$Unique_ID{bob00516} $Pretitle{} $Title{United Kingdom National Organisation} $Subtitle{} $Author{Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington DC} $Affiliation{Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington DC} $Subject{party leader conservative members committee labour parties policy elected national} $Date{1990} $Log{} Title: United Kingdom Book: Organisation of Political Parties in Britain Author: Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington DC Affiliation: Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington DC Date: 1990 National Organisation Conservative Party The central pillar of the party organisation in England and Wales is the National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations, a federal organisation to which are affiliated some 560 constituency associations. Scotland has its own organisation, the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Association, but its 72 constituency associations are now also affiliated to the National Union. The main functions of the National Union are to advance the Party's cause, to give an opportunity for issues to be debated, and to serve as an advisory body which keeps the leader informed of party opinion. The governing body of the National Union is the Central Council, which meets once a year to debate motions which have been submitted from constituencies, areas, and national advisory committees. It also elects the officers of the National Union. Membership includes the leader of the Party and other principal officers and officials; the Conservative Members of both Houses of Parliament and of the European Parliament; the members of the Executive Committee; and six representatives from each constituency association, together with representatives from the Scottish Association, provincial area councils, and national committees. The Executive Committee of the National Union (which meets regularly) is composed of 200 members, including representatives of the provincial area councils (who, in turn, represent the constituencies in the areas) and the leader and other provincial officers of the Party. The Committee has authority to act on behalf of the Central Council in the intervals between the latter's meetings. Its functions include: recommending to the Central Council for election the officers of the National Union; approving the admission of constituency associations to the National Union; settling disputes between or within constituency associations; considering proposals on party or public affairs from the provincial areas or constituencies and forwarding them to the appropriate quarters. It also elects representatives of the National Union to the various national committees of the Party and submits an annual report to the party conference. The Executive Committee is advised by the following National Advisory Committees: Women, Young Conservatives, Trade Unionists, Local Government, Education, and the Conservative Political Centre National Advisory Committee. There are also a number of other central committees or boards, some of which report to the Executive Committee, and they occupy an important place in party organisation. They are: the Advisory Committee on Policy, which is responsible solely to the party leader; the Conservative Party Board of Finance; the Standing Advisory Committees on United Kingdom and European Candidates; the Examination Board (for agents and organisers); and the Superannuation Fund. An annual conference, lasting four days, is held by the National Union every year and is the most important annual gathering of the Party. The conference is attended by the members of the Central Council and two additional representatives of each constituency - one of whom must be a Young Conservative - including certificated agents or organisers. At the conference the National Union receives the report of the Executive Committee, and debates and passes resolutions on party policy. It is not authorised to decide on policy and has no executive power; its resolutions are therefore not binding on the party leadership, but they have considerable influence. Annual conferences are also held by the Party in Scotland and Wales. Labour Party The highest authority in the Labour Party is the party conference, which controls the work of the Party outside Parliament, is responsible for its constitution and standing orders, and decides, in broad outline, party policy. The conference is normally held once a year for four and a half days and is attended by some 1,100 delegates appointed by trade unions, constituency parties and socialist and co-operative societies. Ex officio members, such as leading officials of the Party, MPs and prospective parliamentary candidates, and constituency party agents, take part. Seven-eighths of the votes at the conference are held by the trade unions, distributed in proportion to the money that each union pays annually as an affiliation fee; the payment is made from union members' contributions to political funds. The National Executive Committee (NEC) is the administrative authority of the Party and seeks to apply its policies between annual party conferences. It consists of 29 members, three of whom are ex officio - the leader, the deputy leader of the Party, and one youth member elected at the National Youth Conference. The treasurer and 25 members are elected every year at the annual conference, on the following basis: 12 members by the trade union delegates; 7 by the constituency party delegates; 1 by the delegates of socialist, co-operative and professional organisations; and 5 women members elected by the conference as a whole (as is the treasurer). The NEC elects its own chairman and vice-chairman every year. Its functions are to supervise the work of the Party outside Parliament at every level, and to report on its own work to the conference. It submits to conference 'such resolutions