LEADERS OF THE LABOUR PARTY
17th February 1906 James Keir Hardie
b. 15th August 1856, d. 26th September 1915
22nd January 1908 Arthur Henderson
b. 13th September 1863, d. 20th October 1935
14th February 1910 George Nicoll Barnes
b. 2nd January 1859, d. 21st April 1940
6th February 1911 James Ramsay Macdonald
b. 12th October 1866, d. 9th November 1937
5th August 1914 Arthur Henderson
(see above)
24th October 1917 William Adamson
b. 2nd April 1863, d. 23rd February 1936
14th February 1921 John Robert Clynes
b. 27th March 1869, d. 23rd October 1949
21st November 1922 James Ramsay Macdonald
(see above)
1st September 1931 Arthur Henderson
(see above)
25th October 1932 George Lansbury
b. 21st February 1859, d. 7th May 1940
8th October 1935 Clement Richard Attlee
b. 3rd January 1883, d. 8th October 1967
14th December 1955 Hugh Todd Naylor Gaitskell
b. 9th April 1906, d. 18th January 1963
14th February 1963 James Harold Wilson
b. 11th March 1916, d. 24th May 1995
5th April 1976 Leonard James Callaghan
b. 27th March 1912
3rd November 1980 Michael Mackintosh Foot
b. 23rd July 1913
2nd October 1983 Neil Gordon Kinnock
b. 28th March 1942
18th July 1992 John Smith
b. 13th September 1938, d. 12th May 1994
21st July 1994 Anthony Charles Lynton Blair
b. 6th May 1953
Elections for Labour Party Leader:
1922 (Creation of the post of Chairman and Leader of the Parliamentary
Labour Party):
1st Ballot 21st November 1922
Ramsay Macdonald 61
J.R. Clynes 56
1935 (Morrison and Greenwood challenge to Attlee):
1st Ballot 26th November 1935
Clement Attlee 58
Herbert Morrison 44
Arthur Greenwood 33
2nd Ballot 3rd December 1935
Clement Attlee 88
Herbert Morrison 48
1955 (Resignation of Attlee)
1st Ballot 14th December 1955
Hugh Gaitskell 157
Aneurin Bevan 70
1960 (Wilson challenge to Gaitskell)
1st Ballot 3rd November 1960
Hugh Gaitskell 166
Harold Wilson 81
1961 (Greenwood challenge to Gaitskell)
1st Ballot 2nd November 1961)
Hugh Gaitskell 171
Anthony Greenwood 59
1963 (Death of Gaitskell)
1st Ballot 7th February 1963
Harold Wilson 115
George Brown 88
James Callaghan 41
2nd Ballot 14th February 1963
Harold Wilson 144
George Brown 103
1976 (Resignation of Wilson)
1st Ballot 25th March 1976
Michael Foot 90
James Callaghan 84
Roy Jenkins 56
Tony Benn 37
Denis Healey 30
Anthony Crosland 17
2nd Ballot 30th March 1976
James Callaghan 141
Michael Foot 133
Denis Healey 38
3rd Ballot 5th April 1976
James Callaghan 176
Michael Foot 137
1980 (Resignation of James Callghan)
1st Ballot 4th November 1980
Denis Healey 112
Michael Foot 83
John Silkin 38
Peter Shore 32
2nd Ballot 10th November 1980
Michael Foot 139
Denis Healey 129
1983 (Resignation of Foot)
Ballot 2nd October 1983
Affiliated Constituencies PLP Total
Neil Kinnock 29.042 27.452 14.778 71.272
Roy Hattersley 10.878 0.577 7.833 19.288
Eric Heffer 0.046 1.971 4.286 6.303
Peter Shore 0.033 0 3.103 3.137
1988 (Benn challenge to Kinnock)
Ballot 2nd October 1988
Affiliated Constituencies PLP Total
Neil Kinnock 39.660 24.128 24.842 88.630
Tony Benn 0.340 5.872 5.158 11.370
1992 (Resignation of Kinnock)
Ballot 18th July 1992
Affiliated Constituencies PLP Total
John Smith 38.518 29.311 23.187 91.016
Bryan Gould 1.482 0.689 6.813 8.984
1994 (Death of Smith)
Ballot 21st July 1994
Affiliated Constituencies PLP Total
Tony Blair 52.3 58.2 60.5 57.0
John Prescott 28.4 24.4 19.6 24.1
Margaret Beckett 19.3 17.4 19.9 18.9
Note on Labour Leadership elections:
1) Before the Labour Party took its present name, it existed in the form
of the Labour Representation Committee. That body had an elected
Chairman who may be considered as the Leader. This post was held by:
1900-01 Frederick Rogers
1901-02 Allen Gee
1902-03 Richard Bell MP
1903-04 John Hodge
1904-05 David Shackleton MP
1905-06 Arthur Henderson MP
2) The official title of the leader of the Labour Party was:
1906-22 Chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party
1922-70 Chairman and Leader of the Parliamentary Labour Party
1970-78 Leader of the Parliamentary Labour Party
1978- Leader of the Labour Party
3) On two occasions the death of the Leader of the Labour Party has led
to a Deputy Leader becoming Leader pending the election of a successor.
The Leader from 18th January 1963 to 14th February 1963 was George
Alfred Brown (b. 2nd September 1914, d. 2nd June 1985). The Leader from
12th May 1994 to 21st July 1994 was Margaret Mary Beckett (b. 15th
January 1943). Mrs Beckett was the first woman to be the Leader of the
Labour Party.
4) From 1906 until 1981 the Leader was elected by Labour Members of
the House of Commons. A candidate had to obtain an overall majority
of the votes cast, and if no candidate did, then the candidate with
the fewest votes was eliminated and a second ballot was held. This
process was continued until one candidate had obtained a majority.
5) From 1981 until 1993, the Leader was elected by an electoral
college containing three elements.
Affiliated Organisations (mostly Trade 40% of the vote
Unions, also Socialist Societies)
Parliamentary Labour Party 30% of the vote
Constituency Labour Parties 30% of the vote
Each affiliated organisation was responsible for deciding how to
cast its vote - some decided to ballot their members, some let their
National Executive decide which candidate to support. The whole of
the organisation's vote was then cast for their chosen candidate.
Votes were cast at a conference called by the Labour Party.
In the results given above, the figures represent the percentage
of the total vote scored in each section.
6) From 1993, the Leader has been elected by an electoral college
comprising the three elements mentioned above but in equal proportions
(ie each has one third of the vote). The method of balloting has been
changed so that individual members of the Labour Party and those
members of affiliated organisations who are eligible to vote are
given individual ballot papers which are counted nationally.
In the results given above, the figures represent the percentage
of the vote in the element of the electoral college stated.