Labour Party (UK) Conference
Encyclopedia
The Labour Party Conference, or annual national conference of the Labour Party
, is formally the supreme decision-making body of the Party.
, each major political party holds an annual party conference during the party conference season
. In the Labour Party, Conference is the supreme body, although the party leadership has made clear, particularly in recent years, that it will ignore the conference's decisions where it does not agree; constitutionally, a British government must be free to make decisions on behalf of the whole population and cannot be bound by any private body.
s and socialist societies
. Currently, affiliated trade unions hold 50% of the votes at the conference - down from 80% in the era before Tony Blair
, but still considerable. Some 40% of the votes are wielded by the three largest trade unions (Unite
, GMB, UNISON
).
leads the conference (although the details of the conference, including what is debated, are managed by the Conference Arrangements Committee) and if it does not agree with a resolution, the committee may put pressure on the backers to withdraw or remit it. Remittance means that the resolution's backers agree to "send back" the resolution to the National Executive so that it can consider the matter in more detail; this is viewed by some as a mere delaying tactic. The resolutions voted upon are normally composites, meaning that they have been compiled by combining several resolutions put forward by different bodies into a single wording agreed beforehand.
s, which are perceived in the UK in those terms. Others would say that, because divisions in a party are unpopular electorally, it has been to the party's advantage to move disputes behind closed doors; they would also argue that the Labour Conference is more democratic than that of the rival Conservative Party
, which political scientists have traditionally perceived as a more top-down or hierarchical party than Labour.
Of the Labour Representation Committee
, the former President of South Africa
.
BBC News Coverage
, the Chancellor of Germany.
BBC News Coverage
, former president of the United States of America
BBC News Coverage
, the first President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
.
BBC News Coverage
during the final week of September. Conference rejected a call for withdrawal from Iraq
, but accepted a resolution calling for renationalization of the railways; the leadership declared that it would ignore this.
The conference received some international glamour when it was addressed by the Irish rock star Bono
who called for more action to combat the spread of AIDS
and the debt crippling African countries.
Conference closed with the singing of The Red Flag
and Jerusalem
.
BBC News Coverage
an 82-year-old refugee from Nazi Germany who was arrested for attempting to re-enter the conference without a pass. None was subsequently charged.
BBC News Coverage
at the G-Mex
and Manchester International Conference Centre from 24 to 28 September. It was the first time in 50 years the main Labour conference was not held at a seaside
town and the first time since 1917 the Labour conference had been held in Manchester. This followed Labour's Spring 2004 conference which was held at the G-Mex for the first time. The conference was Blair's last as leader after he stated this would be the case just before the conference and at the conference itself. The start of the conference was marked with protests against the Iraq war.
Tony Blair, in his last speech to conference as Labour Party leader and Prime Minister, praised the work of the former Chancellor of the Exchequer
, Gordon Brown
.
The conference was addressed in a joint session by Labour's Mayor of London
, Ken Livingstone
and the Mayor of Los Angeles Antonio Villaraigosa
on the subject of climate change
. Bob Geldof
and Monica Naggaga from Oxfam
(Uganda
) spoke together about the plight of Africa. The main international guest speaker was the former US President
Bill Clinton
. Another international visitor - but not a speaker to the conference - was Shimon Peres
, the former Prime Minister of Israel
.
from 23 to 27 September. The conference was the first with Gordon Brown
as leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister
, and he laid out his plains for his premiership.
at Manchester Central (formerly G-Mex). The opening day of conference was moved from Sunday to Saturday to allow people who work during the week to attend. The Labour leader and Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, delivered his keynote address on 23 September.
given on Monday 28 September in which he claimed that Labour was in "the fight of our lives" as the forthcoming general election approached. Gordon Brown gave his keynote address to the conference on the afternoon of Tuesday 29 September, saying that Labour was "not done yet". Shortly afterwards Britain's biggest selling newspaper, The Sun
announced that it would withdraw its support for the Labour Party
and gave its backing to the Conservatives
. Union leader and Labour supporter Tony Woodley
responded to this by tearing up a copy of that edition of The Sun, telling the audience:In Liverpool, we learnt a long time ago what to do. I suggest the rest of the country should do exactly the same thing; in reference to the hostility felt in Liverpool towards The Sun newspaper following its controversial allegations about the behaviour of Liverpool F.C.
