Chief Whip of the Labour Party

For the position in the New Zealand Parliament, see Senior Whip of the Labour Party.

A chief whip of the Labour Party oversees the whipping system in the Labour Party, and is responsible for ensuring that Labour members of Parliament (MPs) or members of the House of Lords attend and vote in the Parliament of the United Kingdom in the way desired by the party leadership. The two chief 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 the Parliamentary Labour Party, to support the work of the whips' office.

The party leadership may allow members to have a free 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 sign early 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.

House of Commons

Chief Whip of the Labour Party
Incumbent Alan Campbell since 9 May 2021
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
2010	Dame Rosie Winterton	Doncaster Central
2016	Nick Brown	Newcastle upon Tyne East
2021	Sir Alan Campbell	Tynemouth

Current Deputy Chief Whip

• Mark Tami

House of Lords

Chief Whip of the Labour Party
Incumbent The Lord Kennedy of Southwark since 1 June 2021
Inaugural holder	The Lord Muir-Mackenzie and The Earl De La Warr
Formation	1924

Year	Name
Feb 1924	The Lord Muir-Mackenzie
Feb 1924	The Earl De La Warr
1930	The Lord Marley
1937	The Lord Strabolgi
1941	The Earl of Listowel
1944	The Lord Southwood
1945	The Lord Ammon
1949	The 1st Lord Shepherd
1954	The Earl of Lucan
1964	The 2nd Lord Shepherd
1967	The Lord Beswick
1973	The Baroness Llewelyn-Davies of Hastoe
1982	The Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
1990	The Lord Graham of Edmonton
1997	The Lord Carter
2002	The Lord Grocott
2008	The Baroness Royall of Blaisdon
2008	The Lord Bassam of Brighton
2018	The Lord McAvoy
2021	The Lord Kennedy of Southwark

Current Deputy Chief Whip

• Baroness Wheeler (from 2018)

See also

• Chief Whip of the Conservative Party
• Chief Whip of the Liberal Democrats
• Chief Whip of Reform UK

References

• Chris Cook and Brendan Keith, British Historical Facts 1830-1900, Macmillan, 1975
• David Butler and Gareth Butler, Twentieth-Century British Historical Facts 1900-2000, Macmillan, 2000