and declarations affecting the programme, principles and policy of the Party as, in its view, may be necessitated by political circumstances'. The NEC works through a number of committees (Organisation, International, Home Policy, Communications and Campaigns, Women, Youth, Finance and General Purposes, Campaign Strategy, and Appeals and Mediation). Two of these (the International and Home Policy committees) have a number of special sub-committees and working parties appointed to deal with particular areas of policy or problems of current concern to the Party. The leader of the Party, the deputy leader, and the chairman, vice-chairman and the treasurer of the NEC are ex officio members of each committee; the remaining members are elected through the NEC itself. The NEC also participates in a number of general committees with other representative Labour organisations. The Fabian Society is affiliated to the Labour Party; it publishes pamphlets on social, economic, political and international issues, many of which aim to influence Labour Party policy. Liberal Democrats The Liberal Democrats determine party policy through the Federal Conference. This is attended by representatives of local parties, associated organisations representing youth and students, the party's parliamentary team and the party officers. The Conference normally meets twice a year, in spring and autumn. It receives reports from the party's Federal Executive, the Federal Policy Committee and the Federal Conference Committee. The Federal Policy Committee is responsible for developing and presenting party policy, including the preparation of the general election manifesto. The committee consists of the party leader, the President, five representatives of the party in both Houses of Parliament, three principal local authority councillors, two representatives of each of the Scottish and Welsh parties, and 13 members elected by the Federal Conference. The Federal Executive, whose membership is elected on a similar basis to the Federal Policy Committee, is responsible for directing, co-ordinating and implementing the work of the Federal Party. Its responsibilities include establishing a Finance and Administration Committee, which manages the finances and directs the administration of the Federal Party, including its headquarters. In England, Scotland and Wales the Liberal Democrats constitute separate state parties. Regional parties in England may also seek recognition as state parties but so far none have sought to. The state parties have separate organisations and hold their own conferences; together they form the federal party. Central Offices Each main party has a national headquarters, staffed by full-time professional workers who co-ordinate the party organisation and prepare various party publications, including general outlines of policy and pamphlets on particular topics. The Conservative Central Office, along with its 11 area offices, is presided over by a chairman, assisted by one deputy-chairman and four vice-chairmen of the party organisation and three treasurers. The chairman, who is appointed by the leader of the Party, is in charge of Central Office and has overall responsibility for maintaining the nationwide organisation of the Party. Four vice-chairmen are responsible respectively for parliamentary candidature, international affairs, relations with Eastern Europe and the women's organisation. The executive vice-chairman is responsible for the day-to-day management of Central Office, for financial control, and for co-ordinating the detailed development of election preparations. All these appointments are made by the leader of the Party. There is a separate Central Office in Scotland with its own chairman. Central Office departments cover organisation and campaigning, community and legal affairs, communications, speakers, finance, training, trade unions, local government, women and youth, and small businesses. The Conservative Research Department, the International Office and the Conservative Political Centre also form part of Central Office. The Conservative Research Department, which is responsible to the party leader through the party chairman, plays an important part in developing party policies. On a day-to-day basis, the Research Department is responsible for briefing the parliamentary party (including the Cabinet when the Conservative Party is in power) and servicing Conservative backbench committees. It provides factual material for party publicity and produces reference works. It has four major sections: economic, home affairs, political and constitutional, and overseas and defence. The International Office provides briefing on aspects of foreign policy, maintains contact with right-wing parties worldwide, assists liaison between the European Parliament and Westminster, and acts as the point of first contact with the party for organisations and individuals from other countries, foreign journalists and diplomatic missions. The Conservative Political Centre provides political education facilities for party members and others interested in politics, through constituency discussion groups, seminars, weekend schools, and publications by MPs and others. The headquarters of the Labour Party is composed of the General Secretary's Office and four directorates dealing with administration, organisation, policy development, and campaigns and communications. The chief official is the General Secretary, who works under the direction of the NEC, and is appointed by the annual conference on the recommendation of the NEC. The General Secretary, as chief executive, is concerned with the entire work of the Party. The International Secretary is responsible for maintaining contacts with socialist parties in foreign countries and in the Commonwealth. All the directorates are responsible to committees of the NEC; the General Secretary reports directly to