, 1928–30. and later in

Whitechapel Whitechapel is a district in East London and the future administrative centre of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a part of the East End of London, east of Charing Cross. Part of the historic county of Middlesex, the area formed ...

, 1934-37. He became a councillor on Fulham borough council, 1934–37. In 1937 he was employed at the party's headquarters as propaganda officer, then as secretary of the party's research department from 1941. He soon rose to become secretary of the party in 1944, formally renamed general secretary in 1960. Phillips revolutionised the organisation of the Party and aimed to appeal to a wider set of people and professions, a professional basis for the election victories in 1945 and 1950, that saw fewer trade unionists and more professionals elected to Parliament. He called for recognition of middle class aspiration for wealth, home ownership and leisure opportunities, and warned against excessive emphasis on nationalisation. Nevertheless, Phillips and the party organization he led were blamed by some for the defeat in the 1955 general election: a post-mortem conducted by Harold Wilson labelled the party's organization as a "penny farthing n antiquated model of bicyclein a jet age". In 1957, Phillips joined Aneurin Bevan and

Richard Crossman Richard Howard Stafford Crossman (15 December 1907 – 5 April 1974) was a British Labour Party politician. A university classics lecturer by profession, he was elected a Member of Parliament in 1945 and became a significant figure among the ...

in suing ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

'' magazine for libel. An article had been published by ''The Spectator'' describing the men as drinking heavily during a socialist conference in Italy. Having sworn that the charges were untrue, the three collected damages from the magazine. Many years later, Crossman's posthumously published diaries confirmed the truth of the magazine's charges. Phillips' reputation rose in the unsuccessful 1959 general election campaign. His daily press conferences were seen as an outstanding success, attracting much interest. He understood journalists and gave concise and insightful answers. He presented a clear analysis of what had happened during the election defeat and constructive proposals for the future, many of which are included in his paper, ''Labour in the Sixties'' (1960), that laid foundations for the return to power of the Labour Party in 1964. He also published ''East meets West'' (1954) and various political and economic pamphlets. Phillips was a key figure in the international Labour movement and presided over several conferences of the

International Socialist Committee International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

from 1944 onwards. He served as chairman of the

Socialist International The Socialist International (SI) is a political international or worldwide organisation of political parties which seek to establish democratic socialism. It consists mostly of socialist and labour-oriented political parties and organisations ...

from its formation in 1948 until 1957. He suffered a stroke in August 1960, at the height of his career, and retired as General Secretary in 1961, dying in early 1963.

Legacy

Th
Labour History Archive and Study Centre
at the

People's History Museum The People's History Museum (the National Museum of Labour History until 2001) in Manchester, England, is the UK's national centre for the collection, conservation, interpretation and study of material relating to the history of working people ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

has the General Secretary papers of Morgan Phillips in their collection.

Family

In Fulham Labour Party Phillips met Norah Lusher, later Baroness Phillips, whom he married in 1930. They had a son and a daughter. The latter,

Gwyneth Dunwoody Gwyneth Patricia Dunwoody (née Phillips; 12 December 1930 – 17 April 2008) was a British Labour Party politician, who was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Exeter from 1966 to 1970, and then for Crewe (later Crewe and Nantwich) from February ...

, was a long-serving Labour MP from 1964 until her death in 2008; she married

John Dunwoody John Elliot Orr Dunwoody CBE (3 June 1929 – 26 January 2006) was a British Labour politician. Dunwoody was educated at St Paul's School, then trained as a doctor at King's College London, and Westminster Hospital Medical School. A surgeon, ...

, who would also become a Labour Member of Parliament. Their daughter,

Tamsin Dunwoody Moyra Tamsin Dunwoody (born 3 September 1958), sometimes known as Tamsin Dunwoody-Kneafsey, is a British Labour politician who served as the Member of the National Assembly for Wales for Preseli Pembrokeshire from 2003 to 2007. She served in t ...

was a Member of the

National Assembly for Wales The Senedd (; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, it makes laws for Wales, agrees certain taxes and scrutinises the Welsh Go ...

from 2003 to 2007.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Morgan 1902 births 1963 deaths British coal miners Councillors in Greater London People from Aberdare People from Fulham Presidents of the Socialist International Welsh Labour politicians Welsh miners Welsh socialists Spouses of life peers Members of Fulham Metropolitan Borough Council People from Bargoed