Andy Chaffer
Andy Chaffer is a member of the Communist Party of Britain’s Birmingham branch.
CPB 2024 General Election candidates
The Communist Party of Britain's first tranche of candidates for the 2024 General Election included:
The Party's Political Committee met last night (Thursday 23 May) and endorsed plans from local CP organisations to fight seats in England, Scotland and Wales, with more candidates to be announced next week.
Candidates so far include former housing and local government worker Lorraine Douglas, who will be challenging ex-Prime Minister Liz Truss in South West Norfolk, and trade union organiser Darren Turner, also an activist in the Toothless in Suffolk campaign. He will be flying the red flag in Bury St Edmunds & Stowmarket.
The current list of candidates is below however a number of branches will be confirming their candidates in the week to come:
- Drew Gilchrist - Airdrie and Shotts
- Richard Shillcock - Edinburgh North and Leith
- Rochelle Russell - Taunton Deane
- Andy Chaffer - Birmingham Perry Barr
- Jordan Roden - Stoke South
- Ann Green - Leicester South
- Dan Ross - Bury South
- Helen Field - New Forest East
- Nicholas Davies - Hastings and Rye
- Lorraine Douglas - South West Norfolk
- Darren Turner - Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket
- Ron Brown - Newcastle East and Wallsend
- Freddie Sofar - Ipswich
- Oliver Snelling - Lewisham North
2023 CPB Executive committee
November 6, 2023.
Our 57th Congress elected the following comrades to our new 35 member Executive Committee, the body tasked with driving forward the growth of our Party over the next two years:
• Nisar Ahmed • Georgina Andrews • Mollie Brown • Ron Brown • Sean David Cannon • Judith Cazorla-Rodenas • Ben Chacko • Andy Chaffer • Tony Conway • James Crossley • Mary Davis • Lorraine Douglas • Nigel Flanagan • Alex Gordon • Robert Griffiths • Richard Hebbert • Victoria Holmes • Johnnie Hunter • Hugh Kirkbride • Mark Jones • Gawain Little • Ben Lunn • Stephanie Martin • Roger McKenzie • David Morgan • Kevan Nelson • Helen O'Connor • Christiane Ohsan • Liz Payne • Ruth Pitman • Dan Ross • Carol Stavris • Keith Stoddart • Ruth Styles • Jonathan White
Jordan Roden's team
Nick Kelleher, Andy Chaffer, Philip English, Jordan Roden.
CPB Organisation Committee
At the January 2022 Communist Party of Britain executive committee meeting Andy Chaffer, Lorraine Douglas, Robert Griffiths, Jonathan Havard, Phil Katz David Morgan, Ruth Styles, Liz Payne, David Pettifor, Ruth Styles, Johnnie Hunter, Nick Wright were appointed to the CPB Political Committee.[1]
Party positions
Chair of Birmingham and District Plus branch, member of Midlands DC and Morning Star organiser, member of Executive Committee, National Morning Star Organiser.
Past Party Positions: Branch Secretary, Branch Treasurer, National YCL Treasurer, member of Communist Review Editorial Board.
Present Labour Movement Positions: Branch Secretary Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health UNISON; Delegate to West Midlands Regional Council, Regional Committee, Regional International Committee; Co-convenor Regional LGBT+ Self Organised Group; Member of UNISON LGBT+ National Committee.
Member of party since 1985, currently 56 years of age. [2]
CPB Elections organiser
At the January 2022 Communist Party of Britain executive committee meeting Andy Chaffer was elected CPB Elections organiser.[3]
Midlands District Communist Party
Report of the Midlands District Congress – January 11th 2020: District Committee attendance, apologies, resignations and deaths.
- Bob Bonner Attended 6 meetings 4 apologies due to work shift clashes
- Steven Bradfield Attended 3 meetings 5 apologies (2 personal, 2 family, 1 union. Resigned from D.C. September 2019.
- Andy Chaffer Attended 8 meetings 4 apologies (3 union, 1 personal)
- Chris Chesworth Attended 6 meetings. 6 apologies ( all due to work shift clashes)
- Geoffrey Ferres Attended 10 meetings 2 apologies (family)
- David Grove Attended 1 meeting. 11 Apologies received and accepted as a standard for all meetings from 12 May 2018 due to ill-health and travel difficulties.
- Andrew Maybury Attended 9 meetings 3 apologies (personal or health)
- Laurence Platt Attended 1 meeting Unable to attend any meetings from 12 May 2018, apologies for non-attendance due to ill-health thereafter until his death in January 2019.
- Dave Stavris Attended 6 meetings 6 apologies, all for political responsibilities elsewhere
- Graham Stevenson Attended 12 meetings
- Joanne Stevenson Attended 11 meetings 1 apology for ill-health
- Phil Street Attended 10 meetings 2 apologies (family)
- Matt Widdowson Attended 2 meetings Resigned from the Party – July 2018 (NB: but subsequently rejoined)
- Robert Wilkinson Attended 10 meetings 2 apologies for other political responsibilities.[4]
Morning Star Management Committee
2021 Morning Star Management Committee in solidarity with Indian farmers. Dominic MacAskill, Jimmy Macintyre, Ben Chacko, Jackie Simpkins, Keith Stoddart, Jamshid Ahmadi, David Morgan, Bob Oram, Chris Kitchen, Rosie Eagleson, Joan Heath, Carolyn Jones, Andy Chaffer, Nisar Ahmed.
