Until they were abolished in 2011 it had been the tradition for the
British Labour Party
The Labour Party is a List of political parties in the United Kingdom, political party in the United Kingdom that has been described as an alliance of Social democracy, social democrats, Democratic socialism, democratic socialists and trade u ...
to hold elections to the
Shadow Cabinet whenever the Party was in Opposition. Cabinet members would be elected by the MPs within the
Parliamentary Labour Party, usually at the beginning of a Parliamentary session. The PLP voted to abolish Shadow Cabinet elections at a meeting on 5 July 2011. The decision was later approved by Labour's National Executive Committee at the end of July, then at their
annual conference
A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic.
Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main pu ...
in
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
in September.
See also
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1951 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet (more formally, its "Parliamentary Committee") occurred in November 1951. In addition to the 12 members elected, the Leader ( Clement Attlee), Deputy Leader (Herbert Morrison), Labour Chief Whip (Wi ...
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1952 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet (more formally, its "Parliamentary Committee") occurred in November 1952. In addition to the 12 members elected, the Leader ( Clement Attlee), Deputy Leader (Herbert Morrison), Labour Chief Whip (Wi ...
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1953 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet (more formally, its "Parliamentary Committee") occurred in 1953. In addition to the 12 members elected, the Leader ( Clement Attlee), Deputy Leader (Herbert Morrison), Labour Chief Whip (William Whi ...
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1954 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet (more formally, its "Parliamentary Committee") occurred in 1954. In addition to the 12 members elected, the Leader ( Clement Attlee), Deputy Leader (Herbert Morrison), Labour Chief Whip (William Whi ...
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1955 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet (more formally, its "Parliamentary Committee") occurred in 1955. In addition to the 12 members elected, the Leader ( Clement Attlee), Deputy Leader (Herbert Morrison), Labour Chief Whip (William Whi ...
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1956 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet (more formally, its "Parliamentary Committee") occurred in November 1956. In addition to the 12 members elected, the Leader ( Hugh Gaitskell), Deputy Leader (Jim Griffiths), Labour Chief Whip (Herbe ...
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1957 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet (more formally, its "Parliamentary Committee") occurred in November 1957. In addition to the 12 members elected, the Leader ( Hugh Gaitskell), Deputy Leader (Jim Griffiths), Labour Chief Whip (Herbe ...
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1958 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet (more formally, its "Parliamentary Committee") occurred in November 1958. In addition to the 12 members elected, the Leader ( Hugh Gaitskell), Deputy Leader (Jim Griffiths), Labour Chief Whip (Herb ...
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1959 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet (more formally, its "Parliamentary Committee") occurred in November 1959. In addition to the 12 members elected, the Leader ( Hugh Gaitskell), Deputy Leader ( Aneurin Bevan), Labour Chief Whip (Herb ...
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1960 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet (more formally, its "Parliamentary Committee") occurred in November 1960. In addition to the 12 members elected, the Leader ( Hugh Gaitskell), Deputy Leader (George Brown), Labour Chief Whip (Herbe ...
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1961 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet (more formally, its "Parliamentary Committee") occurred in November 1961. In addition to the 12 members elected, the Leader ( Hugh Gaitskell), Deputy Leader (George Brown), Labour Chief Whip (Herbe ...
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1962 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet (more formally, its "Parliamentary Committee") occurred in November 1962. In addition to the 12 members elected, the Leader ( Hugh Gaitskell), Deputy Leader (George Brown), Labour Chief Whip (Herbe ...
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1963 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet (more formally, its "Parliamentary Committee") occurred in November 1963. In addition to the 12 members elected, the Leader ( Harold Wilson), Deputy Leader (George Brown), Labour Chief Whip (Herber ...
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1970 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet (more formally, its "Parliamentary Committee") occurred in July 1970, following the party's defeat in the 1970 general election.
In addition to the 12 members elected, the Leader ( Harold Wilson), ...
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1971 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet (more formally, its "Parliamentary Committee") occurred in December 1971. In addition to the 12 members elected, the Leader ( Harold Wilson), Deputy Leader ( Roy Jenkins), Labour Chief Whip ( Bob M ...
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1972 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet (more formally, its "Parliamentary Committee") occurred in November 1972. In addition to the 12 members elected, the Leader ( Harold Wilson), Deputy Leader ( Edward Short), Labour Chief Whip ( Bob ...
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1973 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet (more formally, its "Parliamentary Committee") occurred in November 1973. In addition to the 12 members elected, the Leader ( Harold Wilson), Deputy Leader ( Edward Short), Labour Chief Whip ( Bob ...
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1979 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet (more formally, its "Parliamentary Committee") 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 Leade ...
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1980 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
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 ...
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1981 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet (more formally, its "Parliamentary Committee") 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 (Michael Fo ...
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1982 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
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 (Mich ...
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1983 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet (more formally, its "Parliamentary Committee") were announced on 28 October 1983.''Keesing's Contemporary Archives'', vol.XXIX In addition to the 15 members elected, the Leader (Neil Kinnock), Deputy ...
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1984 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
The results of elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet (more formally, its "Parliamentary Committee") were announced on 26 October 1984.''Keesing's Contemporary Archives, Volume 30'', p.xxviii In addition to the 15 members elected, the Lea ...
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1985 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
The results of elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet (more formally, its "Parliamentary Committee") were announced on 30 October 1985.''Keesing's Contemporary Archives, Volume 32'' In addition to the 15 members elected, the Leader (Neil ...
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1986 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
The annual election to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet (more formally, its "Parliamentary Committee") was conducted in October 1986.''Keesing's Contemporary Archives, Volume 33'', p.xxxiii In addition to the 16 members elected, the Leader (Neil ...
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1987 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
The annual election to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet (more formally, its "Parliamentary Committee") was conducted in 1987.''The Times Guide to the House of Commons, June 1987'', p.21 In addition to the 16 members elected, the Leader (Neil K ...
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1988 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
Elections to the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party's Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (United Kingdom), Shadow Cabinet (more formally, its "Parliamentary Committee") occurred in November 1988. In addition to the 15 members elected, the Leader of th ...
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1989 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet (more formally, its "Parliamentary Committee") 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 thr ...
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1990 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet took place on 24 October 1990. Under the rules then in effect, the Commons members of the Parliamentary Labour Party elected 18 members of the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet, who were then assig ...
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1991 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet took place on 23 October 1991. Under the rules then in effect, the Commons members of the Parliamentary Labour Party elected 18 members of the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet, who were then assig ...
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1992 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet took place in July 1992. Shadow Cabinet elections generally take place at the beginning of a parliamentary session, but the 1992 vote was postponed until a new leader was elected to replace Neil Kin ...
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1993 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet took place in October 1993, at the beginning of the 1993/1994 session of parliament. Under the rules then in effect, the Commons members of the Parliamentary Labour Party elected 18 members of the O ...
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1994 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet took place in October 1994, at the beginning of the 1994/5 session of parliament. Under the rules then in effect, the Commons members of the Parliamentary Labour Party elected 18 members of the Offi ...
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1995 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
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 Offi ...
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1996 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet took place in July 1996. 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 po ...
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2010 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
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 at the 2010 general election, after which the party formed the Officia ...
References
{{UK Labour Party
British shadow cabinets