Tribute has been paid in the House of Commons to a great unsung hero of the Labour Party. Morgan Phillips, from Bargoed in the Rhymney Valley, rose through the ranks of the Labour movement to become the Labour Party’s General Secretary.

A special event was organised by Caerphilly Labour MP Wayne David to promote Morgan Phillips’ recently published memoirs. The event was well attended by Members of the Commons and the House of Lords, as well as members of the history group Labour Heritage. Morgan Phillips’ son also attended and spoke about how he had helped publish his father’s memoirs.

After an introduction by Wayne David, Nick Thomas-Symonds, MP for Torfaen and a distinguished historian, spoke about Morgan Phillips’ huge contribution to the Labour Party. Nick explained that Morgan Phillips was the Party’s General Secretary from 1944 to 1962 and why this was a crucial time in the Labour Party’s history. Morgan Phillips also chaired the Socialist International after the Second World War, when socialist and social democratic parties were re-establishing themselves after the war.

Wayne David said, “This was a very special event. I am pleased that the important work of Morgan Phillips has been recognised and that we are celebrating his impressive achievements. Morgan Phillips was a real giant in the Labour movement. He spent the formative years of his life in Bargoed and he was a man who never forgot his roots, nor the principles which gave direction to his entire life”.