supporters during the Hillsborough disaster
20 years earlier.
and was Ed Miliband
's first conference as leader. In his first major speech as leader on 28 September, Miliband told delegates that his "new generation" would return the party to power. The following day David Miliband
announced he would not be serving in his brother's shadow cabinet, although he would continue as an MP. Other highlights of the conference included activists condemning the coalition government
's proposed public spending cuts as "obscene" on 27 September, and a close of conference address from Harriet Harman
in which she told delegates that Ed Miliband would "fortify" the party.
from 25-29 September. On 26 September delegates voted to scrap the tradition of Shadow Cabinet elections. Ed Miliband
's keynote speech on 27 September suffered a five minute blackout after all media communications were lost.
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, is formally the supreme decision-making body of the Party.
Conference decisions
In the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, each major political party holds an annual party conference during the party conference season
Party conference season
In the United Kingdom the party conference season refers to the period of three weeks in September and October of each year which contains the annual political party conferences...
. In the Labour Party, Conference is the supreme body, although the party leadership has made clear, particularly in recent years, that it will ignore the conference's decisions where it does not agree; constitutionally, a British government must be free to make decisions on behalf of the whole population and cannot be bound by any private body.
Delegates
Delegates to the conference are elected by Constituency Labour Parties, affiliated trade unionAffiliated trade union
In British politics, the term affiliated trade union refers to a trade union that has an affiliation to the British Labour Party.The Party was created by the trade unions and socialist societies in 1900 as the Labour Representation Committee...
s and socialist societies
Socialist societies
A socialist society is a membership organisation that is affiliated with the Labour Party in the UK.The best-known socialist society is the Fabian Society, founded in 1884, some years before the creation of the Labour Party itself . The Society's membership is relatively small , but in Labour...
. Currently, affiliated trade unions hold 50% of the votes at the conference - down from 80% in the era before Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
, but still considerable. Some 40% of the votes are wielded by the three largest trade unions (Unite
Unite the Union
Unite – the Union, known as Unite, is a British and Irish trade union, formed on 1 May 2007, by the merger of Amicus and the Transport and General Workers' Union...
, GMB, UNISON
UNISON
UNISON is the largest trade union in the United Kingdom with over 1.3 million members.The union was formed in 1993 when three public sector trade unions, the National and Local Government Officers Association , the National Union of Public Employees and the Confederation of Health Service...
).
Resolutions
Resolutions for debate are put forward by CLPs and unions before the conference begins. In recent years, party members have had less say in what is debated at the annual conference, as the party leadership has tried to move policy-making increasingly into the new National Policy Forums, which meet in private.Role of the NEC
The National Executive CommitteeNational Executive Committee
The National Executive Committee or NEC is the chief administrative body of the UK Labour Party. Its composition has changed over the years, and includes representatives of affiliated trade unions, the Parliamentary Labour Party and European Parliamentary Labour Party, Constituency Labour Parties,...
leads the conference (although the details of the conference, including what is debated, are managed by the Conference Arrangements Committee) and if it does not agree with a resolution, the committee may put pressure on the backers to withdraw or remit it. Remittance means that the resolution's backers agree to "send back" the resolution to the National Executive so that it can consider the matter in more detail; this is viewed by some as a mere delaying tactic. The resolutions voted upon are normally composites, meaning that they have been compiled by combining several resolutions put forward by different bodies into a single wording agreed beforehand.
Comparisons
Many critics argue that the Labour Party Conference has become less democratic in recent years and more like a party rally; some would compare it disparagingly with the American party conventionUnited States presidential nominating convention
A United States presidential nominating convention is a political convention held every four years in the United States by most of the political parties who will be fielding nominees in the upcoming U.S. presidential election...
s, which are perceived in the UK in those terms. Others would say that, because divisions in a party are unpopular electorally, it has been to the party's advantage to move disputes behind closed doors; they would also argue that the Labour Conference is more democratic than that of the rival Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, which political scientists have traditionally perceived as a more top-down or hierarchical party than Labour.
