Ray Collins, Baron Collins of Highbury

The Right Honourable

The Lord Collins of Highbury
The Right Honourable; The Lord Collins of Highbury
Shadow Spokesperson for Equalities and Women's Issues
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 15 April 2020
Leader	Keir Starmer
Shadow Spokesperson for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 18 September 2015
Leader	Keir Starmer; Jeremy Corbyn
Shadow Spokesperson for International Development
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 18 March 2013
Leader	Ed Miliband; Harriet Harman (Acting); Jeremy Corbyn; Keir Starmer
Opposition Whip
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 17 October 2011
Leader	Ed Miliband; Harriet Harman (Acting); Jeremy Corbyn; Keir Starmer
Shadow Spokesperson for Work and Pensions
	In office; 6 September 2012 – 18 March 2013
Leader	Ed Miliband
General Secretary of the Labour Party
	In office; 12 June 2008 – 19 July 2011
Leader	Gordon Brown; Harriet Harman (Acting); Ed Miliband
Preceded by	Peter Watt
Succeeded by	Iain McNicol
Member of the House of Lords; Lord Temporal
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 24 January 2011; Life Peerage
Personal details
Born	Ray Edward Harry Collins; 21 December 1954 (age 66)
Nationality	British
Political party	Labour

Ray Edward Harry Collins, Baron Collins of Highbury (born 21 December 1954)^[1] is a British life peer and trade unionist who was General Secretary of the Labour Party between 2008^[2] and 2011.

Trade unionist[]

Collins was appointed Central Office Manager of the Transport and General Workers' Union in 1984 and held essentially the same post until 2008, being redesignated Head of Administration in the 1990s and Assistant General Secretary in 1999. He has been a member of the Labour Party for over thirty years and has campaigned for the party in every General Election since 1970. He was TGWU representative on the Labour Party National Policy Forum and a member of Labour's National Constitutional Committee.^{[citation needed]}

He helped steer the TGWU into a merger with Amicus, creating Unite, one of the largest trade unions in the country.

Labour Party[]

Collins took the helm because the party was reportedly close to bankruptcy. In May 2008, Electoral Commission figures showed the party was £17.8 million in debt.^[3]

On 20 January 2011, Collins was created a life peer as Baron Collins of Highbury, of Highbury in the London Borough of Islington,^[4] and was introduced in the House of Lords on 24 January 2011,^[5] where he sits on the Labour benches. He was appointed a whip in 2011.^[6] He was appointed Labour's Lords Spokesperson for International Development in 2013.^[7]

On 10 July 2013 Collins was asked to review and make recommendations for internal Labour Party reform. His recommendations included replacing the electoral college system for selecting new leaders with a "one member, one vote" system. Mass membership would be encouraged by allowing "registered supporters" to join at a low cost, as well as full membership. Members from the trade unions would also have to explicitly "opt in" rather than "opt out" of paying a political levy to Labour. On 1 March 2014, at a special conference, the party largely adopted these recommendations.^[8]^[9]^[10]

Personal life[]

Collins married his partner Rafael in 2014.^[11]

References[]

^ "Debretts". Debretts. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
^ "Labour Party press release". Labour.org.uk. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
^ ""Ray Collins is new Labour general secretary", ''Pink News'', 13 June 2008". Pinknews.co.uk. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
^ "No. 59680". The London Gazette. 25 January 2011. p. 1161.
^ House of Lords Minute of Proceedings for 24 January 2011.
^ Parliamentary biography Archived 12 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
^ "Lord Collins of Highbury - UK Parliament". Parliament.uk. 20 January 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
^ Andrew Grice (28 February 2014). "Tony Blair backs Ed Miliband's internal Labour reforms". The Independent. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
^ Andrew Sparrow (1 March 2014). "Miliband wins vote on Labour party reforms with overwhelming majority". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
^ Ray Collins (February 2014). The Collins Review Into Labour Party Reform (PDF) (Report). Labour Party. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
^ Twitter - https://twitter.com/Lord_Collins

Party political offices
Preceded by Peter Watt	General Secretary of the Labour Party 2008–2011	Succeeded by Iain McNicol
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by The Lord Wigley	Gentlemen Baron Collins of Highbury	Followed by The Lord Hussain

[1] "Debretts". Debretts. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013.

