Peter Watt
Encyclopedia
Peter Martin Watt was the General Secretary of the Labour Party
in the United Kingdom
from January 2006 until he resigned in November 2007 as a result of the Donorgate
affair.
, then worked for Poole Hospital
NHS Trust.
He is married and the father of five children as well as a foster carer.
, first as a local organiser for Battersea
and Wandsworth
, then in Labour Party head office on election delivery and recruitment and then as Regional Director of the Eastern region
. In 2004 he gained a Professional Certificate in Management from the Open University
.
He returned to the Labour Party head office as Director of Finance and Compliance in 2005, a role that bridges legal and financial party issues and also usually includes a tacit role of enforcing party discipline and sorting out internal disputes. Viewed as loyal to the party leadership, he has on occasion come into conflict with the trade union
movement over party policy and organisation, especially apparent at the Labour Party Conference in 2005.
Watt was appointed as General Secretary
by the Party's National Executive Committee
on 7 November 2005. He was not the candidate favoured by Prime Minister and Labour Party leader Tony Blair
, but won the NEC vote by some margin.
BBC News reported that he resigned as General Secretary on 26 November 2007 and he was quoted as saying that he knew about an arrangement by which one individual, David Abrahams, had made a number of donations to the Labour Party through third parties without the fact that he was ultimate donor being reported. He said that he had not appreciated that he had failed to comply with the reporting requirements. Watt revealed he had known about the arrangement for about a year. In May 2009 the Crown Prosecution Service
decided there was insufficient evidence for any prosecution relating to these events.
based communications consultancy.
In January 2010, Watt published the book Inside Out describing his experiences as a senior Party official and his time as General Secretary of the Party, which were serialised in the Mail on Sunday.
In November 2010 it was announced that he would become the Chief Executive of the older people's charity Counsel and Care
from 1 February 2011.
On 26 September 2011, Peter joined the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children as Director of Adult Advice, Awareness and Information. In this role, he is responsible for leading the NSPCC's work to raise awareness of and increase support for child protection among the general public and key adult audiences.
General Secretary of the Labour Party
The General Secretary is the most senior employee of the British Labour Party, and acts as the non-voting secretary to the National Executive Committee...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
from January 2006 until he resigned in November 2007 as a result of the Donorgate
Donorgate
The Labour party proxy and undeclared donations was a political scandal involving the British Labour Party in November and December 2007, when it was discovered that, contrary to legislation passed during the Blair Government, the Party had been receiving significant financial donations made...
affair.
Early and family life
From 1989 to 1992 Watt trained as a nurse at a predecessor institution to Bournemouth UniversityBournemouth University
Bournemouth University is a university in and around the large south coast town of Bournemouth, UK...
, then worked for Poole Hospital
Poole Hospital
Poole Hospital is an acute general hospital in Poole, Dorset, England. Built in 1907, it has expanded from a basic 14-bed facility into a 789-bed NHS foundation trust hospital...
NHS Trust.
He is married and the father of five children as well as a foster carer.
Labour Party
From 1996 he worked for the Labour PartyLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, first as a local organiser for Battersea
Battersea
Battersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...
and Wandsworth
Wandsworth
Wandsworth is a district of south London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Toponymy:...
, then in Labour Party head office on election delivery and recruitment and then as Regional Director of the Eastern region
East of England
The East of England is one of the nine official regions of England. It was created in 1994 and was adopted for statistics from 1999. It includes the ceremonial counties of Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. Essex has the highest population in the region.Its...
. In 2004 he gained a Professional Certificate in Management from the Open University
Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
.
He returned to the Labour Party head office as Director of Finance and Compliance in 2005, a role that bridges legal and financial party issues and also usually includes a tacit role of enforcing party discipline and sorting out internal disputes. Viewed as loyal to the party leadership, he has on occasion come into conflict with the trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
movement over party policy and organisation, especially apparent at the Labour Party Conference in 2005.
Watt was appointed as General Secretary
General Secretary of the Labour Party
The General Secretary is the most senior employee of the British Labour Party, and acts as the non-voting secretary to the National Executive Committee...
by the Party's National Executive Committee
National Executive Committee
The National Executive Committee or NEC is the chief administrative body of the UK Labour Party. Its composition has changed over the years, and includes representatives of affiliated trade unions, the Parliamentary Labour Party and European Parliamentary Labour Party, Constituency Labour Parties,...
on 7 November 2005. He was not the candidate favoured by Prime Minister and Labour Party leader Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
, but won the NEC vote by some margin.
BBC News reported that he resigned as General Secretary on 26 November 2007 and he was quoted as saying that he knew about an arrangement by which one individual, David Abrahams, had made a number of donations to the Labour Party through third parties without the fact that he was ultimate donor being reported. He said that he had not appreciated that he had failed to comply with the reporting requirements. Watt revealed he had known about the arrangement for about a year. In May 2009 the Crown Prosecution Service
Crown Prosecution Service
The Crown Prosecution Service, or CPS, is a non-ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for public prosecutions of people charged with criminal offences in England and Wales. Its role is similar to that of the longer-established Crown Office in Scotland, and the...
decided there was insufficient evidence for any prosecution relating to these events.
Later career
From March 2008 to December 2010 Watt was Chief Executive of The Campaign Company, a CroydonCroydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
based communications consultancy.
In January 2010, Watt published the book Inside Out describing his experiences as a senior Party official and his time as General Secretary of the Party, which were serialised in the Mail on Sunday.
In November 2010 it was announced that he would become the Chief Executive of the older people's charity Counsel and Care
Counsel and Care
Counsel and Care is a national advice service working with older people, their families and carers to get the best care and support.-Background:...
from 1 February 2011.
On 26 September 2011, Peter joined the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children as Director of Adult Advice, Awareness and Information. In this role, he is responsible for leading the NSPCC's work to raise awareness of and increase support for child protection among the general public and key adult audiences.