Labour Representation Committee (2004)


The Labour Representation Committee is a British socialist pressure group within the Labour Party and wider labour movement. It is often seen as representing the most left-wing members of the Labour Party.

Overview

The LRC was formed at a founding conference on Saturday 3 July 2004, taking its name from the original Labour Representation Committee, formed in February 1900.
The LRC encourages Constituency Labour Parties and Branch Labour Parties to affiliate, along with local, regional and national unions, and individual party members and supporters. It has around 150 affiliates and 1000 individual members. In parliament, the group is represented by the Socialist Campaign Group. The LRC also has a youth group, the Socialist Youth Network.
The Chairman is John McDonnell, who the LRC supported as a candidate for leader of the Labour Party. Its Organiser is Lizzie Woods. Joint-National Secretaries are Andrew Fisher and Peter Firmin. Its Vice-Chairs are Jenny Lennox and Susan Press. The Treasurer is Graham Bash, Editor of Labour Briefing. They are the current officers of the organisation.
According to LRC affiliate Socialist Appeal, in November 2014: "The Labour Representation Committee has lost a third of its members and is now down to 600 – in a party of 190,000. It is teetering on the verge of collapse." Despite this claim, LRC members were involved in launching the activist Socialist Campaign for a Labour Victory in early 2015.

LRC Youth

LRC Youth is a section of the LRC for those aged 27 and under. It was founded as the Socialist Youth Network in March 2007 and relaunched in 2012 under its current name.

National Committee

The National Committee is elected annually by delegates to the LRC's annual general meeting. Its members are elected for 12 months to conduct general business between annual general meetings. It is responsible for electing, and holding to account, an Executive Committee, which is responsible for any general business between meetings of the National Committee. The National Committee is also responsible for the preparation of publications, and for appointing delegates to represent the LRC.
The current National Committee is elected at the LRC's annual general meeting in November, and its membership is as follows:
20092012

Section A: Officers
  • Chair: John McDonnell MP
  • Vice Chairs: Maria Exall and Susan Press
  • Secretary: Pete Firmin and Andrew Fisher
  • Treasurer: Graham Bash
  • Chair: John McDonnell MP
  • Vice Chairs: Susan Press and Marshajane Thompson
  • Secretary: Pete Firmin and Andrew Fisher
  • Treasurer: Graham Bash
  • Organiser: Lizzie Woods
    • Section B: Individual members
    • Simeon Andrews
    • Andrew Berry
    • Stephanie David
    • Jenny Fisher
    • Val Graham
    • Owen Jones
    • Jon Lansman
    • Caroline Lenegham
    • Jenny Lennox
    • John Moloney
    • Mary Partington
    • Mike Phipps
    • Francis Prideaux
    • Jon Rogers
    • Marsha Jane Thompson
    • Louise Whittle
  • Andrew Berry
  • Austin Harney
  • Jenny Lennox
  • Rhiannon Lowton
  • Mike Phipps
  • Francis Prideaux
  • Lizzie Woods
    • Section C: General Affiliates
    • Judy Atkinson
    • Stephen Brown
    • Tricia Clarke
    • Lesley Hammond
    • Gary Heather
    • Ted Knight
    • Rory MacQueen
    • Norrette Moore
    • Gordon Nardell
    • Janet Oosthuysen
    • Christine Shawcroft
    • Jeff Slee
    • Nick Toms
    • Cathy Watson
    • Matthew Wells
    • Adam White
    • John Wiseman
  • Judy Atkinson
  • Kevin Bennett
  • Sharon Connor
  • Maria Exall
  • Gary Heather
  • Jon Lansman
  • Jon Rogers
  • Steve Turner
  • John Wiseman
    • Section D: Equality seatsn/a
    • BME: Earl Jenkins
    • BME: Jackie Walker
    • Disability: Val Graham
    • Disability: John Sweeney
    • LGBT: Paul Clark
    • LGBT: Hannah Thompson
    • Youth: Rachel Mullan
    Section E: Affiliated National Trade Unions
  • ASLEF: Mark Daniels
  • BFAWU: Ian Hodson and John Fox
  • CWU: Mick Kavanagh and Peter Keenlyside
  • FBU: Dave Green and Matt Wrack
  • NUM: to be advised
  • RMT: to be advised
    • Section E: LRC Sister Organisations
  • CfS: Mike Cowley
  • WLG: Nick Davies / Darren Williams
    • Section F: Local LRCsn/a
    • Calderdale LRC: Mark Catterall
    • Croydon LRC: tbc
    • Ealing & Hounslow LRC: Mick Brooks
    • Essex LRC: tbc
    • Greater London LRC: Norrette Moore
    • Hackney LRC: Lois Radice
    • Hampshire LRC: tbc
    • Haringey LRC: tbc
    • Islington LRC: Tricia Clarke
    • Lambeth & Southwark LRC: tbc
    • Leeds LRC: Patrick Hall
    • North East & Cumbria LRC: Ben Sellers / Terry McPartlan
    • North West LRC: Andy Birchall / Thomas Butler
    • Nottinghamshire LRC: tbc
    • Sussex LRC: Claire Wadey
    • Waltham Forest LRC: tbc

    Affiliated MPs

    The Representation Committee has a number of officially affiliated MPs, those being:
    The LRC maintains support from a number of trade unions, the most prominent of these being: