Ron Hayward
{{one source|date=May 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Ronald George Hayward
| birth_date = 27 June 1917
| death_date = 22 March 1996
| title =
}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2019}}
Ronald George Hayward, {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|commas=on|CBE}} (27 June 1917 – 22 March 1996), was a leading activist in the British Labour Party.
Early life
Born near Chipping Sodbury in Gloucestershire, Hayward served in the Royal Air Force during World War II.
Labour Party
At the end of the war, Hayward became the Labour Party's secretary and agent in Banbury. In 1949 he moved to Kent, where he began a friendship with local MP Arthur Bottomley. The following year, Bottomley ensured his appointment as the party's London assistant regional organiser, and in 1959 he became organiser for the Southern region. He served in this role until 1969, when he became a National Agent.
In 1972, he narrowly defeated Gwyn Morgan to become General Secretary of the Labour Party.Tam Dalyell, "[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-ron-hayward-1344325.html Obituary: Ron Hayward]", The Independent, 27 March 1996
As General Secretary, Hayward opposed entry to the Common Market and supported unilateral nuclear disarmament. He strongly supported the Presidency of Salvador Allende in Chile, and after its overthrow became friends with Hortensia Bussi, Allende's former wife. Privately, he was very critical of the Labour Party leadership's lack of response to the Chilean Coup.
In the 1980s he opposed the Militant Tendency, but was reluctant to expel its supporters from the party. He was fiercely opposed to the Gang of Four, who led the split which formed the Social Democratic Party.
Retirement
References
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{{succession box|before=Sara Barker|title=Labour Party National Agent|after=Reg Underhill|years=1969–1972}}
{{succession box|before=Harry Nicholas|title=General Secretary of the Labour Party|after=Jim Mortimer|years=1972–1982}}
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{{UK Labour Party}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayward, Ron}}
Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Category:Labour Party (UK) officials
Category:People from Chipping Sodbury
Category:Royal Air Force personnel of World War II