1983 Labour Party deputy leadership election

Last updated

1983 Labour Party deputy leadership election
  1981 2 October 1983 (1983-10-02) 1988  
  Roy Hattersley 2012 cropped 2.jpg Michael Meacher official portrait.jpg
Candidate Roy Hattersley Michael Meacher
Overall result67.3%27.9%
Affiliated unions 88.2%11.8%
Party members 51.0%47.8%
Labour MPs 55.7%29.4%

  Dunwoody.jpg
Candidate Denzil Davies Gwyneth Dunwoody
Overall result3.5%1.3%
Affiliated unions
Party members 0.8%0.3%
Labour MPs 10.9%4.0%

Deputy Leader before election

Denis Healey

Elected Deputy Leader

Roy Hattersley

A deputy leadership election for the Labour Party in the United Kingdom took place on 2 October 1983 to replace incumbent Deputy Leader Denis Healey. Healey had served in the position since 1980, becoming deputy leader at the same time that Michael Foot became party leader. Foot and Healey had both announced their resignations following the general election on 9 June 1983, in which a disastrous performance left the Labour Party with just 209 seats in parliament.

Contents

The election was conducted using the Labour party's electoral college. It was won by Roy Hattersley, who won more than two-thirds of the votes. On the same day, Neil Kinnock won the leadership election. A young Peter Mandelson was employed in Hattersley's campaign team for the deputy leadership contest.

The election took place at Labour Party conference, with affiliated trade unions holding 40% of the votes, delegates from Constituency Labour Parties holding 30% of the votes, and the Parliamentary Labour Party holding the final 30% of the votes.

Candidates

Result

Candidate [1] Affiliated block votes
(40%) [2]
CLP block votes
(30%)
PLP votes
(30%)
Overall result
Votes %Votes %Votes % %
Roy Hattersley Green check.svg5,34988.231851.011255.767.3
Michael Meacher 71811.829847.85929.427.9
Denzil Davies 00.050.82210.93.5
Gwyneth Dunwoody 00.020.384.01.3

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Hattersley</span> British Labour Party politician, author and journalist (born 1932)

Roy Sydney George Hattersley, Baron Hattersley, is a British politician, author and journalist from Sheffield. A member of the Labour Party, he was MP for Birmingham Sparkbrook for over 32 years from 1964 to 1997, and served as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1983 to 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Smith (Labour Party leader)</span> British politician (1938–1994)

John Smith was a Scottish politician who was Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party from July 1992 until his death in May 1994. He was also Member of Parliament (MP) for Monklands East.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denis Healey</span> British politician (1917–2015)

Denis Winston Healey, Baron Healey, was a British Labour Party politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1974 to 1979 and as Secretary of State for Defence from 1964 to 1970; he remains the longest-serving Defence Secretary to date. He was a Member of Parliament from 1952 to 1992, and was Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1980 to 1983. To the public at large, Healey became well known for his bushy eyebrows, his avuncular manner and his creative turns of phrase.

The 1994 Labour Party leadership election was held on 21 July 1994 following the death of the incumbent leader, John Smith, on 12 May. Tony Blair won the leadership and became Prime Minister after winning the 1997 general election.

The 1983 Labour Party leadership election was an election in the United Kingdom for the leadership of the Labour Party. It occurred when then leader Michael Foot resigned after winning only 209 seats at the 1983 general election, a loss of 60 seats compared to their performance at the previous election four years earlier. This was the worst showing for Labour since 1935 until 2019.

The 1976 Labour Party leadership election occurred when Harold Wilson resigned as Leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister. It is the only occasion when the Labour Party, whilst in government, has had a leadership election with more than one candidate.

The 1980 Labour Party leadership election was held following the resignation of James Callaghan, who had been prime minister from 1976 to 1979 and had stayed on as leader of the Labour Party for eighteen months in order to oversee an orderly transition to his favoured successor, Denis Healey, over his own deputy Michael Foot. However, during this period the party had become bogged down in internal arguments about its procedures and future direction.

The 1992 Labour Party leadership election followed the Labour Party's failure to win the 1992 general election and the subsequent resignation of party leader Neil Kinnock.

The 1988 Labour Party leadership election saw Tony Benn, identified with the left wing of the British Labour Party, challenge the incumbent leader Neil Kinnock identified with the more moderate social democratic wing.

The 1963 Labour Party leadership election was held following the death of Hugh Gaitskell, party leader since 1955. He died on 18 January 1963 and was succeeded by deputy leader George Brown.

The 1981 Labour Party deputy leadership election took place on 27 September 1981 when Tony Benn unsuccessfully challenged the incumbent deputy leader Denis Healey at the party conference. Healey had been elected unopposed as deputy leader in the previous year.

A deputy leadership election for the Labour Party in the United Kingdom took place on 2 October 1988 when John Prescott and Eric Heffer challenged Labour's incumbent Deputy Leader Roy Hattersley. Hattersley had served in the position since 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shadow Cabinet of Neil Kinnock</span> Shadow Cabinet of the United Kingdom from 1983 to 1992

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 premiership and the first two years of the Major premiership. Kinnock resigned in 1992 after losing his second election as Leader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shadow Cabinet of Michael Foot</span> Shadow Cabinet of the United Kingdom from 1983 to 1992

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 leadership contest was triggered by James Callaghan's loss at the 1979 general election, and the 1983 contest by Foot's own disastrous defeat in the 1983 general election.

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 1992 Labour Party deputy leadership election followed the Labour Party's failure to win the 1992 general election and the subsequent resignation of deputy party leader Roy Hattersley. The ballot took place on 18 July 1992 at Labour Party Conference. Affiliated organisations had 40% of the vote, while Constituency Labour Parties and the Parliamentary Labour Party had 30% each in the electoral college.

The 2015 Labour Party deputy leadership election was triggered on 8 May 2015 by the resignation of Harriet Harman as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party of the United Kingdom following the party's defeat at the 2015 General Election. Harman, the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, became Acting Leader following Leader Ed Miliband's resignation. Harman announced on the same day that she would step down as Deputy Leader, with her resignation taking effect when the new Leader and Deputy Leader are elected.

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.

The 2020 Labour Party deputy leadership election was triggered on 6 November 2019 by the resignation of Tom Watson as deputy leader of the Labour Party of the United Kingdom. It was won by Angela Rayner on the third ballot. It was held jointly with the 2020 Labour Party leadership election, in which Keir Starmer was elected to succeed Jeremy Corbyn as leader after Corbyn resigned following the party's defeat at the 2019 general election.

References

  1. Pointer, Graham (11 May 2015). "Should Tony Benn Have Been The Winner Of The 1981 Labour Deputy Leadership Election?". Graham Pointer's Blog. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  2. Under the rules at the time of the contest, block votes were cast by delegates and the Parliamentary Party at Labour Party Conference. Affiliated Unions held 40% of the votes, CLPs 30% and the PLP 30%.

Sources