Socialist Campaign Group
The Socialist Campaign Group is a left-wing, democratic socialist grouping of Labour Party Members of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. It was formed in December 1982 as an alternative Parliamentary left-wing group to the Tribune Group.[1] The Campaign Group, as it is commonly known, is often considered on the hard left of the Labour Party[2] and has been highly critical of New Labour.
Founding members
- Norman Atkinson
- Tony Benn
- Ron Brown
- Dennis Canavan
- Bob Cryer
- Don Dixon
- Stuart Holland
- Les Huckfield
- Bob Litherland
- Joan Maynard
- Willie McKelvey
- Andy McMahon
- Bob McTaggart
- Michael Meacher
- Ray Powell
- Reg Race
- Allan Roberts
- Ernie Roberts
- Ernie Ross
- Dennis Skinner MP
- John Tilley[3]
Current members
- Ronnie Campbell MP
- John Cryer MP (Chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party)
- Kelvin Hopkins MP
- Ian Mearns MP
- Dennis Skinner MP
Former members
Deceased
The following died while still serving in Parliament:
- Bob McTaggart (d. 1989)
- Allan Roberts (d. 1990)
- Pat Wall (d. 1990)
- Eric Heffer (d. 1991)
- Bob Cryer (d. 1994)
- Bernie Grant (d. 2000)
- Audrey Wise (d. 2000)
- David Taylor (d. 2009)
- Michael Meacher (d. 2015)
Left Parliament
These members left Parliament voluntarily, either to retire or for new opportunities elsewhere:
- Joan Maynard (1987)
- Stuart Holland (1989, left Parliament to return to academia)
- Bob Clay (1992)
- Martin Flannery (1992)
- Don Dixon (1997)
- Mildred Gordon (1997)
- Bob Litherland (1997)
- Eddie Loyden (1997)
- Willie McKelvey (1997)
- Robert Parry (1997)
- Tony Benn (2001)
- Maria Fyfe (2001)
- Tess Kingham (2001)
- John McAllion (2001, resigned to focus on his duties as a Member of the Scottish Parliament)
- Bill Michie (2001)
- Tony Banks (2005)
- Harry Barnes (2005)
- Harold Best (2005)
- Terence Lewis (2005)
- Alice Mahon (2005)
- Llew Smith (2005)
- Jimmy Wray (2005)
- Ernie Ross (2005)
- John Austin (2010)
- Michael Clapham (2010)
- Harry Cohen (2010)
- Ann Cryer (2010)
- Bill Etherington (2010)
- Neil Gerrard (2010)
- Lynne Jones (2010)
- Bob Marshall-Andrews (2010)
- Alan Simpson (2010)
- Martin Caton (2015)
- David Hamilton (2015)
- Austin Mitchell (2015)
- Linda Riordan (2015)
- Mike Wood (2015)
Constituencies abolished
These members left the Commons in 1983 following the abolition of their constituencies as a result of redrawing of boundaries:
Lost seat in general election
These members lost their seats in general elections:
- Bob Cryer (lost seat 1983, returned to Parliament 1987)
- Eileen Gordon (lost seat 2001)
- John Cryer MP (lost seat 2005, returned to Parliament in 2010)
- Phil Sawford (lost seat 2005)
- David Drew (lost seat 2010)
- Katy Clark (lost seat 2015)
Expelled
The following members were expelled from the Labour Party:
- Ron Brown (expelled in 1991 after he was convicted of criminal damage)
- Terry Fields (expelled in 1991 for his membership of the Militant tendency)
- Dave Nellist (expelled in 1991 for his membership of the Militant tendency)
- Dennis Canavan (expelled in 2000 for running as an independent for the Scottish Parliament)
- Ken Livingstone (expelled in 2000 for running as an independent for Mayor of London; later readmitted to the party)
Deselected
The following members were deselected by their Constituency Labour Parties:
- Norman Atkinson (deselected 1987)
- Ernie Roberts (deselected 1987)
- John Hughes (deselected 1992)
- Bob Wareing (deselected 2007)
- Frank Cook (deselected 2008)
- Ian Gibson (deselected 2009)
Defected
In 2005 Brian Sedgemore resigned the Labour Party whip and defected to the Liberal Democrats.
Resigned
The following members resigned their membership of the Campaign Group in 1985 in a show of support for Neil Kinnock's reforms:
The following members resigned their membership of the Campaign Group in 1988 in protest at Tony Benn's decision to challenge Neil Kinnock for the Labour leadership that year:
The following members resigned their membership of the Campaign Group at various points in time when they became front bench spokespersons or members of the government, which was seen as incompatible with membership of the Campaign Group:
- Michael Meacher MP (joined the front bench 1983)
- Ray Powell (joined the front bench 1983)
- Mark Fisher (joined the front bench 1987)
- Paul Boateng (joined the front bench 1989)
- Gavin Strang (joined the front bench 1992)
- Malcolm Chisholm (joined the government 1997)
- Chris Mullin (joined the government 1997)
- Dawn Primarolo MP (joined the government, but remained a member until 2000)
- Dave Anderson MP (joined the government 2006)
- Jeremy Corbyn MP (elected leader in 2015)
- John McDonnell MP (joined the front bench in 2015)
- Diane Abbott MP (served on the front bench 2010-2013, and from 2015)
- Ian Lavery MP (joined the front bench in 2015)
The following members resigned their membership of the Campaign Group for other reasons:
- Alan Meale MP (resigned 1987)
- Gerry Birmingham (resigned 1991)
- Terry Patchett (resigned 1991)
- Keith Vaz MP (resigned 1991)
- Jimmy Hood MP (resigned 1997)
References
- ↑ Patrick Seyd, The Rise and Fall of the Labour Left (1987). London: Macmillan.
- ↑ McDonnell, John (23 July 2007). "Campaign Group's popular policies". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
- ↑ Patrick Seyd, The Rise and Fall of the Labour Left (1987), p. 222. London: Macmillan.