the NEC itself. The headquarters of the Liberal Democrats is responsible to the Finance and Administration Committee, which consists of the Treasurer, the President, the Vice-Presidents, the Federal Chief Executive, two elected representatives of staff employed by the Federal Party, and five members elected by the Federal Executive. The Federal Executive appoints a salaried General Secretary who is responsible for the employment of the staff of the Federal Party. Federal and English Party staff currently share the same headquarters and are organised into seven departments: General Secretary's; membership and direct mail; finance; campaigns and elections; policy; conference; and party newspaper. Party Finance The main parties receive their funds from various sources. The central income of the Conservative Party comes from voluntary subscriptions consisting of individual as well as company contributions. Additional contributions from the constituency associations are assessed on an agreed basis. There is no fixed subscription. Over 70 per cent of the income of the Labour Party is provided by annual affiliation fees of 80 pence for each member payable by trade unions. The remainder is provided by the constituency associations on the basis of individual membership, each individual member paying a minimum annual subscription of 10 Pounds, with reduced rates of 3 Pounds for students, the elderly and the unemployed, and from socialist societies and one large co-operative society. The Liberal Democrats' funds consist of subscriptions from individual members of the local parties. The Federal Conference determines the proportion of the state parties' subscriptions which it receives. Each state party's conference similarly determines the division between its own, and the local parties' funds. In 1989 the Conservative Party received a central income of approximately 9.2 million Pounds; the Labour Party's central income was just under 6 million Pounds; and the central income of the Liberal Democrat headquarters in London was about 1.3 million Pounds. No political party is legally obliged to publish its accounts. However, business firms required to publish their accounts under the Companies Act 1967 must show the amounts of contributions above 200 Pounds made to political party funds. The Party Leaders The powers of the party leaders and the method of their appointment differ among the parties. However, in all cases, when a party wins a general election, it is the leader who is called upon by the Sovereign to form a government. As Prime Minister he or she is then entitled to choose the members of the administration. In the Conservative Party, the party leader is elected by Conservative MPs in a secret ballot. In the Labour Party, the leader's appointment is decided on a broader basis - through election by representatives of the affiliated trade unions, the constituency parties, and the parliamentary party. The Liberal Democrats' party leader, and its President, are elected by a postal vote by party members. Once elected, the leaders of the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties become the national leaders of their parties inside and outside Parliament. The leader of the Conservative Party is the Prime Minister, Mr John Major, MP (elected as leader in 1990), while the leader of the Labour Party is Mr Neil Kinnock, MP (elected in 1983). Mr Paddy Ashdown, MP, became the first elected leader of the Liberal Democrats in 1988. Conservative Party The leader is subject to annual re-election within 28 days of the opening of a new parliamentary session, or within six months of a general election. The Conservative leader is elected by Conservative MPs, who nominate candidates. If necessary, there are three ballots. A candidate is elected on the first ballot if he or she receives both an overall majority of votes and 15 per cent more votes than any other candidate. Before the ballot Conservative constituency associations, Conservative peers and Conservative Members of the European Parliament are given an opportunity to make their views known. If no winner emerges on the first ballot, a second one is held and nominations for the first are void. Candidates who did not stand in the first ballot may stand in the second. The winner of the second ballot is the candidate receiving more than 50 per cent of votes. If there is no second ballot winner a third ballot may be organised. The three candidates receiving the highest number of votes at the second ballot go forward to the final ballot where voters indicate their first and second choices. The candidate with the lowest number of first preferences is eliminated and the votes of those giving him or her as their first preference are redistributed among the other two in accordance with their second preferences. Once the result of the election has been declared, the winner is presented for confirmation as leader of the Conservative Party to a meeting of Conservative MPs and peers, adopted parliamentary candidates and members of the Executive Committee of the National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations. The Conservative Party leader is responsible for the formulation of party policy. Although kept constantly aware through the various party organisations of the feelings and opinions of Conservative supporters throughout the country, the party leader is not normally required to report on his or her work either inside or outside Parliament. The Conservative leader normally attends most sessions of the Party's annual conference and addresses the representatives. When the Party is in opposition, the Conservative leader chooses a 'shadow cabinet' of about 18 MPs and peers to serve as a consultative committee. The leader is also in charge of the party headquarters, with the right to appoint all its officers. The powers of the Conservative leader are exercised only with the consent