Of the Labour Representation CommitteeLabour Representation CommitteeLabour Representation Committee may refer to:* Labour Representation Committee, the original name of the British Labour Party* Labour Representation Committee , a 21st century pressure group within the British Labour Party...
| Date | Location | Chairman |
|---|---|---|
| 27-28 February 1900 | London | W. Steadman |
| 1 February 1901 | Manchester | J. Hodge |
| 20-23 February 1902 | Birmingham | W. Davies |
| 19-21 February 1903 | Newcastle | J. Bell |
| 4-5 February 1904 | Bradford | J. Hodge |
| 26-29 January 1905 | Liverpool | A. Henderson |
Of the Labour Party
| Date | Location | Chairman | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15-17 February 1906 | London | A. Henderson | |
| 24-26 January 1907 | Belfast | J. Stephenson | |
| 20-22 January 1908 | Hull | W. Hudson | |
| 27-29 January 1909 | Portsmouth | J. Clynes | |
| 9-11 February 1910 | Newport | J. Keir Hardie | |
| 1-3 February 1911 | Leicester | W. Robinson | |
| 24-26 January 1912 | Birmingham | B. Turner | |
| 29-31 January 1913 | London | G. Roberts | |
| 27-30 January 1914 | Glasgow | T. Fox | |
| 1915 | no conference | ||
| 26-28 January 1916 | Bristol | W. Anderson | |
| 23-26 January 1917 | Manchester | G. Wardle | |
| 23-25 January 1918 | Nottingham | W. Purdy | conference adjourned and then resumed in London 26 February 1918 |
| 26-28 June 1918 | London | W. Purdy | |
| 25-27 June 1919 | Southport | J. McGurk | |
| 22-25 June 1920 | Scarborough | W. Hutchinson | |
| 26-29 June 1923 | London | S. Webb | |
| 7-10 October 1924 | London | R. MacDonald | |
| 29 September-2 October 1925 | Liverpool | C. Cramp | |
| 11-15 October 1926 | Margate | R. Williams | |
| 3-7 October 1927 | Blackpool | F. Roberts | |
| 1-5 October 1928 | Birmingham | G. Lansbury | |
| 30 September-4 October 1929 | Brighton | H. Morrison | |
| 6-10 October 1930 | Llandudno | Susan Lawrence | |
| 5-8 October 1931 | Scarborough | S. Hirst | |
| 3-7 October 1932 | Leicester | G. Lathan | |
| 2-6 October 1933 | Hastings | J. Compton | |
| 1-5 October 1934 | Southport | W. Smith | |
| 30 September-4 October 1935 | Brighton | W. Robinson | |
| 5-9 October 1936 | Edinburgh | Jennie Adamson | |
| 4-8 October 1937 | Bournemouth | H. Dalton | |
| 1938 | no conference | ||
| 29 May-2 June 1939 | Southport | G. Dallas | |
| 13-16 May 1940 | Bournemouth | Barbara Gould | |
| 2-4 June 1941 | London | J. Walker | |
| 25-28 May 1942 | London | W. Green | |
| 14-18 June 1943 | London | A. Dobbs | |
| 11-15 December 1944 | London | G. Ridley | |
| 21-25 May 1945 | Blackpool | Ellen Wilkinson | |
| 10-14 June 1946 | Bournemouth | H. Laski | |
| 26-30 May 1947 | Margate | P. Noel-Baker | |
| 17-21 May 1948 | Scarborough | E. Shinwell | |
| 6-10 June 1949 | Blackpool | J. Griffiths | |
| 2-6 October 1950 | Margate | S. Watson | |
| 1-3 October 1951 | Scarborough | Alice Bacon | |
| 29 September-3 October 1952 | Morecambe | H. Earnshaw | |
| 28 September-2 October 1953 | Margate | Arthur Greenwood | |
| 27 September-1 October 1954 | Scarborough | W. Burke | |
| 10-14 October 1955 | Margate | Edith Summerskill | |
| 1-5 October 1956 | Blackpool | E. Gooch | |
| 30 September-4 October 1957 | Brighton | Margaret Herbison | |
| 29 September-3 October 1958 | Scarborough | T. Driberg | |
| 28-29 November 1959 | Blackpool | Barbara Castle | |
| 3-7 October 1960 | Scarborough | G. Brinham | |
| 2-6 October 1961 | Blackpool | R. Crossman | |
| 2-5 October 1962 | Brighton | H. Wilson | |
| 30 September-4 October 1963 | Scarborough | D. Davies | |
| 12-13 December 1964 | Brighton | Anthony Greenwood | |
