Organisation of Scottish Labour

Timeline

Origins and evolution of Scottish Labour

• In August 1888, after contesting the Mid Lanarkshire by-election, Keir Hardie co-founded with Liberal MP Robert Cunninghame-Graham the Scottish Labour Party (1888) with the support of the Scottish Miners' Federation, local trade unions, the Dundee Radical Association, the Scottish Home Rule Association, Crofters Party MPs, and the Scottish Land Restoration League.
• In December 1888, the Scottish Socialist Federation (SSF) was formed by members of the Social Democratic Federation.
• In August 1891, the Scottish United Trades Councils Labour Party (SUTCLP) was formed.
• In July 1892 general election, the SUTCLP gained support from the SSF.
• In January 1893, Keir Hardie and others formed the Independent Labour Party (ILP).
• In March 1893, the SUTCLP dissolved, advising members to join the ILP.
• In 1893, the Scottish Socialist Federation affiliated with the ILP.
• In 1894, the Scottish Labour Party of 1888 had by then made little impact and dissolved itself into the ILP.
• In March 1897, the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) was formed in Glasgow, as a result of a political dispute with the TUC regarding political representation for the Labour movement.
• In 1899, the STUC with the ILP's Scottish branch formed the parliamentary campaign group Scottish Workers' Representation Committee (SWRC)
• In 1900, the ILP played a central role in the formation of the Labour Representation Committee (LRC) which was created by ILP Chairman Hardie's motion to create a single Labour parliamentary body that was passed at a special conference organised by the TUC. ILP nominee Ramsay MacDonald was elected as Secretary of the LRC.
• In 1906, the LRC is renamed the Labour Party, with the ILP becoming a Labour party affiliate and providing much of its activist base.
• In 1909, the SWRC was dissolved and merged with the Labour Party.
• In 1915, a subordinate Scottish Advisory Council (SAC) was formed by the Labour Party.
• In 1918, Scotland was formalised a "region" in the Labour party constitution and the SAC was renamed as the Scottish Council of the Labour Party
• In 1994, the Scottish Council of the Labour Party was renamed the Scottish Labour Party.
• In 2011, the Scottish Labour Party carried out a review of its organisation and elected its first ever overall leader (Johann Lamont).

Structure

• UK Labour Party Head Office, London
  • UK Labour Leader's Office
• UK National Executive Committee
  • Scottish Labour Party Head Office, Glasgow
    • Scottish Labour Leader's Office
    • Scottish Executive Committee
      • Affiliated STUC trade unions, socialist societies and the Co-operative Party
      • Scottish Policy Forum
        • Policy commissions & local policy forums
      • Scottish Labour Conference
    • Scottish Labour Press Office
    • Labour Support Unit, Scottish Parliament
  • Constituency Labour Parties (CLP)
    • Branch Labour Parties (BLP)

Scottish Executive Committee

The Scottish Executive Committee is the governing body of the Scottish Labour Party, responsible for administrative matters and strategic policy direction. The SEC officially meets every second month, with much of day-to-day party business and operations undertaken in groups and commissions. The SEC has three different membership sections – Constituency Labour Party (CLP) members, elected members and trade unions and affiliates. It is further split into the local government sub-committee and the constitution, fundraising and campaigns working groups.

Membership as of 2021:

Office Bearers

• Cara Hilton – Chair of the Scottish Labour Party
• Karen Whitefield – Vice-chair
• Cathy Peattie – Treasurer

Elected Members

• Anas Sarwar – Leader of the Scottish Labour Party
• Jackie Baillie – Deputy Leader of the Scottish Labour Party
• Ian Murray – Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
• Maureen Devlin – Local Government
• David Ross – Local Government
• Meta Ramsay – Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) Group Representative
• Jenny Marra – Scottish Parliament Group Representative
• Mark Griffin – Scottish Parliament Group Representative

Constituency Labour Party members

• Johanna Baxter – West of Scotland/Mid Scotland & Fife
• Cara Hilton – West of Scotland/Mid Scotland & Fife
• Lina Nass – North East Scotland/Highlands & Islands
• Marion Sporing – North East Scotland/Highlands & Islands
• Suzan King – Central Scotland/Glasgow
• James Adams – Central Scotland/Glasgow
• Scott Arthur – Lothians/South of Scotland
• Ann Henderson – Lothians/South of Scotland

Trade Union Section

• Drew Smith – GMB
• Cathy Murphy GMB
• Jackson Cullinane – Unite
• Siobhan McCready – Unite
• Simon Macfarlane – Unison
• Maggie Cook – Unison
• Jacqueline Martin – USDAW
• Karen Whitefield – USDAW
• Cathy Peattie – CWU
• John McCue – ASLEF

