1982 Labour Party (UK) Shadow Cabinet election

Last updated

Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet (more formally, its "Parliamentary Committee") took place on 18 November 1982. In addition to the 15 members elected, the Leader (Michael Foot), Deputy Leader (Denis Healey), Labour Chief Whip (Michael Cocks), Labour Leader in the House of Lords (Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos), and Chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party (Jack Dormand) 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.

Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (United Kingdom) Opposition cabinet of the United Kingdom

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.

Michael Foot British politician

Michael Mackintosh Foot, was a British Labour Party politician, who began his career as a journalist on Tribune and the Evening Standard. He co-wrote the classic 1940 polemic against appeasement of Adolf Hitler, Guilty Men, under a pseudonym.

All 15 members elected the previous year were retained. The value of being the top loser dropped as by-elections would be held for future vacancies under a change in the Parliamentary Labour Party's rules. The results for 20 of the 40 candidates are listed below [N 1] : [2]

In UK politics, the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) is the parliamentary party of the Labour Party in Parliament: Labour MPs as a collective body. Commentators on the British Constitution sometimes draw a distinction between the Labour Party and the Conservative and Liberal parties. The term Parliamentary Labour Party refers to the party in Parliament, whereas the term Labour Party refers to the entire Labour Party, the parliamentary element of which is the PLP.

Rank
Prior
rank
Candidate
Constituency
Votes
12 Gerald Kaufman Manchester Ardwick 142
27 Neil Kinnock Bedwellty 131
31 Peter Shore Stepney and Poplar 129
43 Roy Hattersley Birmingham Sparkbrook 127
55 Eric Varley Chesterfield 122
68 Albert Booth Barrow and Furness 118
74 John Silkin Lewisham Deptford 103
89 John Smith North Lanarkshire 102
914 Peter Archer Warley West 101
1011 Stanley Orme Salford West 100
116 Merlyn Rees Leeds South 93
1210 Brynmor John Pontypridd 90
13=15 Gwyneth Dunwoody Crewe 85
13=12 Bruce Millan Glasgow Craigton 85
1513 Eric Heffer Liverpool Walton 82
16? Tony Benn Bristol South East 75
17†17 Robin Cook Edinburgh Central 73
17†? Joan Lestor Eton and Slough 73
19? John Golding Newcastle-under-Lyme 72
2016 Norman Buchan West Renfrewshire 70

Footnotes

Notes
  1. The Glasgow Herald confirms Kaufman and Kinnock placed first and second. Since none of the three winners for whom vote are not known were among the few who received more votes, Brynmor John could not have done better than 105, his 1981 result. As such the rankings from 7th to 15 are uncertain. [1]
References
  1. "Election for Whip goes to third ballot". The Glasgow Herald. 26 October 1982. p. 6. There were 52 nominations last night for the 15 Shadow Cabinet posts. This is a record figure and compares with 40 last year.
  2. Geoffrey Parkhouse (19 November 1982). "Foot's "Shadow" team will come from the same faces". The Glasgow Herald. p. 6.

Related Research Articles

Douglas Alexander British politician

Douglas Garven Alexander is a British Labour Party politician who served in the Cabinet from 2006 to 2010 under Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown in the roles of Secretary of State for Scotland, Secretary of State for Transport and Secretary of State for International Development. He subsequently served in Labour leader Ed Miliband's Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Shadow Foreign Secretary. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1997 to 2015, representing the Scottish constituencies of Paisley South (1997–2005) and Paisley and Renfrewshire South (2005–15).

Fred Peart, Baron Peart British politician

Thomas Frederick Peart, Baron Peart, PC was a British Labour politician who served in the Labour governments of the 1960s and 1970s and was a candidate for Deputy Leader of the Party.

The Scottish Labour Party is the UK Labour Party's devolved Scotland administrative subdivision.

The Commons members of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) elected 19 members of the Shadow Cabinet from among their number in 2010. This follows the Labour Party's defeat in the 2010 general election, after which the party formed the Official Opposition in the United Kingdom.

Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet took place in October 1995, at the beginning of the 1995/6 session of parliament. Under the rules then in effect, the Commons members of the Parliamentary Labour Party elected 19 members of the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet, who were then assigned portfolios by the leader. The Labour peers elected the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords. In addition, the Leader of the Labour Party and Deputy Leader were members by virtue of those offices. With this election, for the first time, the role Opposition Chief Whip was simply another portfolio to be handed out rather than an office separately elected by the PLP. The 19 elected members of the Shadow Cabinet were the ones with the largest number of votes. MPs were required to vote for at least four women, but women were not necessarily guaranteed places in the Shadow Cabinet.

Shadow Cabinet of Neil Kinnock

Neil Kinnock was Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition from 2 October 1983 to 18 July 1992. He convincingly defeated Roy Hattersley, Eric Heffer, and Peter Shore in the 1983 leadership election, which was prompted by Michael Foot's resignation following the disastrous general election result earlier that year. Kinnock's period as Leader encompassed the bulk of the Thatcher years and the first two years of Major premiership. Kinnock resigned in 1992 after losing his second election as Leader.

Shadow Cabinet of Michael Foot

Michael Foot was Leader of the Opposition from 4 November 1980, following his victory in the 1980 leadership election, to 2 October 1983, when he was replaced by Neil Kinnock at the 1983 leadership election. The 1980 election was triggered by James Callaghan's loss at the 1979 general election, and Foot's own disastrous defeat in the 1983 general election.

Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet occurred on 14 June 1979, following the Party's fall from power at the May general election that year. In addition to the 12 members elected, the Leader, Deputy Leader, Labour Chief Whip, Labour Leader in the House of Lords, and Chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party were automatically members.

Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet 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, Labour Chief Whip, Labour Leader in the House of Lords, and Chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party were automatically members.

Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet took place on 19 November 1981. There were 15 posts, rather than 12 as in previous years. In addition to the 15 members elected, the Leader, Deputy Leader, Labour Chief Whip, Labour Leader in the House of Lords, and Chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party were automatically members.

The results of elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet were announced on 30 October 1985. In addition to the 15 members elected, the Leader, Deputy Leader, Labour Chief Whip, Labour Leader in the House of Lords, and Chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party were automatically members.

The results of elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet were announced on 26 October 1984. In addition to the 15 members elected, the Leader, Deputy Leader, Labour Chief Whip, Labour Leader in the House of Lords, and Chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party were automatically members.

Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet were announced on 28 October 1983. In addition to the 15 members elected, the Leader, Deputy Leader, Labour Chief Whip, Labour Leader in the House of Lords, and Chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party were automatically members.

Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet occurred in November 1952. In addition to the 12 members elected, the Leader, Deputy Leader, Labour Chief Whip, Labour Leader in the House of Lords were automatically members.

Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet occurred in 1953. In addition to the 12 members elected, the Leader, Deputy Leader, Labour Chief Whip, Labour Leader in the House of Lords were automatically members. All incumbent members of the Shadow Cabinet retained their seats.

Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet occurred in November 1958. In addition to the 12 members elected, the Leader, Deputy Leader, Labour Chief Whip, Labour Leader in the House of Lords, and Labour Chief Whip in the House of Lords were automatically members.

Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet occurred in November 1957. In addition to the 12 members elected, the Leader, Deputy Leader, Labour Chief Whip, Labour Leader in the House of Lords were automatically members.

Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet occurred in November 1959. In addition to the 12 members elected, the Leader, Deputy Leader, Labour Chief Whip, Labour Leader in the House of Lords, and Labour Chief Whip in the House of Lords were automatically members.

Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet occurred in November 1989. For these elections the Shadow Cabinet was expanded from 15 to 18 seats and, for the first time, MPs had to cast at least three votes for women.

Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet occurred in December 1971. In addition to the 12 members elected, the Leader, Deputy Leader, Labour Chief Whip, Chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party, Labour Leader in the House of Lords, and Labour Chief Whip in the Lords were automatically members. The Labour Lords elected one further member, Baron Champion.