APPENDIX III THE CONSTITUTION OF THE BRITISH LABOUR PARTY AS ADOPTED BY THE PARTY CONFERENCE HELD IN LONDON ON FEBRUARY 21, 1918 The Labour Party shall consist of all its affiliated organisations, together with those men and women who are individual members of a Local Labour Party and who subscribe to the Constitution and Programme of the Party. National (a) To organise and maintain in Parliament and in the country a Political Labour Party, and to ensure the establishment of a Local Labour Party in every County Constituency and every Parliamentary Borough, with suitable divisional organisation in the separate constituencies of Divided Boroughs. (6) To co-operate with the Parliamentary Committee of the Trades Union Congress, or other Kindred Organisations, in joint political or other action in harmony with the Party Constitution and Standing Orders. (c) To give effect as far as may be practicable to the principles from time to time approved by the Party Conference. (d) To secure for the producers by hand or by brain the full fruits of their industry, and the most equitable distribu *Trade Unions, Socialist Societies, Co-operative Societies, Trades Councils, and Local Labour Parties. tion thereof that may be possible, upon the basis of the common ownership of the means of production and the best obtainable system of popular administration and control of each industry or service. (e) Generally to promote the Political, Social, and Economic Emancipation of the People, and more particularly of those who depend directly upon their own exertions by hand or by brain for the means of life. Inter-Dominion (f) To co-operate with the Labour and Socialist organisations in the Dominions and the Dependencies with a view to promoting the purposes of the Party and to take common action for the promotion of a higher standard of social and economic life for the working population of the respective countries. International (8) To co-operate with the Labour and Socialist organisations in other countries and to assist in organising a Federation of Nations for the maintenance of Freedom and Peace, for the establishment of suitable machinery for the adjustment and settlement of International Disputes by Conciliation or Judicial Arbitration, and for such International Legislation as may be practicable. 4. PARTY PROGRAMME (a) It shall be the duty of the Party Conference to decide, from time to time, what specific proposals of legislative, financial, or administrative reform shall receive the general support of the Party, and be promoted, as occasion may present itself, by the National Executive and the Parliamentary Labour Party; provided that no such proposal shall be made definitely part of the General Programme of the Party unless it has been adopted by the Conference by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the votes recorded on a card vote. (6) It shall be the duty of the National Executive and the Parliamentary Labour Party, prior to every General Election, to define the principal issues for that Election which in their judgment should be made the Special Party Programme for that particular Election Campaign, which shall be issued as a manifesto by the Executive to all constituencies where a Labour Candidate is standing. (c) It shall be the duty of every Parliamentary representative of the Party to be guided by the decision of the meetings of such Parliamentary representatives, with a view to giving effect to the decisions of the Party Conferences as to the General Programme of the Party. 5. THE PARTY CONFERENCE (1) The work of the Party shall be under the direction and control of the Party Conference, which shall itself be subject to the Constitution and Standing Orders of the Party. The Party Conference shall meet regularly once in each year, and also at such other times as it may be convened by the National Executive. (2) The Party Conference shall be constituted as follows: (a) Trade Unions and other societies affiliated to the Party may send one delegate for each thousand members on which fees are paid. (6) Local Labour Party delegates may be either men or women resident or having a place of business in the constituency they represent, and shall be appointed as follows: In Borough and County Constituencies returning one Member to Parliament, the Local Labour Party may appoint one delegate. In undivided Boroughs returning two Members, two delegates may be appointed. In divided Boroughs one delegate may be appointed for each separate constituency within the area. The Local Labour Party within the constituency shall nominate and the Central Labour Party of the Divided Borough shall appoint the delegates. In addition to such delegates, the Central Labour Party in each Divided Borough may appoint one delegate. An additional woman delegate may be appointed for each constituency in which the number of affiliated and individual women members exceeds 500. (c) Trades Councils under Section 8, clause c, shall be entitled to one delegate. (d) The members of the National Executive, including the Treasurer, the members of the Parliamentary Labour Party, and the duly-sanctioned Parliamentary Candidates shall be ex officio members of the Party Conference, but shall, unless delegates, have no right to vote. (a) There shall be a National Executive of the Party consisting of twenty-three members (including the Treasurer) elected by the Party Conference at its regular Annual Meeting, in such proportion and under such conditions as may be set out in the Standing Orders for the time being in force, and this National Executive shall, subject to the control and directions of the Party Conference, be the Administrative Authority of the Party. (b) The National Executive shall be responsible for the conduct of the general work of the Party. The National Executive shall take steps to ensure that the Party is represented by a properly constituted organisation in each constituency in which this is found practicable; it shall give effect to the decisions of the Party Conference, and it shall interpret the Constitution and Standing Orders and Rules of the Party in all cases of dispute subject to an appeal to the next regular Annual Meeting of the Party Conference by the organisation or person concerned. (c) The National Executive shall confer with the Parliamentary Labour Party at the opening of each Parliamentary Session, and also at any other time when the National Executive or the Parliamentary Party may desire such conference, on any matters relating to the work and progress of the Party, or to the efforts necessary to give effect to the General Programme of the Party. 7. PARLIAMENTARY CANDIDATES (a) The National Executive shall co-operate with the Local Labour Party in any constituency with a view to nominating a Labour Candidate at any Parliamentary General or ByeElection. Before any Parliamentary Candidate can be regarded as finally adopted for a constituency as a Candidate of the Labour Party, his candidature must be sanctioned by the National Executive. (6) Candidates approved by the National Executive shall appear before their constituencies under the designation of “Labour Candidate” only. At any General Election they shall include in their Election Addresses and give prominence in their campaigns to the issues for that Election as defined by the National Executive from the General Party Programme. If they are elected they shall act in harmony with the Constitution and Standing Orders of the Party in seeking to discharge the responsibilities established by Parliamentary practise. (c) Party Candidates shall receive financial assistance for election expenditure from the Party funds on the following basis : Borough Constituencies, £i per 1,000 electors. 8. AFFILIATION FEES (1) Trade Unions, Socialist Societies, Co-operative Societies, and other organisations directly affiliated to the Party (but not being affiliated Local Labour Parties or Trades Councils) shall pay 2d. per member per annum to the Central Party Funds with a minimum of 30s. The membership of a Trade Union for the purpose of this clause shall be those members contributing to the political fund of the Union established under the Trade Union Act, 1913. (2) The affiliation of Trades Councils will be subject to the following conditions : (a) Where Local Labour Parties and Trades Councils at present exist in the same area every effort must be made to amalgamate these bodies, retaining in one organisation the industrial and political functions, and incorporating the constitution and rules for Local Labour Parties in the rules of the amalgamated body. (b) Where no Local Labour Party is in existence and the Trades Council is discharging the political functions, such Trades Council shall be eligible for affiliation as a Local Labour Party, providing that its rules and title be extended so as to include Local Labour Party functions. (c) Where a Local Labour Party and a Trades Council exist in the same area, the Trades Council shall be eligible to be affiliated to the Local Labour Party, but not to the National Party, except in such cases where the Trades Council was affiliated to the National Party prior to November ist, 1917. In these cases the Executive Committee shall have power to continue national affiliations on such conditions as may be deemed necessary. (d) Trades Councils included under Section (c) shall pay an annual affiliation fee of 30s. Local Labour Parties must charge individually enrolled members, male a minimum of 1s. per annum, female 6d. per annum; and 2d. per member so collected must be remitted to the Central Office with a minimum of 30s., as the affiliation fee of such Local Labour Party. In addition to these payments, a delegation fee of 55. to the Party Conference or any Special Conference may be charged. |