CPB Executive Committee
At the Communist Party of Britain’s 56th congress on November 6-7 2021 the following executive committee was elected Nisar Ahmed, Sonya Andermahr, Andy Bain, Mollie Brown, Andrea Burford, Sean David Cannon, Ben Chacko, Andy Chaffer, Tony Conway, Mary Davis, Lorraine Douglas, Alex Gordon, Bill Greenshields, Moz Greenshields, Robert Griffiths, Jonathan Havard, Richard Hebbert, Johnnie Hunter, Bernadette Keaveney, Tam Kirby, Hugh Kirkbride, Gawain Little, Sarah McDonough, David Morgan, Tommy Morrison, Kevan Nelson, Evan Pritchard, Carol Stavris, Ruth Styles, Robin Talbot, Jade Welburn.[5]
2014 CPB Executive Committee
Andy Bain, Ben Chacko, Andy Chaffer, Tony Conway, John Foster, Pauline Fraser, Alex Gordon, Moz Greenshields, Bill Greenshields, Robert Griffiths, Tim Gulliver, Anita Halpin, Zoe Hennessy, Steve Johnson, Bernadette Keaveney, Thomas Kirby, Eleanor Lakew, Martin Levy, Peter Middleman, Tommy Morrison, Mark O'Neill, Liz Payne, Ben Stevenson, Graham Stevenson, Joanne Stevenson, Ruth Styles, Anita Wright, Nick Wright.[6]
LGBT+ Commission
Jamie Perkins reports on the first meeting of the Young Communist League of Britain’s newly founded LGBT+ Commission, June 2020, which discussed the history of the movement in Britain and addressed the question ‘why does the LGBT+ community need socialism?’
The meeting was chaired by Jamie Perkins. For the inaugural meeting, YCL members received a historical lesson from older LGBT+ comrades active within the Communist Party of Britain, speaking about their experiences in the 1970/80’s and how the face of LGBT+ activism and agitation has changed over time.
The first speaker was Steve Johnson, of the Communist Party’s (CP) South London branch, who spoke about his youth as a gay man and joining the YCL in 1972. Speaking about the first motion passed in support of homosexuals as an oppressed minority, he recalled how certain members were surprised at the fact it was passed unanimously. During this time period the discussion around gay rights became heightened in the YCL due to the perceived attitudes surrounding homosexuality in socialist countries, which caused contradictions with the progressive trends of Britain.
The next comrade to speak was Andy Chaffer of Birmingham CP, who recalled the struggles the LGBT+ community faced during the AIDS/HIV pandemic under Thatcher.
The final speaker, Yvonne Washbourne, also of Birmingham CP Branch spoke of her time fighting with the Gay Liberation Front and the Women's Liberation Front, mentioning how it was the changes in trade union policy that have paved the way for lesbian and gay rights. After a robust discussion about the issues raised, in which YCL comrades shared their own opinions and experiences, the meeting was drawn to a positive close. [7]
Communist candidates
In 2015 Communist Party of Britain candidates were Mollie Stevenson in Newcastle upon Tyne East, Steve Andrew in Sheffield Central, Laura-Jane Rossington in Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, Andy Chaffer in Birmingham Hodge Hill, Gerry Sables in North Devon, Zoe Hennessy in Glasgow North West, Ben Stevenson in Croydon North and Robert Griffiths in Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney.[8]
No2EU candidates
No2EU candidates in West Midlands in 2014 were Dave Nellist, Pat Collins, Joanne Stevenson, Sophia Hussain, Paul Reilly, Andy Chaffer, Amanda Marfleet.
No2EU candidates in West Midlands in 2009 were Dave Nellist, Dyal Bagri, Malcolm Gribbin, Joanne Stevenson, Peter MacLaren, Andy Chaffer.
"21st Century Marxism"
21st Century Marxism was convened by the Communist Party of Britain 21st and 22nd July 2012, Bishopsgate Institute London.
"NHS on the Critical List" with Christina McAnea, Dr. Jacky Davis, Dr. John Lister, Andy Chaffer.[9]
Midlands CPB leaders
In April 2008 the Midlands District of the Communist Party of Britain elected eight members to District executive committee: Bill Greenshields (Derby) chair, Graham Stevenson (Birmingham) secretary, Gawain Little (Oxon) treasurer Andy Chaffer (Midlands Morning Star organiser), David Grove (Leicester branch secretary), George Hickman (Midlands Party trade union organiser), Joanne Stevenson (youth work and Young Communist League of Britain women's organiser), Andy Goodall (secretary Wolves and Districts branch).[10]