Larry Whitty, Baron Whitty

Who is Larry Whitty, Baron Whitty?

John Lawrence Whitty, Baron Whitty, PC, known as Larry Whitty, is a British Labour Party politician.

Born in 1943, Whitty was educated at Latymer Upper School and graduated from St John's College, Cambridge with a BA degree in Economics. He worked for Hawker Siddeley Aviation from 1960 to 1962 and at the Ministry of Aviation Technology from 1965 to 1970.

He was employed by the Trades Union Congress from 1970 to 1973 and the General Municipal Boilermakers and Allied Trade Union from 1973 to 1985.

In 1985, Whitty became the General Secretary of the Labour Party, a post he held until 1994. He was part of the reforming leadership of Neil Kinnock and in the role progressed a wide-ranging agenda including the modification of internal rules, a shift towards a national membership scheme, the expulsion of the entryist Militant tendency, and, following the 1987 election defeat, the internal Policy Review. Whitty's period as General Secretary meant that he oversaw two general elections, and the election of John Smith and Tony Blair as Leaders of the Party. He was the European Co-ordinator for the Labour Party from 1994 to 1997.

He is the brother of Geoff Whitty, a former Director of the Institute of Education, London University.