Labour Co-operative Party
|
Labour and Co-operative Party
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Parliamentary Group Chair | Gavin Shuker |
| Parliamentary Group Vice-Chair | Anna Turley |
| General Secretary |
Iain McNicol (Labour Party) |
| General Secretary | Claire McCarthy (Co-operative Party) |
| Founded | 7 June 1927 |
| Ideology |
Co-operation Social democracy Democratic socialism |
| Political position | Centre-left |
| Colours | Red |
| House of Commons |
38 / 650
|
| House of Lords |
18 / 802
|
| Scottish Parliament |
7 / 129
|
| Welsh Assembly |
11 / 60
|
| London Assembly |
7 / 25
|
| Local government |
1,500 / 20,690
|
| Police & Crime Commissioners |
3 / 40
|
Labour and Co-operative Party (often abbreviated Labour Co-op; Welsh: Llafur a’r Blaid Gydweithredol) is a description used by candidates in United Kingdom elections who stand on behalf of both the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party.
Candidates contest elections under an electoral alliance between both parties, that was first agreed in 1927. This agreement recognises the independence of the two parties and commits them to not standing against each in other in elections. It also sets out the procedures for both parties to select joint candidates and interact at a local and national level.
At the 2017 General Election, 38 Labour and Co-operative MPs were elected, making it the third largest political group in the House of Commons. The Chair of the Co-operative Parliamentary Group is Gavin Shuker and the Vice-chair is Anna Turley.
Labour and Co-operative is a joint description registered with the Electoral Commission, appearing alongside a candidate's name on ballot papers. When elected, the designation is officially Labour and Co-operative Party, with elected representatives often meeting together in addition to being part of an official Labour group. For example, MPs and Peers are members of the Co-operative Parliamentary Group.
Most Labour and Co-operative candidates use the joint description but some stand under another version, particularly for local government elections and elections in Scotland, Wales and London that use a list system. In this case only one description will be used to avoid voters thinking Labour and Co-operative candidates are standing against Labour candidates; however joint candidates are still recognised as part of the Labour and Co-operative Group if they are elected.
Labour and Co-operative candidates and representatives also use a joint logo on their printed materials and websites.
The Labour Party was founded in February 1900, followed in October 1917 by the Co-operative Party. Initially both parties operated independently, but saw each other as part of a broader movement, appealing to a similar voting base. At a local level, the parties began working together, with informal pacts to stand agreed candidates to maximise the vote for centre-left candidates. The first Co-operative Party MPs also took the whip of the much larger Labour Party upon entering the House of Commons.
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Wikipedia