Jennie Formby

{{short description|Former General Secretary of the Labour Party}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Jennie Formby

| image = Jennie Formby, 2016 Labour Party Conference (cropped).jpg

| caption = Formby in 2016

| office = General Secretary of the Labour Party

| leader = Jeremy Corbyn
Keir Starmer

| term_start = 3 April 2018

| term_end = 26 May 2020

| predecessor = Iain McNicol

| successor = David Evans

| birth_name = Jennifer Sandle

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1960|4|12}}

| birth_place = London, England

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = Independent

| otherparty = Labour (until 2024)

| spouse = {{marriage|Freddie Formby|2000}}

| children = 3

| education = Bath High School for Girls
St Helen and St Katharine

| alma_mater =

}}

Jennifer Formby ({{nee}} Sandle; born 12 April 1960) is a British trade unionist and political figure who served as General Secretary of the Labour Party from 2018 to 2020. She was previously political director and south-east England regional secretary for Unite the Union.

Early life

Born Jennifer Sandle in London, her father served in the Royal Navy in Korea, Suez and Lebanon. She grew up with an older brother and sister in Malta, Bath and Salisbury. She went to Bath High School for Girls then St Helen and St Katharine boarding school in Abingdon, paid for by the Royal Navy from the age of 14. Formby left school with 10 O levels and 3 A levels, but chose not to go to university.{{cite news |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/unites-jennie-formby-appointed-as-labours-new-general-secretary-union-veteran-replaces-iain-mcnicol_uk_5ab12794e4b09a2c75c92575 |title=Corbyn Ally Jennie Formby Appointed As Labour's New General Secretary |last=Waugh |first=Paul |work=HuffPost |date=20 March 2018 |access-date=28 March 2018}}{{cite news|last1=Watson|first1=Iain|title=Jennie Formby: Labour's new general secretary|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-43476332|access-date=21 March 2018|publisher=BBC News|date=20 March 2018}}

Trade unionism

Formby became a trade unionist when she began her working life in Salisbury at the bookmakers William Hill in the late 1970s, and became a branch secretary in Unite's predecessor, the Transport and General Workers' Union.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-43476336 |title=Jennie Formby named as Labour's new general secretary |publisher=BBC News |date=20 March 2018 |access-date=21 March 2018}}{{cite web|last=Formby|first=Jenniwe|url=https://labourlist.org/2018/03/jennie-formby-we-must-do-better-for-women/|title=We must do better for women|work=Labour List|date=8 March 2018|access-date=11 March 2018}} She later worked for BOC in Southampton, where she became a union shop steward.

Formby became a Transport and General Workers' Union regional officer in 1988. She represented a Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust nurse in a ground-breaking employment tribunal case in 2004, where the black nurse suffered racial discrimination by being banned from caring for a white baby.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2004/may/18/raceintheuk.health |title=Nurse wins £20,000 in race case |newspaper=The Guardian |agency=Press Association |date=18 May 2004 |access-date=28 March 2018}} Formby became the union's national officer for the food, drink and tobacco sector in 2004.{{cite web |url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennie-formby-175b8b88/ |title=Jennie Formby |publisher=LinkedIn |access-date=11 March 2018}} In 2013, she was appointed Unite's political director.{{cite news|last=Watts |first=Joseph|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/unite-boss-s-exlover-in-talks-on-labour-safe-seat-a3196001.html |title=Len McCluskey's ex-lover Jennie Formby 'in talks on Labour safe seat' |work=London Evening Standard |date=4 March 2016 |access-date=28 February 2018}} In March 2016, Formby moved to the post of regional secretary in south-east England.{{cite news|last=McSmith|first=Andy|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/jennie-formby-unite-political-director-stands-down-after-being-involved-in-series-of-controversies-a6923861.html|title=Jennie Formby: Unite political director to take up new job within union after being involved in series of controversies|work=The Independent|date=10 March 2016|access-date=25 February 2018}}

