achieved by a merger. CRS was originally CWS Retail, formed by CWS in 1934 to open shops in "co-operative deserts" and take over ailing retail societies, eventually becoming a separate entity and taking the CRS name in 1957. Members voted on the merger on 4 March 2000, and it would change the shape of the retail co-operative movement once confirmed. Against this background, the Chairman of the United Kingdom Co-operative Council (Lord Graham of Edmonton), the new Chief Executive of the Co-operative Union (Pauline Green), the Chief Executive of CWS (Graham Melmoth) and the Chairman of CWS and Chief Executive of Midlands Co-operative Society (Len Fyfe) sent a letter to the Prime Minister on 14 January 2000. The letter emphasised the Co-operative Movements' community involvement and ethical principles (as laid down by the Rochdale Principles), and asked for Blair to help the movement develop and modernise to "meet the challenges of the next millennium": the Prime Minister was asked to create and sponsor a Co-operative Commission in the mould of the Gaitskell Commission, and was provided with terms of reference for the proposed group. The Prime Minister responded in a letter confirming that he would be "delighted to help in the establishment of the commission, and to support your desire for a fundamental review", and that he had appointed John Monks to chair the commission. The commission was formally announced on 24 February 2000, with its members meeting for the first time on 29 February 2000. Its members comprised: John Monks (Chair) Alan Donnelly (Secretary) Hazel Blears MP Lord Simon of Highbury Lord Fyfe of Fairfield Gerard Hill Mervyn Pedelty David Pitt-Watson Bill Connor Bob Burlton Pauline Green Alan Middleton Work In its first meeting, the Co-operative Commission formally adopted the terms of reference set for it in the Movement leaders' original letter. These included aims to enable the Co-operative Movement to show that it could survive in the modern marketplace whilst still delivering on its social goals, and for the larger retail societies to help smaller co-operatives in other sectors to grow and thrive. Also included was the importance of ensuring that co-operatives could strongly resist any threat of demutualisation and prevent "the liquidation of assets built up by prior generations of co-operators". Early in the commission's history, rumours began to spread that it was in fact a "quasi-government" inquiry into the funding relationship between the Co-operative Movement and