| 27 September-October 1965 | Blackpool | R. Gunter | |
| 3-7 October 1966 | Brighton | W. Padley | |
| 2-6 October 1967 | Scarborough | J. Boyd | |
| 30 September-4 October 1968 | Blackpool | Jennie Lee | |
| 29 September-3 October 1969 | Brighton | Eirene White | |
| 28 September-2 October 1970 | Blackpool | A. Skeffington | |
| 4-8 October 1971 | Brighton | I. Mikardo | |
| 2-6 October 1972 | Blackpool | A. Benn | |
| 1-5 October 1973 | Blackpool | W. Simpson | |
| 27-30 November 1974 | London | J. Callaghan | |
| 26 April 1975 | London | F. Mulley | Special Conference on the Common Market European Economic Community The European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) The European Economic Community (EEC) (also known as the Common Market in the English-speaking world, renamed the European Community (EC) in 1993The information in this article primarily covers the EEC's time as an independent... |
| 29 September-October 1975 | Blackpool | F. Mulley | |
| 27 September-1 October 1976 | Blackpool | T. Bradley | |
| 3-7 October 1977 | Brighton | Joan Lestor | |
| 2-6 October 1978 | Blackpool | Joan Lestor | |
| 1-5 October 1979 | Brighton | F. Allaun | |
| 29 September-3 October 1980 | Blackpool | Lady Jeger | |
| 27 September-2 October 1981 | Brighton | A. Kitson | Minute's silence at the Conference in memory of Bill Shankly Bill Shankly William "Bill" Shankly, OBE was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Liverpool between 1959 and 1974. One of Britain's most successful and respected football managers, Shankly was also a fine player whose career was interrupted by the Second World War... , former Liverpool F.C. Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups... manager and lifelong Labour supporter, when news of his death was announced |
| 27 September-1 October 1982 | Blackpool | Dame J. Hart | |
| 3-8 October 1983 | Brighton | S. McCluskey | |
| 1-5 October 1984 | Blackpool | E. Heffer | |
| 29 September-4 October 1985 | Bournemouth | A. Hadden | |
| 28 September-3 October 1986 | Blackpool | N. Hough | |
| 27 September-2 October 1987 | Brighton | S. Tierney | |
| 2-7 October 1988 | Blackpool | N. Kinnock | |
| 1-6 October 1989 | Brighton | D. Skinner | |
| 30 September-5 October 1990 | Blackpool | Jo Richardson | |
| 29 September-4 October 1991 | Brighton | J. Evans | |
| 27 September-2 October 1992 | Blackpool | T. Clarke | |
| 26 September-1 October 1993 | Brighton | D. Blunkett | |
| 3-7 October 1994 | Blackpool | D. Blunkett | |
| 29 April 1995 | London | G. Colling | Special Conference on the Party Constitution |
| 2-6 October 1995 | Brighton | G. Colling | |
| 30 September-4 October 1996 | Blackpool | Diana Jeuda | |
| 29 September-3 October 1997 | Brighton | R. Cook | |
| 28 September-2 October 1998 | Blackpool | R. Rosser | BBC News Coverage |
| 27 September-1 October 1999 | Blackpool | Brenda Etchells | BBC News Coverage |
2000 Brighton
The international guest speaker was Nelson MandelaNelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
, the former President of South Africa
President of South Africa
The President of the Republic of South Africa is the head of state and head of government under South Africa's Constitution. From 1961 to 1994, the head of state was called the State President....
.
BBC News Coverage
2001 Brighton
The international guest speaker was Gerhard SchröderGerhard Schröder
Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schröder is a German politician, and was Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany , he led a coalition government of the SPD and the Greens. Before becoming a full-time politician, he was a lawyer, and before becoming Chancellor...
