Achief whip of the Labour Party oversees thewhipping system in theLabour Party, and is responsible for ensuring that Labourmembers of Parliament (MPs) orlist of current members of the House of Lords attend and vote in theParliament of the United Kingdom in the way desired by the party leadership. The twochief whips, one in the House of Commons and one in the House of Lords, also help to organise their party's contribution to parliamentary business. Each chief whip manages a team of whips, whom they may appoint from theParliamentary Labour Party, to support the work of the whips' office.
The party leadership may allow members to have afree vote on a measure, based on their own opinion rather than party policy, without requiring the whips to influence the way members vote.
The functions of whips are kept confidential, as they are concerned with the discipline of their party's Members of Parliament.
By convention, Chief Whips do not signearly day motions, table questions to Ministers, or give media interviews in their capacity as whip.
This is a list of those people who have served as chief whip of the Labour Party in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
| Chief Whip of the Labour Party | |
|---|---|
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| Appointer | Leader of the Labour Party |
| Inaugural holder | David Shackleton |
| Formation | circa 1906 |
| Year | Name | Constituency |
|---|---|---|
| 1906 | David Shackleton | Clitheroe |
| 1906 | Arthur Henderson | Barnard Castle |
| 1907 | George Roberts | Norwich |
| 1914 | Arthur Henderson | Barnard Castle |
| 1914 | Frank Goldstone | Sunderland |
| 1916 | George Roberts | Norwich |
| 1919 | William Tyson Wilson | Westhoughton |
| 1920 | Arthur Henderson | Widnes |
| 1924 | Benjamin Spoor | Bishop Auckland |
| 1925 | Arthur Henderson | Burnley |
| 1927 | Thomas Kennedy | Kirkcaldy Burghs |
| 1931 | Charles Edwards | Bedwellty |
| 1942 | William Whiteley | Blaydon |
| 1955 | Herbert Bowden | Leicester South West |
| 1964 | Edward Short | Newcastle upon Tyne Central |
| 1966 | John Silkin | Deptford |
| 1969 | Robert Mellish | Bermondsey |
| 1976 | Michael Cocks | Bristol South |
| 1985 | Derek Foster | Bishop Auckland |
| 1995 | Donald Dewar | Glasgow Garscadden |
| 1997 | Nick Brown | Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend |
| 1998 | Ann Taylor | Dewsbury |
| 2001 | Hilary Armstrong | Durham North West |
| 2006 | Jacqui Smith | Redditch |
| 2007 | Geoff Hoon | Ashfield |
| 2008 | Nick Brown | Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend |
| 2010 | DameRosie Winterton | Doncaster Central |
| 2016 | Nick Brown | Newcastle upon Tyne East |
| 2021 | SirAlan Campbell | Tynemouth |
| 2025 | Jonathan Reynolds | Stalybridge and Hyde |
| Chief Whip of the Labour Party | |
|---|---|
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 | |
| Inaugural holder | The Lord Muir-Mackenzie andThe Earl De La Warr |
| Formation | 1924 |