Scottish Labour Women's Committee

• Lorna Robertson
• Monique McAdams

Co-operative Party & Socialist Societies

• Ben Procter
• Katherine Sangster

Scottish Young Labour

• Coll Mcail
• Lauren Harper

Chairs of Scottish Labour

Scottish Policy Forum

The Scottish Policy Forum (SPF) is a body of the Scottish Labour Party responsible for developing a rolling policy programme on devolved matters. The Scottish Annual Conference approves policies of the SPF programme every year with the Scottish Executive Committee (in conjunction with a committee from the Scottish Parliament Labour Group) deciding which items of the programme are to be incorporated in Labour's manifesto for the Scottish Parliament elections. The SPF policy-making process is led by the 80 members elected from all sections of the party. The SPF establishes policy commissions to draw together policy discussion documents for consultation over three stages. The SPF is subordinate and feeds reports to the National Policy Forum.

General Secretary of the Scottish Labour Party

The General Secretary of the Scottish Labour Party, subordinate to the General Secretary of the Labour Party, is the administrative head and the most senior permanent staff member of the Scottish Labour Party. The General Secretary is responsible for running the party's organisation: legal affairs, staff management, campaigns, conferences, and liaising with the UK party. They also act as the Registered Treasurer, responsible for the party's financial accounts.

Staff

• Press Office
  • Media Monitoring Unit
  • Rebuttal Unit
  • Regional press teams
• Research Unit (policy and constitutional issues)
• Administrative support
• Scottish Parliamentary Labour Support Unit (formerly SPLP Resource Unit)

Special Advisers to Donald Dewar

As Secretary of State for Scotland (1997–1999):

• Wendy Alexander
• Murray Elder
• David Whitton

As First Minister (1999–2000):

• John Rafferty – Chief of staff
• Philip Chalmers – Head of the Scottish Executive's strategic communications unit (previously director of polling and marketing for the Scottish Labour Party)
• David Whitton
• Brian Fitzpatrick
• John MacLaren
• Professor Donald Maclennan
• Neil Gillam
• Chris Winslow

Scottish Parliament elections

1999

• Matthew Taylor – Election strategist
• Douglas Alexander – Election coordinator
• Donald Dewar – Secretary of State for Scotland
• Gordon Brown – Chancellor of the Exchequer
• Brian Wilson – Minister of State for Scotland
• John Reid – Minister of State for Transport
• Alex Rowley – General Secretary
• Lesley Quinn – Assistant General Secretary
• Paul McKinney – Head of communications
• David Whitton – Media adviser to Donald Dewar
• Pat McFadden – Policy adviser to Donald Dewar
• John Rowan – Scottish Telephone Bank Organiser
• Hilary Perrin – Tours
• Bridget Sweeny – Visits
• Ian Austin – Deputy director of communications
• Ed Miliband – Rebuttal
• John Rafferty – Chief of staff to Donald Dewar
• Ann-Marie Whyte – Administration and office manager
• Kevin Reid and Suzanne Hilliard – Media monitoring
• Chris Winslow – Campaigner and parliamentary researcher to John Maxton MP
• Willie Sullivan – Development officer

2003

• Jack McConnell – Leader and First Minister of Scotland
• Jonathan Ashworth – Labour Party economics and welfare policy officer
• Gordon Brown – Chancellor of the Exchequer
• Lesley Quinn – General Secretary

2007

• Jack McConnell – Leader and First Minister of Scotland
• John McTernan – Campaign coordinator
• George Foulkes, Baron Foulkes of Cumnock – Campaign vice-chair
• Tony Blair – Prime Minister
• Gordon Brown – Chancellor of the Exchequer
• Douglas Alexander – Secretary of State for Scotland
• Lesley Quinn – General Secretary

2011

• Iain Gray MSP – Leader
• Simon Pia – Spokesperson
• Michael Marra – Speechwriter
• John Park MSP – Campaign coordinator
• Tom Greatrex MP – Campaign strategist
• Kenny Young – Press Officer
• Colin Smyth – General Secretary
• Rami Okasha – Head of communications
• Sarah Metcalfe – Head of research
• Adele Black – Diary secretary
• Pat Gordon – Assistant and election agent

2016

• Kezia Dugdale MSP – Leader
• Alex Rowley MSP – Deputy leader
• James Kelly MSP – Campaign coordinator
• Brian Roy – General Secretary

2021

• Anas Sarwar MSP – Leader
• Jackie Baillie MSP – Deputy leader
• Kate Watson – Campaign coordinator
• Drew Smith – Acting General Secretary

Party finance

Donors

• Brian Dempsey
• Willie Haughey
• John Milligan

2010 general election expenditure: £968,000

References

Books

• Hassan, Gerry (2004) (ed.) The Scottish Labour Party. Edinburgh University Press.

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