, the Chancellor of Germany.
BBC News Coverage
2002 Blackpool
The international guest speaker was Bill ClintonBill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, former president of the United States of America
BBC News Coverage
2003 Bournemouth
The international guest speaker to address conference was Hamid KarzaiHamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai, GCMG is the 12th and current President of Afghanistan, taking office on 7 December 2004. He became a dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001...
, the first President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
President of Afghanistan
Afghanistan has only been a republic between 1973 and 1992 and from 2001 onwards. Before 1973, it was a monarchy that was governed by a variety of kings, emirs or shahs...
.
BBC News Coverage
2004 Brighton
The 2004 party conference was held in BrightonBrighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
during the final week of September. Conference rejected a call for withdrawal from Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, but accepted a resolution calling for renationalization of the railways; the leadership declared that it would ignore this.
The conference received some international glamour when it was addressed by the Irish rock star Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
who called for more action to combat the spread of AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
and the debt crippling African countries.
Conference closed with the singing of The Red Flag
The Red Flag
The Red Flag is a protest song associated with left-wing politics, in particular with socialism. It is the semi-official anthem of the British Labour Party, sung at the end of conference. It is the official anthem of the Irish Labour Party and sung at the close of national conference.-History:The...
and Jerusalem
And did those feet in ancient time
"And did those feet in ancient time" is a short poem by William Blake from the preface to his epic Milton a Poem, one of a collection of writings known as the Prophetic Books. The date on the title page of 1804 for Milton is probably when the plates were begun, but the poem was printed c. 1808...
.
BBC News Coverage
2005 Brighton
Over 600 people were held under the recent terrorism acts, including Walter WolfgangWalter Wolfgang
Walter Jakob Wolfgang is a German-born British socialist and peace activist.He is currently Vice President and Vice Chair of Labourof the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and a supporter of the Stop the War Coalition...
an 82-year-old refugee from Nazi Germany who was arrested for attempting to re-enter the conference without a pass. None was subsequently charged.
BBC News Coverage
2006 Manchester
In 2006 the conference was held in ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
at the G-Mex
G-Mex
Manchester Central, , formerly known as the GMEX centre and Manchester International Conference Centre , is an exhibition and conference centre built in and around the former Manchester Central railway station in Manchester, North West England...
and Manchester International Conference Centre from 24 to 28 September. It was the first time in 50 years the main Labour conference was not held at a seaside
Coast
A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...
town and the first time since 1917 the Labour conference had been held in Manchester. This followed Labour's Spring 2004 conference which was held at the G-Mex for the first time. The conference was Blair's last as leader after he stated this would be the case just before the conference and at the conference itself. The start of the conference was marked with protests against the Iraq war.
Tony Blair, in his last speech to conference as Labour Party leader and Prime Minister, praised the work of the former Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
, Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
.
The conference was addressed in a joint session by Labour's Mayor of London
Mayor of London
The Mayor of London is an elected politician who, along with the London Assembly of 25 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London. Conservative Boris Johnson has held the position since 4 May 2008...
, Ken Livingstone
Ken Livingstone
Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
and the Mayor of Los Angeles Antonio Villaraigosa
Antonio Villaraigosa
Antonio Ramón Villaraigosa , born Antonio Ramón Villar, Jr., is the 41st and current Mayor of Los Angeles, California, the third Mexican American to have ever held office in the city of Los Angeles and the first in over 130 years. He is also the current president of the United States Conference of...
on the subject of climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
. Bob Geldof
Bob Geldof
Robert Frederick Zenon "Bob" Geldof, KBE is an Irish singer, songwriter, author, occasional actor and political activist. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats in the late 1970s and early 1980s alongside the punk rock movement. The band had hits with his...
and Monica Naggaga from Oxfam
Oxfam
Oxfam is an international confederation of 15 organizations working in 98 countries worldwide to find lasting solutions to poverty and related injustice around the world. In all Oxfam’s actions, the ultimate goal is to enable people to exercise their rights and manage their own lives...
(Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
) spoke together about the plight of Africa. The main international guest speaker was the former US President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
. Another international visitor - but not a speaker to the conference - was Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres
GCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...
