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David Richard Evans (born February 1961) is a British political official who served as general secretary of the Labour Party from 25 September 2021 until 17 September 2024, having acted as general secretary since 26 May 2020. He served as an assistant general secretary of the Labour Party from 1999 to 2001. Evans was the regional director of the North West Labour Party from 1995 to 1999 and founded The Campaign Company, a political consultancy.

Early life and career

Evans was born in February 1961 in Chester, moving to London when he was three. He attended the selective St Olave's Grammar School between 1972 and 1979. He was an activist during the miners' strike of 1984–85, during which time he was arrested "for something like highway obstruction as he delivered a food parcel to the striking miners".

He served as a Labour councillor in Croydon from 1986 to 1990. He was regional secretary of the Labour Party for North West England from 1995 to 1999. During this time he organised Labour's campaign in the 1997 Wirral South by-election, when the party gained the seat for the first time. Evans went on to serve as assistant general secretary of the Labour Party from 1999 to 2001. In 1999 he wrote a proposal to "overhaul" the party's structures, suggesting that "representative democracy should as far as possible be abolished in the Party" in favour of elections by one member, one vote. Evans argued this would "empower modernising forces within the party and marginalise Old Labour". He "played a key backroom role in 2001 election victory".

In 2001, Evans and Jonathan Upton, formerly Labour's head of corporate development, started a political consultancy in Croydon called The Campaign Company. The company supported Labour politicians Tony Banks and Robert Evans to seek selection. Evans' wife, Aline Delawa, was company secretary in 2002, at the same time as running the party's "constitutional and legal affairs unit". In 2002 the company was hired to support the cross-party European Movement which was lobbying for Britain to change currency to the Euro. The Daily Telegraph described the company as a "lobbying firm which advises the NHS, Government departments and political activists seeking selection as party candidates".

Evans served on the board of Chester F.C. and now serves on Chester F.C. Community Trust's board.

Electoral history

General Secretary

Following Labour's defeat at the 2019 general election and Jeremy Corbyn's resigned as party leader, Evans predecessor and Corbyn ally, Jennie Formby resigned as general secretary of the party.

Evans was appointed by the National Executive Committee on 26 May 2020 winning twenty of the thirty-eight available votes. He beat Byron Taylor, the candidate considered to be his leading competition, and other Labour activists including Andrew Fisher and Neena Gill.

His appointment was seen as a victory for Starmer, as Evans was described by The Independent as Starmer's "first choice" candidate. The Jewish Chronicle described Evans as a "staunch opponent of hard left politics" and a "fierce critic of anti-Zionism".

On 29 October 2020, Evans, along with the party's chief whip Nick Brown, suspended former leader Jeremy Corbyn due to his response to the Equality and Human Rights Commission's report into antisemitism in the Labour Party.

Evans announced that he was intending to stand down as General Secretary following the Labour Party's National Conference at the end of September 2024.

On 17 September 2024, Evans was succeeded as General Secretary by Hollie Ridley.

Personal life

Evans played bass and sang in the post-punk collective Greenfield Leisure, and supports Chester FC.

References

1. "David Richard EVANS - Personal Appointments". Companies House. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
2. ^ Holmes, David (27 May 2020). "Well known Chester FC fan appointed general secretary of Labour Party nationally". CheshireLive. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
3. "Old Olavians Society".
4. ^ "David Evans: Who is the new boss at Labour HQ and is he up to the job?". Politics Home. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
5. Proctor, Kate (26 May 2020). "David Evans appointed Labour's new general secretary after winning vote". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
6. ^ Courea, Eleni (21 May 2020). "Blair-era aide is favourite for top job at Labour". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
7. Milne, Oliver (26 May 2020). "Tony Blair's election chief handed Labour's top job as Starmer asserts power". The Mirror. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
8. ^ Waugh, Paul (26 May 2020). "David Evans Appointed New Labour General Secretary In Boost For Keir Starmer". HuffPost. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
9. Russell, Meg (21 March 2005). Building New Labour: The Politics of Party Organisation. Palgrave Macmillan UK. pp. 229–. doi:10.1057/9780230513167. ISBN 978-0-230-51316-7.
10. Andrew Grice; Colin Brown (22 June 1999). "Blair in assault on Old Labour". The Independent. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
11. Watson, Iain (21 May 2020). "Contest to become Labour's top official heats up". BBC News. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
12. ^ "Labour names David Evans as new general secretary". BBC News. 26 May 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
13. ^ "Labour official linked to firm seeking seats". The Sunday Times. 17 November 2002. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
14. ^ Jason Lewis; Ben Leach (2 April 2011). "Captain Anarchy. Key Labour figure's son's behind the violent breakaway cuts protests". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
15. Grice, Andrew (25 May 2002). "Heseltine steps up campaign for early euro referendum". The Independent. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
16. Rodgers, Sienna (26 May 2020). "Labour's next General Secretary: Byron Taylor or David Evans?". LabourList. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
17. Stone, Jon (26 May 2020). "Labour names political consultant David Evans as new general secretary". The Independent. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
18. Harpin, Lee (18 June 2020). "Revealed: Starmer's blueprint to reform Labour following EHRC antisemitism report". Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
19. Elgot, Jessica; Walker, Peter; Sabbagh, Dan (29 October 2020). "Labour in turmoil as Corbyn suspended in wake of antisemitism report". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
20. Green, Daniel (3 September 2024). "Labour seeks new party general secretary as tributes paid to outgoing David Evans". LabourList. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
21. Courea, Eleni (17 September 2024). "Starmer ally Hollie Ridley appointed as Labour general secretary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
22. "Those far off days of summer". Discogs. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 26 May 2020.

• 1961 births
• Living people
• Alumni of the University of York
• British political consultants
• Labour Party (UK) officials
• People from Chester