[2] "Labour Party press release". Labour.org.uk. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013.

[3] ""Ray Collins is new Labour general secretary", ''Pink News'', 13 June 2008". Pinknews.co.uk. Retrieved 2 December 2013.

[4] "No. 59680". The London Gazette. 25 January 2011. p. 1161.

[5] House of Lords Minute of Proceedings for 24 January 2011.

[6] Parliamentary biography Archived 12 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine.

[7] "Lord Collins of Highbury - UK Parliament". Parliament.uk. 20 January 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2013.

[independent-20140228-8] Andrew Grice (28 February 2014). "Tony Blair backs Ed Miliband's internal Labour reforms". The Independent. Retrieved 26 July 2015.

[guardian-20140301-9] Andrew Sparrow (1 March 2014). "Miliband wins vote on Labour party reforms with overwhelming majority". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 August 2015.

[collins-review-10] Ray Collins (February 2014). The Collins Review Into Labour Party Reform (PDF) (Report). Labour Party. Retrieved 25 August 2015.

[11] Twitter - https://twitter.com/Lord_Collins

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show v Transport and General Workers' Union
General Secretaries	1922: Ernest Bevin 1940: Arthur Deakin 1955: Jock Tiffin 1955: Frank Cousins 1969: Jack Jones 1978: Moss Evans 1985: Ron Todd 1992: Bill Morris 2004: Tony Woodley
Deputy General Secretaries	1974: Harry Urwin 1980: Alec Kitson 1986: Bill Morris 1992: 1999: Margaret Prosser 2002: Tony Woodley 2003: Jack Dromey
Assistant General Secretaries	1924: John Cliff 1935: Arthur Deakin 1940: Harold Clay 1948: Jock Tiffin 1955: Frank Cousins 1956: Harry Nicholas 1968: Harry Urwin 1974: Vacant 1985: Eddie Haigh and Larry Smith 1988: Eddie Haigh 1991: Vacant 1999: Barry Camfield and Jimmy Elsby 2000: Barry Camfield and Ray Collins
Chairs	1922: Harry Gosling 1930: Herbert Kershaw 1934: Harry Edwards 1948: Edgar Fryer 1960: Len Forden 1976: Stan Pemberton 1982: Walter Greendale 1986: Brian Nicholson 1988: Daniel Duffy 1996: Andy Smith
Forerunners	Amalgamated Society of Watermen, Lightermen and Bargemen Amalgamated Carters, Lurrymen and Motormen's Union Amalgamated Association of Carters and Motormen Associated Horsemen's Union Dock, Wharf, Riverside and General Labourers' Union Labour Protection League National Amalgamated Labourers' Union National Union of Docks, Wharves and Shipping Staffs National Union of Ships' Clerks, Grain Weighers and Coalmeters National Union of Vehicle Workers National Amalgamated Coal Workers' Union North of England Trimmers' and Teemers Association North of Scotland Horse and Motormen's Association United Vehicle Workers
Other topics	Amalgamations National Transport Workers' Federation Trades Union Congress Transport House Unite

The Right Honourable The Lord Collins of Highbury


Shadow Spokesperson for Equalities and Women's Issues
Incumbent
Assumed office 15 April 2020
Leader	Keir Starmer
Shadow Spokesperson for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office 18 September 2015
Leader	Keir Starmer Jeremy Corbyn
Shadow Spokesperson for International Development
Incumbent
Assumed office 18 March 2013
Leader	Ed Miliband Harriet Harman (Acting) Jeremy Corbyn Keir Starmer
Opposition Whip
Incumbent
Assumed office 17 October 2011
Leader	Ed Miliband Harriet Harman (Acting) Jeremy Corbyn Keir Starmer
Shadow Spokesperson for Work and Pensions
In office 6 September 2012 – 18 March 2013
Leader	Ed Miliband
General Secretary of the Labour Party
In office 12 June 2008 – 19 July 2011
Leader	Gordon Brown Harriet Harman (Acting) Ed Miliband
Preceded by	Peter Watt
Succeeded by	Iain McNicol
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
Incumbent
Assumed office 24 January 2011 Life Peerage

Personal details
Born	Ray Edward Harry Collins (1954-12-21) 21 December 1954 (age 66)
Nationality	British
Political party	Labour