of the Party; if there is clear evidence that his consent is being withdrawn, the leader has no alternative but to resign. Labour Party The leader of the Labour Party, like that of the Conservative Party, is subject to annual re-election when in opposition. When the party is in office, elections for the leadership take place only when a vacancy occurs through the death or resignation of the Prime Minister. Candidates for election to the Labour Party leadership must be MPs and must be nominated by 20 per cent of the parliamentary party. They are elected by an electoral college consisting of representatives from the affiliated trade unions, the constituency parties and the House of Commons members of the parliamentary party in ratios of 40:30:30 respectively. The successful candidate is the one who receives an overall majority of the votes cast, and successive ballots are held until this occurs. If after the first ballot no candidate has an overall majority, the candidate with the lowest vote drops out (or the two or three lowest-placed candidates if their combined votes amount to fewer than those of the candidates above them). After the first ballot, other candidates may also withdraw if they wish, but no new candidate may be nominated. The deputy leader of the Party is elected annually in the same way. The function of the Labour Party leader is to implement, as far as possible, the programme determined jointly by the Parliamentary Labour Party and the party organisations. He or she attends the annual party conference to report on the work done in Parliament during the previous year. When leader of the Opposition, the party leader works with a 'shadow cabinet' (the Parliamentary Committee, see p 26) whose members are chosen by the Parliamentary Labour Party. The leader appoints the official spokesmen from the members of the elected Parliamentary Committee and other members of the Parliamentary Labour Party, the leader and his or her deputy are ex officio members of the National Executive Committee, which directs the operations of the party headquarters, but he or she is not in personal control. Liberal Democrats Unless postponed by a vote of two-thirds of the Federal Executive, elections for the leader of the party have to be held every two years. Otherwise an election is held either at the leader's own request or in the following circumstances: if the leader loses his or her seat in Parliament; if a majority of Liberal Democrat MPs pass a vote of no confidence in the leader; or at the request of 75 local parties following the holding of general meetings at which a quorum of members is present. Candidates for the Liberal Democrat leadership must be members of the party in the House of Commons, proposed and seconded by Liberal Democrat MPs, and supported by 200 party members in 20 local parties or youth or student associated organisations following the holding of general meetings. Elections for the post of President of the party are held every two years. The President chairs the Federal Executive. Party Organisation Inside Parliament The Whips In Parliament the parties are managed by officers known as 'Whips', who are MPs and peers (chosen within their parliamentary party). Their duties include informing members of forthcoming parliamentary business, maintaining the party's voting strength by ensuring that members attend important debates and support their party in divisions (the taking of votes), and passing on to the party leadership the opinions of backbench members. In the House of Commons the party whips consist of the Chief Whip and, in the two main parties, the Deputy Chief Whip and a varying number of junior whips, all of whom are MPs. Those of the party in power are known as Government Whips and are paid out of public funds. There are Government and Opposition Whips in both Houses of Parliament, but the whips in the House of Lords are less exclusively concerned with party matters and, unlike those in the Commons, may act as government spokesmen and women. The Government Chief Whip is directly answerable to the Prime Minister and the Leader of the House of Commons. Subject to the Cabinet, the overriding responsibility for the progress of the Government's legislative programmes rests with the Leader of the House. Under the authority of the Leader, the Government Chief whip in the Commons attends the Cabinet and makes the day-to-day arrangements for the Government's programme of business (estimating the time likely to be required for each item and discussing the proposed business arrangements with the Opposition). The Chief Whip is also responsible for securing majorities for the Government. He or she is assisted by a very small Civil Services staff, headed by the Private Secretary, who is frequently consulted by the Leader of the House. The Opposition Chief Whip carries out similar duties for his or her own party, and also receives a special salary. Two other Opposition Whips in the House of Commons also receive official salaries. The Government and Opposition Chief Whips meet frequently. Together they constitute the 'usual channels' often referred to in the House of Commons when the question of finding time for debating an issue or other parliamentary arrangements are discussed. The Opposition Chief Whip receives advance notice of the Government's programme each week, and no final decision is taken until after he or she has met the Government Chief Whip. The junior whips are responsible for keeping in touch with individual MPs and passing on their opinions to the Chief Whip. There are about 12 whips on each side, each responsible for 20 to 30 MPs, usually grouped on a regional basis. In the House of Lords both the Government Chief Whip and the Opposition Chief Whip receive a salary from public funds. The Government Chief Whip is assisted by Government Whips who, as in the House of Commons, are paid; the Opposition Whips