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
Leader (
James Callaghan
Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, ( ; 27 March 191226 March 2005), commonly known as Jim Callaghan, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980. Callaghan is ...
),
Deputy Leader (
Michael Foot),
Labour Chief Whip (
Michael Cocks), Labour Leader in the House of Lords (
Lord Peart), and Chairman of the
Parliamentary Labour Party (
Fred Willey
Frederick Thomas Willey (13 November 1910 – 13 December 1987) was a British Labour Party politician. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) representing a Sunderland constituency for 38 years, from 1945 to 1983.
Early life
Willey was educated a ...
) were automatically members.
Tony Benn, who had been
Secretary of State for Energy in the outgoing
Callaghan ministry did not seek election to the Shadow Cabinet as he opted to return to the back benches "for the time being".
The 12 winners of the election are listed below:
References
{{John Smith
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election
Labour Party (UK) Shadow Cabinet election
Until they were abolished in 2011 it had been the tradition for the British Labour Party 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 Par ...