| Chair of the Labour Party | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Style | Party Chair (informal) |
| Appointer | Leader of the Labour Party |
| Formation | 9 June 2001 |
| First holder | Charles Clarke |
TheChair of the Labour Party is a position in theLabour Party of the United Kingdom. The Chair is responsible for administration of the party and overseeinggeneral election campaigns, and is typically held concurrently with another position.
Established byTony Blair in the aftermath of the2001 general election, the chair of the Labour Party was aCabinet position held alongside theminister without portfolio post during his tenure as prime minister.[1] The position is not to be confused with that ofChair of the Labour National Executive Committee, described as 'chair of the party' in theLabour Party Constitution. The role had a larger portfolio for organising election campaigning underJeremy Corbyn, withIan Lavery working alongside the co-national campaign coordinator,Andrew Gwynne.[2]
From June 2007 to June 2017 and again from April 2020 to May 2021, the seat was held concurrently by theparty's deputy leader. The position was held byAngela Rayner, who was appointed by SirKeir Starmer followingher election as deputy leader, until 2021 when she was sacked after Labour performed poorly at thelocal elections and theHartlepool by-election.[3]
| Name | Portrait | Term of office | Length of Term | Concurrent office(s) | Party Leader | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Clarke | .jpg) | 9 June 2001 | 24 October 2002 | 1 year, 137 days | Minister without Portfolio | Tony Blair |
| John Reid |  | 24 October 2002 | 4 April 2003 | 162 days | ||
| Ian McCartney | .jpg) | 4 April 2003 | 5 May 2006 | 3 years, 31 days | ||
| Hazel Blears | .jpg) | 5 May 2006 | 24 June 2007 | 1 year, 50 days | ||
| Harriet Harman |  | 24 June 2007 | 12 September 2015 | 8 years, 80 days | Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Leader of the House of Commons (2007–10) Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal (2007–10) Minister for Women and Equality (2007–10) | Gordon Brown |
| Leader of the Opposition (2010) | Herself (acting) | |||||
| Shadow Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (2010–15) Shadow Secretary of State for International Development (2010–11) Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (2011–15) | Ed Miliband | |||||
| Leader of the Opposition (2015) | Herself (acting) | |||||
| Tom Watson |  | 12 September 2015 | 14 June 2017 | 1 year, 275 days | Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport | Jeremy Corbyn |
| Ian Lavery |  | 14 June 2017 | 5 April 2020 | 2 years, 296 days | Shadow Minister without Portfolio National Campaign Coordinator | |
| Angela Rayner |  | 5 April 2020 | 8 May 2021 | 1 year, 33 days | Deputy Leader of the Opposition Shadow First Secretary of State National Campaign Coordinator | SirKeir Starmer |
| Anneliese Dodds |  | 9 May 2021 | 6 July 2024 | 3 years, 58 days | Chair of the Labour Policy Review | |
| Ellie Reeves | | 6 July 2024 | Incumbent | 274 days | Minister without Portfolio | |
