Labour Party (UK) deputy leadership election, 1994

Labour Party deputy leadership election, 1994

21 June 1994 (1994-06-21)

Candidate John Prescott Margaret Beckett Overall result 56.5% 43.5% Affiliated unions 56.6% 43.4% Party members 59.5% 40.5% MPs & MEPs 53.8% 46.2%

Deputy Leader before election Margaret Beckett Elected Deputy Leader John Prescott

A deputy leadership election for the Labour Party in the United Kingdom took place in 1994, after the sudden death of incumbent leader John Smith. Margaret Beckett was the serving Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, having been elected in 1992, and following Smith's death became the acting leader.

Elections were held concurrently for both Leader and Deputy Leader of the Party, with the results announced on 21 July 1994. There were three candidates for Leader: Margaret Beckett, Tony Blair and John Prescott, but out of these three, only Blair did not simultaneously stand for Deputy Leader. Blair went on to win the leadership election, and Prescott won the deputy leadership. Both Prescott and Beckett held roles in Blair's cabinet for his entire time in office.

Candidates

• Margaret Beckett, incumbent Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, Member of Parliament for Derby South
• John Prescott, Shadow Secretary of State for Employment, Member of Parliament for Hull East

Result

The election was conducted using the Labour Party's new "electoral college" which gave a third of the votes to the party's MPs and MEPs, a third to its rank and file members (the CLP) and the final third to affiliated trade unions and societies, such as the Fabians.

Candidate[1]		Affiliated (33.3%)		Constituencies (33.3%)		PLP (33.3%)		Overall result
		Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	%
	John Prescott Y	441,155	56.6	102,379	59.5	176	53.8	56.5
	Margaret Beckett	338,271	43.4	69,977	40.5	151	46.2	43.5

How each MP voted

^[2]

See also

• Labour Party (UK) leadership election, 1994

References

• Leadership Selection and Party Renewal, Universities of Toronto & Essex