Christians on the Left

A meeting of the Oxford Branch of the Christian Socialist Movement, with Larry Sanders speaking, October 2007

Christians on the Left, formerly known as the Christian Socialist Movement (CSM), is a socialist society affiliated to the British Labour Party.

The CSM was an amalgamation of the Society of Socialist Clergy and Ministers and the Socialist Christian League. R. H. Tawney made one of his last public appearances at the Movement's inaugural meeting on 22 January 1960. Donald Soper chaired the Movement until becoming its President in 1975. In August 2013 it announced that following a consultation with its members it would be changing its name to Christians on the Left^[1]

The movement fulfilled a need among Christian socialists in Britain for an organisation that would be politically engaged and theologically reflective at the same time. It affiliated to the Labour Party in 1988.

The CSM was a volunteer organisation until 1994 when it appointed a co-ordinator, followed by an administrator. This followed interest in the movement following the disclosure that the then Labour Leader John Smith was a member. The organisation held an annual church service on the Sunday morning before Labour Party Conference while Tony Blair was leader at which Blair, who was a member, appeared.

Today Christians on the Left has over 40 members in the House of Commons and House of Lords, including former prime minister Gordon Brown.^[2] As of April 2016, its Director was Dr Andrew Flannagan; its Executive Committee Chair was Jonathon Reynolds MP; its Vice Chair was Shona Elliott.

Christians on the Left is a member organisation of the International League of Religious Socialists.

Notes

↑ CSM to become Christians On The Left
↑ "Labour Party Affiliation". Christian Socialist Movement website. Retrieved 2009-04-11.

External links

Official Website

Labour Party

Leadership

Leaders	Hardie Henderson Barnes MacDonald Henderson Adamson Clynes MacDonald Henderson Lansbury Attlee Gaitskell Wilson Callaghan Foot Kinnock Smith Blair Brown Miliband Corbyn

Deputy Leaders	Clynes Graham Attlee Greenwood Morrison Griffiths Bevan Brown Jenkins Short Foot Healey Hattersley Beckett Prescott Harman Watson

General Secretaries	MacDonald Henderson Middleton Phillips Williams Nicholas Hayward Mortimer Whitty Sawyer McDonagh Triesman Carter Watt Collins McNicol

Treasurers	Henderson MacDonald Henderson Lathan Greenwood Gaitskell Bevan Nicholas Davies Callaghan Atkinson Varley Booth McCluskie Burlison Prosser Elsby Dromey Holland

Leaders in the Lords	Haldane Cripps Ponsonby Snell Addison Jowitt Alexander Pakenham Shackleton Shepherd Peart Hughes Richard Jay Williams Amos Ashton Royall Smith

PLP Chairs	Hardie Henderson Barnes MacDonald Henderson Hodge* Wardle* Adamson Clynes MacDonald Henderson Lansbury Attlee Lees-Smith* Pethick-Lawrence* Greenwood* Gaitskell Wilson Houghton Mikardo Hughes Willey Dormand Orme Hoyle Soley Corston Clwyd Lloyd Watts Cryer

* = wartime, in opposition

Internal elections

Leadership elections	1922 (MacDonald) 1935 (Attlee) 1955 (Gaitskell) 1960 1961 1963 (Wilson) 1976 (Callaghan) 1980 (Foot) 1983 (Kinnock) 1988 1992 (Smith) 1994 (Blair) 2007 (Brown) 2010 (Miliband) 2015 (Corbyn) 2016

Deputy Leadership elections	1952 (Morrison) 1953 1956 (Griffiths) 1959 (Bevan) 1960 (Brown) 1961 1962 1970 (Jenkins) 1971 1972 (Short) 1976 (Foot) 1980 (Healey) 1981 1983 (Hattersley) 1988 1992 (Beckett) 1994 (Prescott) 2007 (Harman) 2015 (Watson)

Shadow Cabinet elections	1979 (Callaghan) 1980 (Foot) 1981 (Foot) 1982 (Foot) 1983 (Kinnock) 1984 (Kinnock) 1985 (Kinnock) 1986 (Kinnock) 1987 (Kinnock) ... 1990 (Kinnock) 1991 (Kinnock) 1992 (Smith) 1993 (Smith) 1994 (Blair) 1995 (Blair) 1996 (Blair) 2010 (Miliband)

Organisation

Structure	Constitution Clause IV Rule Book National Executive Committee Labour Party Conference National Policy Forum General Secretary Treasurer Constituency Labour Party Branch Labour Party Socialist societies Association of Labour Councillors Parliamentary Labour Party Labour Chief Whip European Parliamentary Labour Party London Labour Party Scottish Labour Party Welsh Labour Labour Party in Northern Ireland Affiliated trade unions Trade Union and Labour Party Liaison Organisation Electoral pact with independent Co-operative Party as Labour Co-operative Candidates Young Labour Labour International

Related organisations	Christians on the Left Compass Fabian Society Young Fabians Grassroots Alliance Jewish Labour Movement Labour Campaign for Electoral Reform Labour CND Labour Friends of Israel Labour Party Irish Society Labour Representation Committee (2004) Labour Students LGBT Labour LabourList Momentum National Union of Labour and Socialist Clubs Progress Socialist Appeal Socialist Health Association Socialist Educational Association Socialist Environment and Resources Association Socialist Campaign Group Socialist Youth Network Tribune

History and related topics	History of the Labour Party (UK) General election manifestos History of the socialist movement in the United Kingdom Lib–Lab pact One more heave New Labour Tony's Cronies Blue Labour One Nation Labour

Alliances	Party of European Socialists Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats Progressive Alliance Socialist International

Northern Ireland	Social Democratic and Labour Party Labour – Federation of Labour Groups

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