Gordon Colling

Gordon Colling (1932 or 1933 – 4 June 2011) was a British trade unionist.

Born in Sunderland to a family heavily involved in the Labour Party - both Colling's parents were councillors - Colling completed National Service with the Royal Air Force and was elected as secretary of Sunderland Trades Council.^[1] Colling studied at Ruskin College, but left early in 1960 after being involved in a car crash which left him with a permanent limp.^[2]

Colling worked as a linotype operator and was active in the Typographical Association. He moved to Manchester to become a full-time union employee, and when it merged into the National Graphical Association in 1965, he moved again to Bedford to remain on its staff,^[1] as National Political Officer.^[2]

In Bedford, Colling was elected as a Labour councillor, later becoming group leader. He was also secretary of Bedford Trades Council, and stood unsuccessfully for Bedford at the February 1974 general election.^[1] In 1985, he was elected to Labour's National Executive Committee, supported by both the left and right wings of the party, although he identified as a moderate, and acted as a whip for right-wingers on the committee. In 1994/95, he was Chair of the Labour Party.^[1][2]

References

1. 1 2 3 4 Terry Ashton, "Gordon Colling obituary", The Guardian, 17 August 2011
2. 1 2 3 Tam Dalyell, "Gordon Colling: Trade unionist who helped pave the way for the changes that made Labour electable once more", The Independent, 23 October 2011