European Parliamentary Labour Party
The European Parliamentary Labour Party (EPLP) was the parliamentary party of the British Labour Party in the European Parliament. The EPLP was part of the Socialist and Democrats (S&D) Group. In the final Parliament prior to Brexit Labour had 10 Members of the European Parliament. The EPLP sat as part of the pan-European Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), along with MEPs from sister parties including the French Parti Socialiste, the German SPD, the Swedish Social Democrats and Dutch Labour Party. Like other national delegations, it had its own leadership and spokespeople representing Labour in Brussels and Strasbourg.
The EPLP ceased to exist after the UK left the European Union in January 2020.
Leader
The leader of the EPLP had a seat on the Labour Party National Executive Committee and attended shadow cabinet meetings.
List of Leaders of the European Parliamentary Labour Party
| Name | Years as Leader |
|---|---|
| Michael Stewart | 1975–1976 |
| John Prescott | 1976–1979 |
| Barbara Castle | 1979–1985 |
| Alf Lomas | 1985–1987 |
| David Martin | 1987–1988 |
| Barry Seal | 1988–1989 |
| Glyn Ford | 1989–1993 |
| Pauline Green | 1993–1994 |
| Wayne David | 1994–1998 |
| Alan Donnelly | 1998–1999 |
| Simon Murphy | 1999–2002 |
| Gary Titley | 2002–2009 |
| Glenis Willmott | 2009–2017 |
| Richard Corbett | 2017–2020 |
S&D Group in the European Parliament
British Labour MEPs held key positions in the Socialist and Democrats Group in the European Parliament, a pan national group of which the Labour Party was a member. Committee co-ordinators operated as spokespeople for the S&D Group in the European Parliament in their respective committees; they co-ordinated decisions on policy with each of the different national groups that made up the S&D Group in the European Parliament.