Morgan Walter Phillips | |
|---|---|
| General Secretary of the Labour Party | |
| In office 1944–1961 | |
| Preceded by | James Middleton |
| Succeeded by | Leonard Williams |
| President of the Socialist International | |
| In office 1951–1957 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Alsing Andersen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1902-06-18)18 June 1902 Aberdare, Glamorgan, Wales |
| Died | 15 January 1963(1963-01-15) (aged 60) London, England |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 (includingGwyneth Dunwoody) |
| Occupation | Colliery worker, trade union activist, party official |
Morgan Walter Phillips (18 June 1902 – 15 January 1963) was a Welsh politician and trade union activist who served asGeneral Secretary of the Labour Party from 1944 to 1961. He was instrumental in the party's electoral successes in1945 and1950.[1][2][3]
Born inAberdare and raised inBargoed, Phillips began work as acolliery surface worker at age twelve. He became active in local Labour politics in the 1920s before moving to London to work for the party organisation. As General Secretary, he professionalised Labour Party organisation and broadened its electoral appeal. He also served as the first chairman of theSocialist International from 1948 to 1957.[1][2][4]
In 1957, Phillips was involved in a notablelibel case withAneurin Bevan andRichard Crossman againstThe Spectator magazine. The case later became controversial whenRichard Crossman's diaries revealed that the three had committedperjury. Phillips retired following a stroke in 1961 and died in 1963. His daughterGwyneth Dunwoody became a Labour MP.[1][2][5]
Phillips was born on 18 June 1902 inAberdare,Glamorgan, one of six children of William Phillips. He was brought up inBargoed,Glamorgan. He left school at age twelve and became acolliery surface worker.[1][2][6]
At eighteen, Phillips joined theCaerphillydivisional Labour Party. He served as secretary of the Bargoed branch (1923–1925) and chairman of the Bargoed Steam Coal Lodge (1924–1926).[1][2][3]
Phillips attended theLabour College inLondon, completing a two-year course in economic and social subjects. He became secretary of the Labour Party inWest Fulham (1928–1930) and later inWhitechapel (1934–1937). He was a councillor onFulham borough council (1934–1937).[1][2][3]
In 1937, Phillips joined Labour Party headquarters atTransport House as propaganda officer. He became secretary of the party's research department in 1941 and party secretary in 1944. The position was renamed General Secretary in 1960.[1][2][7]
Phillips transformed Labour Party organisation by professionalising its structure and broadening its electoral appeal to middle-class voters. He was virtually the architect of the party's success in the1945 and1950 general elections, which resulted in six years of Labour government.[1][2][7]
Following Labour's defeat in the1955 general election,Harold Wilson criticised the party's organisation as resembling "apenny farthing in a jet age".[1][2][7]
In 1957, Phillips joinedAneurin Bevan andRichard Crossman in suingThe Spectator magazine for libel. The case arose from an article titled "Death in Venice" concerning the 23rd National Congress of the Italian Socialist Party. The article alleged that the three men had consumed alcohol heavily during official proceedings at the conference, stating they "puzzled the Italians by their capacity to fill themselves like tanks with whisky".[5][8][9]
The three politicians categorically denied the allegations under oath and successfully obtained damages from the magazine.The Spectator defended the action without pleading justification. The case was notable for the plaintiffs' vehement denials and their insistence that the charges were completely untrue.[5][8][9]
Years later, the case became a significant scandal whenRichard Crossman's posthumously published diaries revealed that the magazine's allegations had been accurate. Crossman admitted that they had indeed been drinking heavily, with at least one of them "blind drunk". This revelation confirmed that the three plaintiffs had committedperjury to secure their legal victory. The case subsequently became cited as an example of the potential for abuse in British libel law.[10][11][5]
During the1959 election campaign, Phillips' daily press conferences were considered one of the outstanding successes despite Labour's defeat. Following the election, he presented analysis and proposals in his paperLabour in the Sixties (1960), which contributed to Labour's return to power in1964. He also authoredEast meets West (1954) and various political pamphlets.[1][2][12]
Phillips presided over conferences of theInternational Socialist Committee from 1944. He was elected first chairman of theSocialist International in 1948, resigning in 1957.[1][2][4]
Phillips suffered astroke in August 1960 and retired as General Secretary in 1961. He died on 15 January 1963 inLondon.[1][2][4]
Phillips marriedNorah Lusher in 1930. They had two children, a son and a daughter.[1][2][13]
Their daughterGwyneth Dunwoody was a Labour MP from 1964 until her death in 2008. She marriedJohn Dunwoody, also a Labour MP. Their daughterTamsin Dunwoody was a Member of theNational Assembly for Wales from 2003 to 2007.[1][2][13]
Phillips' papers are held at thePeople's History Museum inManchester,The National Archives, and the Archives Hub.[6][3][14]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Secretary of the Research Department of theLabour Party 1941–1944 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | General Secretary of the Labour Party 1944–1961 | Succeeded by |
| Transnational offices | ||
| New office | President of the Socialist International 1951–1957 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
