Labour Party (UK) Conference

The 2016 Labour Party Conference at ACC Liverpool

The Labour Party Conference, or annual national conference of the Labour Party, is formally the supreme decision-making body of the Party. The conference is traditionally held on the final week in September after the Conservative Party and Liberal Democrats have held their conferences. Labour is one of few British parties to use their annual gathering for voting and policy resolution. The conference opens on a Sunday and finishes the following Wednesday usually with an address for the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party but some exceptions including 2016 have been made. This means that the Leader's address is usually held on the Tuesday beforehand.

Conference decisions

In the United Kingdom, each major political party holds an annual party conference during the party conference season. In the Labour Party, Conference is the supreme body, although the party leadership has made clear, particularly in recent years, that it will ignore the conference's decisions where it does not agree; constitutionally, a British government must be free to make decisions on behalf of the whole population and cannot be bound by any private body.

Delegates

Delegates to the conference are elected by Constituency Labour Parties, affiliated trade unions and socialist societies. Currently, affiliated trade unions hold 50% of the votes at the conference – down from 80% in the era before Tony Blair. Some 40% of the votes are wielded by the three largest trade unions (Unite, GMB, UNISON).

Resolutions

Resolutions for debate are put forward by CLPs and unions before the conference begins. In recent years, party members have had less say in what is debated at the annual conference, as the party leadership has tried to move policy-making increasingly into the new National Policy Forums, which meet in private.

Role of the NEC

The National Executive Committee leads the conference (although the details of the conference, including what is debated, are managed by the Conference Arrangements Committee) and if it does not agree with a resolution, the committee may put pressure on the backers to withdraw or remit it. Remittance means that the resolution's backers agree to "send back" the resolution to the National Executive so that it can consider the matter in more detail; this is viewed by some as a mere delaying tactic. The resolutions voted upon are normally composites, meaning that they have been compiled by combining several resolutions put forward by different bodies into a single wording agreed beforehand.

List of 20th-century conferences

Of the Labour Representation Committee

DateLocationChairman
27–28 February 1900LondonW. Steadman
1 February 1901ManchesterJ. Hodge
20–23 February 1902BirminghamW. Davies
19–21 February 1903NewcastleJ. Bell
4–5 February 1904BradfordJ. Hodge
26–29 January 1905LiverpoolA. Henderson
15–17 February 1906LondonA. Henderson

[1]

