Chief Whip of the Labour Party


The Chief Whip of the Labour Party oversees the whipping system in the party, which is responsible for ensuring that Labour MPs or members of the House of Lords attend and vote in parliament in the desired way of the party leadership.
Following the election of Keir Starmer as Labour leader on 4th April 2020, both Chief Whips previously appointed by former leader Jeremy Corbyn were reappointed.
Chief Whips, of which two are appointed in the party, a member of the House of Commons and a member of the House of Lords, also help to organise their party's contribution to parliamentary business.
The party leadership may allow members to have a free vote based on their own conscience rather than party policy, which means the chief whip is not required to influence the way members vote.
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn reappointed Nick Brown as Labour Chief Whip in the House of Commons in 2016 and appointed Tommy McAvoy as Labour Chief whip in the House of Lords in 2018. Following the election of Keir Starmer as Labour leader on the 4th April 2020, both Chief Whips previously appointed by Corbyn were reappointed to their positions.
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

YearNameConstituency
1906David ShackletonClitheroe
1906Arthur HendersonBarnard Castle
1907George RobertsNorwich
1914Arthur HendersonBarnard Castle
1914Frank GoldstoneSunderland
1916George RobertsNorwich
1919William Tyson WilsonWesthoughton
1920Arthur HendersonWidnes
1924Benjamin SpoorBishop Auckland
1925Arthur HendersonBurnley
1927Thomas KennedyKirkcaldy Burghs
1931Charles EdwardsBedwellty
1942William WhiteleyBlaydon
1955Herbert BowdenLeicester South West
1964Edward ShortNewcastle upon Tyne Central
1966John SilkinDeptford
1969Robert MellishBermondsey
1976Michael CocksBristol South
1985Derek FosterBishop Auckland
1995Donald DewarGlasgow Garscadden
1997Nick BrownNewcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend
1998Ann TaylorDewsbury
2001Hilary ArmstrongDurham North West
2006Jacqui SmithRedditch
2007Geoff HoonAshfield
2008Nick BrownNewcastle upon Tyne East
2010Rosie WintertonDoncaster Central
2016Nick BrownNewcastle upon Tyne East

House of Lords

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