are not paid an official salary. Party Organisation The most important organ of the Conservative Party in Parliament is the Conservative and Unionist Members' Committee, popularly known as the 1922 Committee. This Committee, named after the year in which it was formed, normally meets once a week and consists of the entire backbench membership of the Conservative Party in the House of Commons. It is not authorised to decide policy or to control directly the activities of the Party's leader or front bench. However, it serves to represent Conservative opinion in the House of Commons, and it is upon this Committee's support that the leader's position in the Party depends. The Committee is autonomous and independent; it has its own organisation and its own members. When the Conservative Party is in office, ministers attend its meetings by invitation and not by right; but when the Conservatives are in opposition, all members of the Party may attend meetings. The Committee is presided over by a chairman (elected annually), two vice-chairmen, two secretaries and a treasurer. Together with 12 others elected by the Committee from among its members these constitute an executive committee. This meets weekly, immediately before the meeting of the full Committee. Major issues of party or government policy are discussed at meetings of the 1922 Committee, but votes are not normally taken. Instead the chairman is expected to interpret 'the sense of the meeting'. There are no members of the House of Lords in the 1922 Committee: Conservative peers hold their meetings separately as members of the Association of Conservative Peers. When the Party is in opposition, the leader appoints the consultative committee which acts as the Party's 'shadow cabinet' and is separate from the executive committee of the 1922 Committee. The Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) is composed of all Labour members in both Houses of Parliament. When the Labour Party is in office, a Parliamentary Committee acts as a channel of communication between the Government and its backbenchers in both Houses. Half of the committee is elected by the backbench Labour members of the House of Commons and the remainder are representatives of the Government. These include the Leader of the House, the Government Chief Whip and four others, including a Labour peer, appointed by the party leader. When Labour is in opposition, the PLP is organised under the direction of the elected Parliamentary Committee (the `shadow cabinet') consisting of six ex officio members. These are the leader of the party, the deputy leader, the chair of the parliamentary party, the Labour Chief Whips from both Houses of Parliament, and the leader of the Labour peers. Its other members are 18 elected representatives of Labour MPs and one elected representative of the Labour peers. For ballot papers to be valid in this election three votes must be cast for women candidates if three or more are nominated. Meetings of the PLP, at which broad outlines of policy are discussed and important decisions sometimes taken, are held at least twice a week, and may be convened more often. The party leader and his or her colleagues are expected to attend and do so whenever possible, whether the Party is in or out of office. In general, the PLP has a greater measure of influence over policy than its Conservative counterpart. The Liberal Democrats meet each week to discuss forthcoming parliamentary business and other matters; the leader takes the chair. All MPs and several peers attend. Party Committees As well as attending party meetings, both Conservative and Labour MPs have a policy committee system, organised around subject areas roughly corresponding to those of government departments. Both main parties have about 20 groups of this kind, including, for instance, agriculture and food, economic affairs and finance, trade and industry, education, science and technology, aviation, foreign and Commonwealth affairs, and overseas development. In the Parliamentary Labour Party there are also regional groups. The Liberal Democrats' Federal Policy Committee establishes policy working groups to prepare policy papers to be debated by conference, and to provide policy advice to MPs and peers. Financial Assistance to Opposition Parties Annual financial assistance is given from public funds to help opposition parties carry out their parliamentary work at Westminster. The amounts provided are based on a formula related to votes received and seats won at the previous general election. The amounts payable have been revised on five occasions since the inception of the scheme in 1975. The last rise was effective from June 1987. Assistance is limited to parties which had at least two members elected at the previous general election, or one member elected and a minimum of 150,000 votes cast. The amount given is 2,550 Pounds for every seat won and 5.10 Pounds for every 200 votes. The Liberal Democrats and the former Social Democratic Party (see p 7) have received assistance on the basis of a formula whereby the Liberal Democrats receive the entitlement of the former Liberal Alliance and two-fifths of the former SDP Alliance's entitlement. The Social Democrat MPs receive the remaining three-fifths of the SDP Alliance's entitlement. The amounts payable in 1988 to each opposition party were as follows: Labour Party 839,135 Pounds; Liberal Democrats 139,965 Pounds; Social Democratic Party 172,633 Pounds; Scottish National Party 21,812 Pounds; Plaid Cymru (Welsh Nationalist) 6,034 Pounds; Ulster Unionist Party 39,887 Pounds; Democratic Unionist Party 6,796 Pounds; Social Democratic and Labour Party 2,270 Pounds. Parties are accountable for expenditure to the Accounting Officer of the House of Commons. The allocation of a party's entitlement between its work in the House of Commons and the House of Lords is decided by the party itself.