Of the Labour Party

DateLocationChairmanNotes
24–26 January 1907BelfastJ. Stephenson
20–22 January 1908HullW. Hudson
27–29 January 1909PortsmouthJ. Clynes
9–11 February 1910NewportJ. Keir Hardie
1–3 February 1911LeicesterW. Robinson
24–26 January 1912BirminghamB. Turner
29–31 January 1913LondonG. Roberts
27–30 January 1914GlasgowT. Fox
1915no conference
26–28 January 1916BristolW. Anderson
23–26 January 1917ManchesterG. Wardle
23–25 January 1918NottinghamW. PurdyConference adjourned and then resumed in London 26 February 1918
26–28 June 1918LondonW. Purdy
25–27 June 1919SouthportJ. McGurk
22–25 June 1920ScarboroughW. Hutchinson
26–29 June 1923LondonS. Webb
7–10 October 1924LondonR. MacDonald
29 September-2 October 1925LiverpoolC. Cramp
11–15 October 1926MargateR. Williams
3–7 October 1927BlackpoolF. Roberts
1–5 October 1928BirminghamG. Lansbury
30 September-4 October 1929BrightonH. Morrison
6–10 October 1930LlandudnoSusan Lawrence
5–8 October 1931ScarboroughS. Hirst
3–7 October 1932LeicesterG. Lathan
2–6 October 1933HastingsJ. Compton
1–5 October 1934SouthportW. Smith
30 September-4 October 1935BrightonW. Robinson
5–9 October 1936EdinburghJennie Adamson
4–8 October 1937BournemouthH. Dalton
1938no conference
29 May-2 June 1939SouthportG. Dallas
13–16 May 1940BournemouthBarbara Gould
2–4 June 1941LondonJ. Walker
25–28 May 1942LondonW. Green
14–18 June 1943LondonA. Dobbs
11–15 December 1944LondonG. Ridley
21–25 May 1945BlackpoolEllen Wilkinson
10–14 June 1946BournemouthH. Laski
26–30 May 1947MargateP. Noel-Baker
17–21 May 1948ScarboroughE. Shinwell
6–10 June 1949BlackpoolJ. Griffiths
2–6 October 1950MargateS. Watson
1–3 October 1951ScarboroughAlice Bacon
29 September-3 October 1952MorecambeH. Earnshaw
28 September-2 October 1953MargateArthur Greenwood
27 September-1 October 1954ScarboroughW. Burke
10–14 October 1955MargateEdith Summerskill
1–5 October 1956BlackpoolE. Gooch
30 September-4 October 1957BrightonMargaret HerbisonAneurin Bevan makes a speech disavowing unilateral nuclear disarmament claiming that it will send the government "naked into the conference chamber"
29 September-3 October 1958ScarboroughT. Driberg
28–29 November 1959BlackpoolBarbara Castle
3–7 October 1960ScarboroughG. Brinham
2–6 October 1961BlackpoolR. Crossman
2–5 October 1962BrightonH. Wilson
30 September-4 October 1963ScarboroughD. Davies
12–13 December 1964BrightonAnthony Greenwood
27 September–October 1965BlackpoolR. Gunter
3–7 October 1966BrightonW. Padley
2–6 October 1967ScarboroughJ. Boyd
30 September-4 October 1968BlackpoolJennie Lee
29 September-3 October 1969BrightonEirene White
28 September-2 October 1970BlackpoolA. Skeffington
4–8 October 1971BrightonI. Mikardo
2–6 October 1972BlackpoolA. Benn
1–5 October 1973BlackpoolW. Simpson
27–30 November 1974LondonJ. Callaghan
26 April 1975LondonF. MulleySpecial Conference on the Common Market
29 September–October 1975BlackpoolF. Mulley
27 September-1 October 1976BlackpoolT. Bradley
3–7 October 1977BrightonJoan Lestor
2–6 October 1978BlackpoolJoan Lestor
1–5 October 1979BrightonF. Allaun
29 September-3 October 1980BlackpoolLady Jeger
27 September-2 October 1981BrightonAlec KitsonMinute's silence at the Conference in memory of Bill Shankly, former Liverpool FC manager and lifelong Labour supporter, when news of his death was announced[2]
27 September-1 October 1982BlackpoolDame J. Hart
3–8 October 1983BrightonS. McCluskeyThe editorial board of Militant are expelled
1–5 October 1984BlackpoolEric Heffer
29 September-4 October 1985BournemouthA. HaddenLeader Neil Kinnock attackes Militant and their record in the leadership of Liverpool City Council[3] leading to a walkout led by Eric Heffer
28 September-3 October 1986BlackpoolN. Hough
27 September-2 October 1987BrightonS. Tierney
2–7 October 1988BlackpoolNeil Kinnock
1–6 October 1989BrightonD. Skinner
30 September-5 October 1990BlackpoolJo Richardson
29 September-4 October 1991BrightonJ. Evans
27 September-2 October 1992BlackpoolT. Clarke
26 September-1 October 1993BrightonD. Blunkett
3–7 October 1994BlackpoolD. Blunkett
29 April 1995LondonG. CollingSpecial Conference on the Party Constitution
2–6 October 1995BrightonG. Colling
30 September-4 October 1996BlackpoolDiana Jeuda
29 September-3 October 1997BrightonR. CookFirst conference following their dramatic election win just months previously.
28 September-2 October 1998BlackpoolR. Rosser
27 September-1 October 1999BournemouthBrenda Etchells[4]

[1][5]

From 2000

2000 Brighton

The international guest speaker was Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa.[6]

2001 Brighton

The international guest speaker was Gerhard Schröder, the Chancellor of Germany.[7]

2002 Blackpool

The international guest speaker was Bill Clinton, former President of the United States of America.[8]

2003 Bournemouth

The international guest speaker to address conference was Hamid Karzai, the first President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.[9]

2004 Brighton

The 2004 party conference was held in Brighton during the final week of September. Conference rejected a call for withdrawal from Iraq, but accepted a resolution calling for renationalisation of the railways; the leadership declared that it would ignore this. The conference received some international glamour when it was addressed by the Irish rock star Bono who called for more action to combat the spread of AIDS and the debt crippling African countries.[10]

Conference closed with the singing of The Red Flag and Jerusalem.

2005 Brighton

Over 600 people were held under the recent terrorism acts, including Walter Wolfgang an 82-year-old refugee from Nazi Germany who was arrested for attempting to re-enter the conference without a pass. None was subsequently charged.[11][12]

2006 Manchester

In 2006 the conference was held in Manchester at the G-Mex and Manchester International Conference Centre from 24 to 28 September. It was the first time in 50 years the main Labour conference was not held at a seaside town and the first time since 1917 the Labour conference had been held in Manchester. This followed Labour's Spring 2004 conference which was held at the G-Mex for the first time. The conference was Blair's last as leader after he stated this would be the case just before the conference and at the conference itself. The start of the conference was marked with protests against the Iraq War.