Politics

Since late 2011, Formby had been a member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Labour Party.{{cite news|last=Akehurst|first=Luke|url=http://www.progressonline.org.uk/2011/11/01/nec-report-%E2%80%93-november-2011/|title=NEC report – November 2011|work=Progress|date=1 November 2011|access-date=10 March 2018}}

In February 2018, Formby announced she was a candidate to become General Secretary of the Labour Party, shortly after the incumbent, Iain McNicol, resigned.{{cite news|last=Waugh|first=Paul|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/jennie-formby-declares-candidacy-for-labour-general-secretary-post-pressure-on-jon-lansman-second-woman-in-party-history_uk_5a957f06e4b036ab0142cb44|title=Unite's Jennie Formby Declares Candidacy For Labour General Secretary|work=HuffPost|date=27 February 2018|access-date=10 March 2018}} Her main rival, Jon Lansman, the chair of Momentum, dropped out of contention on 11 March, making Formby the frontrunner.{{cite news|last=Heffer|first=Greg|url=https://news.sky.com/story/momentum-chair-jon-lansman-withdraws-bid-to-become-labour-general-secretary-11286153|title=Momentum chair Jon Lansman withdraws bid to become Labour general secretary|publisher=Sky News|date=11 March 2018|access-date=11 March 2018}}

On 20 March 2018, she was appointed to the role, effective from April 2018.{{cite news |url=https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/political-parties/labour-party/news/93790/jennie-formby-appointed-labour-general-secretary |title=Jennie Formby appointed Labour general secretary in huge boost for Jeremy Corbyn |last=Schofield |first=Kevin |website=PoliticsHome |date=20 March 2018 |access-date=27 March 2018}}{{cite news |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/eremy-corbyn-plans-in-house-lawyer-in-anti-semitism-crackdown-on-70-unresolved-claims-of-abuse-jennie-formby-first-priority-nec-delays-working-group_uk_5abb32d5e4b03e2a5c77477d |title=Jeremy Corbyn Plans In-House Lawyer in Anti-Semitism Crackdown On 70 Unresolved Claims Of Abuse |last=Waugh |first=Paul |work=HuffPost |date=28 March 2018 |access-date=28 March 2018}}

She resigned on 4 May 2020, a month following the election of Keir Starmer as new Labour leader, saying "now we have a new leadership team it is the right time to step down".{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/may/04/jennie-formby-resigns-as-labour-party-general-secretary |title=Jennie Formby resigns as Labour party general secretary |newspaper=The Guardian |date=4 May 2020 |access-date=4 May 2020}} She was succeeded by David Evans.

In June 2024, Formby publicly stated that she will be voting for the Green Party in the 2024 UK general election.{{cite news |last= Jackson |first= Lucy |date= 17 June 2024 |title= Former top Labour figure to vote Greens amid concern over party |url= https://www.thenational.scot/news/24392693.jenny-formby-says-voting-greens-general-election/ |work= The National |access-date= 24 June 2024}}

Personal life

Formby and Len McCluskey had a child in 1991.{{cite news|last=Grew|first=Tony|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/love-child-link-of-unions-top-brass-x3mhxll5qzm|title=Love child link of union's top brass|work=The Sunday Times|date=21 July 2013|access-date=28 February 2018}} {{subscription required}} She married Freddie Formby in 2000 and the couple had two children together and adopted a third.Waugh, Paul (20 March 2018). [https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/unites-jennie-formby-appointed-as-labours-new-general-secretary-union-veteran-replaces-iain-mcnicol_uk_5ab12794e4b09a2c75c92575 Corbyn Ally Jennie Formby Appointed As Labour's New General Secretary]. HuffPost. Retrieved 3 April 2018.

In March 2019, Formby announced that she was to undergo treatment for breast cancer.[https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/mar/25/labour-party-general-secretary-jennie-formby-diagnosed-breast-cancer Labour party's general secretary diagnosed with breast cancer]. The Guardian. Retrieved 26 March 2019.