, the former Prime Minister of Israel
Prime Minister of Israel
The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and the most powerful political figure in Israel . The prime minister is the country's chief executive. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Rosh Hamemshala is in Jerusalem...
.
2007 Bournemouth
The 2007 conference was held in the Bournemouth International CentreBournemouth International Centre
The Bournemouth International Centre in Bournemouth, Dorset, is one of the primary venues for conferences, exhibitions, entertainment and events in southern England...
from 23 to 27 September. The conference was the first with Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
as leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
, and he laid out his plains for his premiership.
2008 Manchester
The 2008 conference was held between 20 and 24 September in ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
at Manchester Central (formerly G-Mex). The opening day of conference was moved from Sunday to Saturday to allow people who work during the week to attend. The Labour leader and Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, delivered his keynote address on 23 September.
2009 Brighton
The 2009 conference was held in Brighton from 27 September to 1 October 2009. It is noted for a particularly impassioned address from Peter MandelsonPeter Mandelson
Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, served in a number of Cabinet positions under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and was a European Commissioner...
given on Monday 28 September in which he claimed that Labour was in "the fight of our lives" as the forthcoming general election approached. Gordon Brown gave his keynote address to the conference on the afternoon of Tuesday 29 September, saying that Labour was "not done yet". Shortly afterwards Britain's biggest selling newspaper, The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
announced that it would withdraw its support for the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
and gave its backing to the Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
. Union leader and Labour supporter Tony Woodley
Tony Woodley
Anthony Woodley is a British trade unionist who was the Joint-General Secretary of the Unite union which was formed through the merger of Amicus and the Transport and General Workers Union in 2007...
responded to this by tearing up a copy of that edition of The Sun, telling the audience:In Liverpool, we learnt a long time ago what to do. I suggest the rest of the country should do exactly the same thing; in reference to the hostility felt in Liverpool towards The Sun newspaper following its controversial allegations about the behaviour of Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
supporters during the Hillsborough disaster
Hillsborough disaster
The Hillsborough disaster was a human crush that occurred on 15 April 1989 at Hillsborough, a football stadium, the home of Sheffield Wednesday F.C. in Sheffield, England, resulting in the deaths of 96 people, and 766 being injured, all fans of Liverpool F.C....
20 years earlier.
2010 Manchester
The 2010 Conference took place between 26–30 September 2010 at Manchester Central conference centre. The conference started with the announcement of the results of the 2010 leadership electionLabour Party (UK) leadership election, 2010
The 2010 Labour Party leadership election was triggered by a general election which resulted in a hung parliament. On 10 May, Gordon Brown resigned as Leader of the Labour Party. The following day, he stepped down as Prime Minister....
and was Ed Miliband
Ed Miliband
Edward Samuel Miliband is a British Labour Party politician, currently the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition...
's first conference as leader. In his first major speech as leader on 28 September, Miliband told delegates that his "new generation" would return the party to power. The following day David Miliband
David Miliband
David Wright Miliband is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for South Shields since 2001, and was the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 2007 to 2010. He is the elder son of the late Marxist theorist Ralph Miliband...
announced he would not be serving in his brother's shadow cabinet, although he would continue as an MP. Other highlights of the conference included activists condemning the coalition government
United Kingdom coalition government (2010–present)
The ConservativeLiberal Democrat coalition is the present Government of the United Kingdom, formed after the 2010 general election. The Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats entered into discussions which culminated in the 2010 coalition agreement, setting out a programme for government...
's proposed public spending cuts as "obscene" on 27 September, and a close of conference address from Harriet Harman
Harriet Harman
Harriet Ruth Harman QC is a British Labour Party politician, who is the Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham, and was MP for the predecessorPeckham constituency from 1982 to 1997...
in which she told delegates that Ed Miliband would "fortify" the party.
2011 Liverpool
The 2011 Conference in LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
from 25-29 September. On 26 September delegates voted to scrap the tradition of Shadow Cabinet elections. Ed Miliband
Ed Miliband
Edward Samuel Miliband is a British Labour Party politician, currently the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition...
's keynote speech on 27 September suffered a five minute blackout after all media communications were lost.