Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet (more formally, its "Parliamentary Committee") took place on 4 December 1980, having been delayed due to the October election of new Party Leader Michael Foot. In addition to the 12 members elected, the Leader (Foot), Deputy Leader (Denis Healey), Labour Chief Whip (Michael Cocks), Labour Leader in the House of Lords (Lord Peart), and Chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party (Fred Willey) were automatically members.
The Labour Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom that has been described as an alliance of social democrats, democratic socialists and trade unionists. The party's platform emphasises greater state intervention, social justice and strengthening workers' rights.
The Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet is, in British parliamentary practice, senior members of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition who scrutinise their corresponding Government ministers, develop alternative policies, and hold the Government to account for its actions and responses. Since May 2010, the Labour Party has been Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition, and its leadership therefore forms the current Shadow Cabinet.
The Leader of the Labour Party is the most senior political figure within the Labour Party in the United Kingdom. Since 12 September 2015, the office has been held by Jeremy Corbyn, who has represented the constituency of Islington North since 1983.
Two winners of the 1979 election were not re-elected: Healey was elected Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, so did not need to run for election to the Shadow Cabinet. David Owen did not return. He informed Michael Foot of his decision not to run in November, after the PLP rejected "one member, one vote" and it became clearer to him that he would be defecting. Not long afterward, he joined William Rodgers (who did win a seat in the Shadow Cabinet), Shirley Williams, and Roy Jenkins in founding the Social Democratic Party. Because of Rodgers's defection, Tony Benn joined the Shadow Cabinet in January 1981 by virtue of being the top loser. [1]
David Anthony Llewellyn Owen, Baron Owen, is a British politician and physician.
Shirley Vivian Teresa Brittain Williams, Baroness Williams of Crosby,, is a British politician and academic who represents the Liberal Democrats. Originally a Labour Member of Parliament (MP) and Cabinet Minister, she was one of the 'Gang of Four' rebels who founded the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 1981.
The 12 winners of the election are listed below: [2]
Colour key | Retained in the Shadow Cabinet |
---|---|
Joined the Shadow Cabinet |
Rank | Prior rank | Candidate | Constituency | Votes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 4 | Roy Hattersley | Birmingham Sparkbrook | 143 |
2 | 5 | Eric Varley | Chesterfield | 141 |
3 | – | Gerald Kaufman | Manchester Ardwick | 139 |
4† | 9 | Merlyn Rees | Leeds South | 125 |
4† | 3 | Peter Shore | Stepney and Poplar | 125 |
6 | 6 | Stanley Orme | Salford West | 119 |
7 | 2 | John Silkin | Lewisham Deptford | 118 |
8† | 7 | Albert Booth | Barrow and Furness | 116 |
8† | 8 | William Rodgers | Stockton-on-Tees | 116 |
10 | 11 | Roy Mason | Barnsley | 114 |
11 | 12 | John Smith | North Lanarkshire | 112 |
12 | ? | Neil Kinnock | Bedwellty | 90 |
13 | ? | Tony Benn | Bristol South East | 88 |
14 | ? | Bruce Millan | Glasgow Craigton | 82 |
15 | ? | Brynmor John | Pontypridd | 80 |
16 | ? | Eric Heffer | Liverpool Walton | 71 |
17 | ? | Denis Howell | Birmingham Small Heath | 69 |
18 | ? | Norman Buchan | West Renfrewshire | 67 |
19 | ? | Dickson Mabon | Greenock and Port Glasgow | 63 |
20 | ? | Tam Dalyell | West Lothian | ? |
? | ? | Robin Cook | Edinburgh Central | 56 |
Roy Sydney George Hattersley, Baron Hattersley, PC, FRSL, is a British Labour politician, author and journalist from Sheffield. He was MP for Birmingham Sparkbrook for 33 years from 1964 to 1997. He served as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1983 to 1992.
Denis Winston Healey, Baron Healey,, was a British Labour Party politician who served as Secretary of State for Defence from 1964 to 1970, Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1974 to 1979 and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1980 to 1983.
Hilary James Wedgwood Benn is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Leeds Central since the by-election in 1999. He served in the cabinet from 2003 to 2010, under the premierships of both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. From 2010 to 2016, he served in various Labour Party shadow cabinets, most recently as Shadow Foreign Secretary from May 2015 until June 2016, when he was dismissed by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. In October 2016, he was elected as the Chairman of the new Exiting the European Union Select Committee.
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