Thetreasurer of the Labour Party is a position on theNational Executive Committee of theBritish Labour Party.
Although a post with little power, in the past, it was often hotly contested by people who later became big names in British politics:Arthur Greenwood beatHerbert Morrison in 1943,Hugh Gaitskell beatAneurin Bevan in 1954, who in turn beatGeorge Brown in 1956, whileJames Callaghan beatMichael Foot in 1967. Since the 1990s, the post has typically been held by a senior member of one of the larger Trade Unions.
Since thePolitical Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) came into force, the Labour Party has had to register a treasurer to theElectoral Commission, who becomes legally responsible for various returns to the Electoral Commission. It has been the practice of the NEC to register the full-timeGeneral Secretary as treasurer under PPERA, rather than the elected volunteer treasurer. This has created two treasurer roles within the party, so to disambiguate these roles the elected treasurer is often calledParty Treasurer, and the PPERA treasurer is often calledRegistered Treasurer. The party accounts are signed by both treasurers using these titles,[1] though under PPERA only the General Secretary need sign them.
In 2008 the post was contested by the incumbentJack Dromey and by human rights lawyer Mark McDonald, with Dromey being re-elected. In 2010, former deputy prime ministerJohn Prescott was defeated byDiana Holland.[2]