Tony Blair, in his last speech to conference as Labour Party leader and Prime Minister, praised the work of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown.[13]

The conference was addressed in a joint session by Labour's Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone and the Mayor of Los Angeles Antonio Villaraigosa on the subject of climate change. Bob Geldof and Monica Naggaga from Oxfam (Uganda) spoke together about the plight of Africa. The main international guest speaker was the former US President Bill Clinton. Another international visitor – but not a speaker to the conference – was Shimon Peres, the former Prime Minister of Israel.

St Johns C.E. Primary School's steel band also performed there before Tony Blair came on stage.

2007 Bournemouth

The 2007 conference was held in the Bournemouth International Centre from 23 to 27 September. The conference was the first with Gordon Brown as leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister, and he laid out his plans for his premiership. It was all first conference for Harriet Harman as Deputy Leader and First Secretary of State.

2008 Manchester

The 2008 conference was held between 20 and 24 September in Manchester at Manchester Central (formerly G-Mex). The opening day of conference was moved from Sunday to Saturday to allow people who work during the week to attend. The Labour leader and Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, delivered his keynote address on 23 September.

2009 Brighton

The 2009 conference was held in Brighton from 27 September to 1 October 2009.[14] It is noted for a particularly impassioned address from Peter Mandelson given on 28 September in which he claimed that Labour was in "the fight of our lives" as the forthcoming general election approached.[15] Gordon Brown gave his keynote address to the conference on the afternoon of 29 September, saying that Labour was "not done yet".[16] Shortly afterwards Britain's biggest selling newspaper, The Sun announced that it would withdraw its support for the Labour Party and gave its backing to the Conservatives.[17] Union leader and Labour supporter Tony Woodley responded to this by tearing up a copy of that edition of The Sun, telling the audience: "In Liverpool, we learnt a long time ago what to do. I suggest the rest of the country should do exactly the same thing";[18] in reference to the hostility felt in Liverpool towards The Sun newspaper following its controversial allegations about the behaviour of Liverpool FC supporters during the Hillsborough disaster 20 years earlier.[19] In the Prime Ministers Keynote Address Gordon Brown listed no fewer than twenty Labour Party achievements since 1997 and received an early standing ovation. The address would be his last as Prime Minister and for the Party would be their thirteenth and last party conference in government.

2010 Manchester

The 2010 Conference took place between 26–30 September 2010 at Manchester Central Conference Centre.[20] The conference started with the announcement of the results of the 2010 leadership election and was Ed Miliband's first conference as leader. In his first major speech as leader on 28 September, Miliband told delegates that his "new generation" would return the party to power.[21] The following day David Miliband announced he would not be serving in his brother's shadow cabinet, although he would continue as an MP.[22] Other highlights of the conference included activists condemning the coalition government's proposed public spending cuts as "obscene" on 27 September,[23] and a close of conference address from Harriet Harman in which she told delegates that Ed Miliband would "fortify" the party.[24]

2011 Liverpool

The 2011 Conference took place in Liverpool from 25–29 September. It was the first time since 1925 that Labour had held its Annual Conference there. On 26 September delegates voted to scrap the tradition of Shadow Cabinet elections.[25] Ed Miliband's keynote speech on 27 September suffered a five-minute blackout after all media communications were lost.[26]

2012 Manchester

The 2012 Conference was held in Manchester from 30 September–4 October at Manchester Central Conference Centre. Labour Leader Ed Miliband's speech was the first by a Labour leader in around twenty years to be delivered without the use of an Autocue, enabling him to walk up and down the stage during his speech while maintaining eye contact with his audience, replicating the style of David Cameron in 2005 when running for leadership of the Conservative Party.[27]

2013 Brighton

The 2013 Conference took place in Brighton 22–25 September at the Brighton Centre.

2014 London (Special Conference)

A special conference was held at ExCeL London on 1 March to approve rule changes arising from former general-secretary Ray Collins review of party reform. The changes included replacing the electoral college system for selecting new leaders with a "one member, one vote" system. Mass membership would be encouraged by allowing "registered supporters" to join at a low cost, as well as full membership. Members from the trade unions would also have to explicitly "opt in" rather than "opt out" of paying a political levy to Labour.[28][29][30]

2014 Manchester

The 2014 Conference was held in Manchester from 21–24 September at Manchester Central Conference Centre. Ed Miliband was criticised by his own colleagues for failing to mention the deficit and immigration in his Conference address, despite having promised to do so in his pre-speech press release.[31] It was Miliband's last Autumn Conference address as Labour Leader.

