Leader of the Labour Party (UK) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Leader of the Labour Party
Incumbent Sir Keir Starmer since 4 April 2020
Member of	National Executive Committee
Precursor	Chair of the PLP
Inaugural holder	Keir Hardie
Formation	17 January 1906
Deputy	Deputy Leader of the Labour Party

The Leader of the Labour Party is the top job in the Labour Party in the United Kingdom. This person leads the party. Currently, Sir Keir Starmer holds this position. He was chosen on April 4, 2020, after winning the party's election. He took over from Jeremy Corbyn.

The official title "Leader of the Labour Party" started in 1922. Before that, from 1906 to 1922, the leader was called the "Chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party". In 1970, the roles of party leader and chairman became separate.

John R. Clynes was the first Labour leader born in England in 1921. All previous leaders were from Scotland. In 1924, Ramsay MacDonald became the first Labour Prime Minister. He led a government for nine months. Later, Clement Attlee became the first Labour leader to win a large majority in 1945. Neil Kinnock was the first leader born in Wales, elected in 1983.

The most successful Labour leaders in elections are Tony Blair and Harold Wilson. Tony Blair won three elections in a row (1997, 2001, 2005). Harold Wilson won four out of five elections he took part in (1964, 1966, February 1974, and October 1974). Only George Lansbury and John Smith did not lead the party into a general election. George Lansbury stepped down, and John Smith sadly died while in office.

When the Labour Party is not in charge, its leader usually becomes the Leader of the Opposition. This means they lead the second-largest party in Parliament. They also lead the shadow cabinet, which is like a government-in-waiting. When the Labour Party wins an election, its leader usually becomes the Prime Minister. They also appoint the cabinet, which is a group of top government ministers.

How the Leader is Chosen

Unlike leaders of other British political parties, the Labour leader cannot fire or choose their deputy. Both the leader and deputy leader are elected using a special voting system. It is called the alternative vote system.

From 1980 to 2014, a system called an "electoral college" was used. In this system, votes were split into three equal parts. One-third came from Labour Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). Another third came from individual Labour Party members. The last third came from members of groups linked to the party, like trade unions.

The 2015 leadership election changed the system. It used "one member, one vote." This means every party member and member of linked groups has an equal vote. MPs' and MEPs' votes are not counted separately. However, a candidate still needs support from 10% of Labour MPs to be on the ballot.

Past Leaders of the Labour Party (1906–Present)

Here is a list of all the leaders of the Labour Party since 1906. This includes people who were temporary leaders.

No.	Leader (birth–death)		Constituency	Took office	Left office	Prime Minister (term)
1	Keir Hardie (1856–1915)		Merthyr Tydfil	17 February 1906	22 January 1908		Campbell-Bannerman 1905–1908
2	Arthur Henderson (1863–1935) (1st time)		Barnard Castle	22 January 1908	14 February 1910
							Asquith 1908–1916
3	George Barnes (1859–1940)		Glasgow Blackfriars and Hutchesontown	14 February 1910	6 February 1911
4	Ramsay MacDonald (1866–1937) (1st time)		Leicester	6 February 1911	5 August 1914
(2)	Arthur Henderson (1863–1935) (2nd time)		Barnard Castle	5 August 1914	24 October 1917
							Lloyd George 1916–1922
5	William Adamson (1863–1936)		West Fife	24 October 1917	14 February 1921
6	J. R. Clynes (1869–1949)		Manchester Platting	14 February 1921	21 November 1922
							Law 1922–1923
(4)	Ramsay MacDonald (1866–1937) (2nd time)		Aberavon	21 November 1922 (elected)	28 August 1931
							Baldwin 1923–1924
							Himself 1924
							Baldwin 1924–1929
							Himself 1929–1931
(2)	Arthur Henderson (1863–1935) (3rd time)		Burnley (1931) None (1931–1932)	28 August 1931 (unopposed)	25 October 1932		MacDonald 1931–1935
7	George Lansbury (1859–1940)		Bow and Bromley	25 October 1932 (unopposed)	8 October 1935
							Baldwin 1935–1937
8	Clement Attlee (1883–1967)		Limehouse (1935–1950) Walthamstow West (1950–1955)	8 October 1935 (elected)	7 December 1955
							Chamberlain 1937–1940
							Churchill 1940–1945
							Himself 1945–1951
							Churchill 1951–1955
							Eden 1955–1957
―	Herbert Morrison (1988–1965)		Lewisham South	7 December 1955	14 December 1955
9	Hugh Gaitskell (1906–1963)		Leeds South	14 December 1955 (elected)	18 January 1963 (died in office)
							Macmillan 1957–1963
―	George Brown (1914–1985)		Belper	18 January 1963	14 February 1963
10	Harold Wilson (1916–1995)		Huyton	14 February 1963 (elected)	5 April 1976
							Douglas-Home 1963–1964
							Himself 1964–1970
							Heath 1970–1974
							Himself 1974–1976
11	James Callaghan (1912–2005)		Cardiff South East	5 April 1976 (elected)	10 November 1980		Himself 1976–1979
							Thatcher 1979–1990
12	Michael Foot (1913–2010)		Ebbw Vale	10 November 1980 (elected)	2 October 1983
13	Neil Kinnock (b. 1942)		Islwyn	2 October 1983 (elected)	18 July 1992
							Major 1990–1997
14	John Smith (1938–1994)		Monklands East	18 July 1992 (elected)	12 May 1994 (died in office)
―	Margaret Beckett (b. 1943) (acting)		Derby South	12 May 1994	21 July 1994
15	Tony Blair (b. 1953)		Sedgefield	21 July 1994 (elected)	24 June 2007
							Himself 1997–2007
16	Gordon Brown (b. 1951)		Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath	24 June 2007 (unopposed)	11 May 2010		Himself 2007–2010
―	Harriet Harman (b. 1950) (acting: 1st time)		Camberwell and Peckham	11 May 2010	25 September 2010		Cameron 2010–2016
17	Ed Miliband (b. 1969)		Doncaster North	25 September 2010 (elected)	8 May 2015
―	Harriet Harman (b. 1950) (acting: 2nd time)		Camberwell and Peckham	8 May 2015	12 September 2015
18	Jeremy Corbyn (b. 1949)		Islington North	12 September 2015 (elected)	4 April 2020
							May 2016–2019
							Johnson 2019–2022
19	Sir Keir Starmer (b. 1962)		Holborn and St Pancras	4 April 2020 (elected)	Incumbent
							Truss September–October 2022
							Sunak 2022–present

Timeline of Labour Party Leaders

This timeline shows when each Labour Party leader was in charge. It also shows when they were a Member of Parliament (MP) and if they became Prime Minister.

Leaders in the House of Lords

Sometimes, a Labour Party leader also leads the party in the House of Lords. This is a different part of the UK Parliament. You can find more information about this role at Leader of the Labour Party in the House of Lords.

What Happens After Retirement?

When a Labour Party leader retires, they are often given a special title called a peerage. This means they can become a member of the House of Lords. This often happens if they were also the Prime Minister. For example, Clement Attlee and Harold Wilson both became members of the House of Lords after they retired. Even if they weren't Prime Minister, like Neil Kinnock, they might still be given this honour. However, some leaders, like Michael Foot, chose not to accept such an offer.

See also

• History of the Labour Party (UK)
• Labour Party leadership of Keir Starmer
• Leader of the Conservative Party (UK)
• Leader of the Liberal Democrats