Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee has chosen Joe Fortune as the party’s new general secretary. Fortune currently holds the same role in Labour’s sister party, the Co-Operative Party. His appointment will be ratified at Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool which kicks off next week.
The search for a new general secretary was triggered after Hollie Ridley, Fortune’s predecessor, informed Labour staff of her intention to step down in July, shortly before Andy Burnham became leader. An ally of Keir Starmer, Ridley had been in the role since shortly after Labour’s landslide victory in 2024. She told staff members at Labour HQ that she would step down in order to allow her successor to “work alongside a new leader once they are elected”.
Decisions over the appointment of a new general secretary are taken by the NEC. Fortune has been seen as a front runner for the role. Claire Reynolds, Labour’s executive director of stakeholder relations, was initially the favourite to take over the role from Ridley. However, it has been reported that she and another candidate stood aside once reports emerged that the Prime Minister favoured Fortune.
It was widely anticipated that Ridley’s successor would be close to the new Labour leader. The Co-Operative Party and the Labour Party have held an electoral pact since 1927 under which the parties agreed not to stand candidates against each other. As a result, candidates are chosen by both parties and stand under the banner of Labour and Co-Operative Party. Burnham is the first Labour and Cooperative Prime Minister and six Labour and Co-Operative MPs are part of his cabinet. They include the Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, Deputy Leader Lucy Powell and Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh.
Fortune has been the general secretary of the Co-Operative Party since 2019. He has worked for the party since 2009, first as a parliamentary officer before becoming the national political and policy manager in 2016. He said of his appointment: “Burnham has been clear that, with his leadership, we are one Labour team working together to secure the next term of a Labour Ggvernment, delivering for all our communities”. Burnham said: “As a proud Co-Op Party member, I have first-hand experience of the immense dedication and drive Joe has for helping us put our Labour values into action right across the country.”
[Further reading: Holborn & St Pancras is the battleground of the British left]
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