2015 Brighton

The results of the leadership and deputy leadership elections were announced prior to the Annual Conference on 12 September at a special conference.[32] The 2015 conference took place in Brighton between 27 September and 30 September.[33] The new Labour Leader, Jeremy Corbyn, reinstated the use of the Autocue, three years after it had been abandoned by Ed Miliband. It was the first time that Corbyn had used one to deliver a speech.[34]

2016 Liverpool

The 2016 Conference took place at ACC Liverpool, it started on 25 September and ran until Wednesday 28 September. The result of the Leadership election 2016 was announced the previous day with Jeremy Corbyn being re-elected.[35] The conference heard impassioned pleas for unity and a need for the party to gain power from Deputy Leader Tom Watson and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. The party faithful were widely criticised for their apparent disunity among elected representatives but the gathering in Liverpool came together in harmony on many issues including opposition to plans for grammar school expansions, a 'hard brexit' and on accepting more unaccompanied child refugees into Britain.

2017 Brighton

The 2017 Conference will take place at the 5,000 capacity Brighton Centre in Brighton.

References

  1. 1 2 David Butler and Gareth Butler, Twentieth Century British Political Facts 1900–2000, Macmillan 2000, p. 156
  2. "Beginning a football revolution". BBC News. 30 November 2009.
  3. James Naughtie, Labour in Bournemouth: Kinnock rounds on left's militants, Guardian Unlimited, October 2, 1985. Retrieved 25 March 2007.
  4. "Conference 99: Labour". BBC News. 21 July 2002. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  5. Butler and Butler, p. 157
  6. "Conference 2000: Labour". BBC News. 21 July 2002. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  7. "Conference 2001: Labour". BBC News. 18 February 2003. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  8. "Conference 2002: Labour". BBC News. 24 January 2003. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  9. "Conference 2003: Labour". BBC News. 3 March 2004. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  10. "Labour Conference 2004". BBC News. 15 August 2007. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  11. "Over 600 held under terror act at Labour conference". Scotsman.com. Johnston Publishing. 3 October 2005. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  12. "Conferences 2005". BBC News. 15 August 2007. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  13. "It's hard to let go, admits Blair". BBC News. 26 September 2006.
  14. "Annual Conference 2011". The Labour Party. 13 September 2011. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  15. "Election up for grabs – Mandelson". BBC News. 28 September 2009. Retrieved 30 September 2009.
  16. "We're not done yet, insists Brown". BBC News. 29 September 2009. Retrieved 30 September 2009.
  17. Naughton, Phillipe (30 September 2009). "Labour fails to conceal its anger after The Sun switches to support Conservatives". Times Online. Times Newspapers Limited. Retrieved 30 September 2009.(subscription required)
  18. "Harman turns fire on Sun decision". BBC News. 30 September 2009. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  19. Owen Gibson; Helen Carter (18 April 2009). "Hillsborough: 20 years on, Liverpool has still not forgiven the newspaper it calls 'The Scum'". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  20. "Labour leadership result: candidates head to Manchester to hear verdict". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. 25 September 2010. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  21. Griffiths, Emma (28 September 2010). "Ed Miliband tells Labour: We're the optimists now". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 28 September 2010.
  22. "David Miliband says he won't join brother Ed's team". BBC News. BBC. 29 September 2010. Retrieved 3 October 2010.
  23. Wheeler, Brian (27 September 2010). "Labour activists reject 'obscene' coalition cuts". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 3 October 2010.
  24. Griffiths, Emma (30 September 2010). "Harriet Harman says Labour 'fortified' by new leader". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 3 October 2010.
  25. King, Victoria (26 September 2011). "Labour delegates vote to scrap shadow cabinet elections". BBC News. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  26. "Labour leader Ed Miliband's keynote speech attacks Tories and promises 'new bargain' despite broadcast black-out from Liverpool". Liverpool Echo. Trinity Mirror. 27 September 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  27. Andy McSmith (2 October 2012). "Miliband ditches the autocue for his Labour Conference speech, but who planted the tree?". The Independent newspaper. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  28. Andrew Grice (28 February 2014). "Tony Blair backs Ed Miliband's internal Labour reforms". The Independent. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  29. Andrew Sparrow (1 March 2014). "Miliband wins vote on Labour party reforms with overwhelming majority". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  30. Ray Collins (February 2014). The Collins Review Into Labour Party Reform (PDF) (Report). Labour Party. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  31. Nicholas Watt; Patrick Wintour; Rowena Mason; Alan Travis (24 September 2014). "Miliband under fire from his own side for forgetting to mention deficit". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  32. "Timetable announced for Labour Leader and Deputy Leader elections". press.labour.org.uk. 13 May 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  33. "Frequently Asked Questions". Labour.org.uk. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  34. Christopher Hope, Chief Political Correspondent (24 September 2015). "Jeremy Corbyn starts to learn to use an Autocue - five days before his big conference speech". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  35. Welcome to Annual Conference

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