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), Deputy Leader (Roy Jenkins), Labour Chief Whip (Bob Mellish), Labour Leader in the House of Lords (Baron Shackleton), and Labour Chief Whip in the Lords (Baron Beswick) were automatically members. The Labour Lords elected one further member, Baron Champion.

The Chair of the Labour Party was elected at the same time as the Shadow Cabinet, and was given a further automatic place in the cabinet. The post was won by Douglas Houghton, who also won one of the twelve places in the Shadow Cabinet election. Ross, who had taken thirteenth place in the Shadow Cabinet election, was given the spare position.

The 12 winners of the election are listed below:

Colour
key
Member of Cabinet when Labour Party lost office following 1970 election
Rank
Candidate
Constituency
Votes
1 James Callaghan Cardiff South East 178
2 Denis Healey Leeds East 165
3 Anthony Crosland Great Grimsby 157
4 Douglas Houghton Sowerby 150
5 Tony Benn Bristol South East 133
6 Michael Foot Ebbw Vale 124
7 Shirley Williams Hitchin 122
8 Harold Lever Manchester Cheetham 115
9 Edward Short Newcastle upon Tyne Central 114
10 Fred Peart Workington 110
11 George Thomson Dundee East 107
12 Barbara Castle Blackburn 98
13 Willie Ross Kilmarnock 93
14 Eric Heffer Liverpool Walton 78
15 Reg Prentice Daventry 76
16= Richard Marsh Greenwich 69
16= Elwyn Jones West Ham South 69
18 Michael Stewart Fulham 66
19 Ian Mikardo Poplar 61
20 Cledwyn Hughes Anglesey 57
21 Willie Hamilton West Fife 56
22 John Silkin Deptford 54
23 Douglas Jay Battersea North 53
24 Roy Mason Barnsley 52
25 Joan Lestor Eton and Slough 48
26 Merlyn Rees Leeds South 44
27 Roy Hattersley Birmingham Sparkbrook 43
28= George Thomas Cardiff West 42
28= Bill Rodgers Stockton-on-Tees 42
30 Dick Taverne Lincoln 40
31 Peter Shore Stepney 39
32 Stan Orme Salford West 38
33 Dickson Mabon Greenock 37
34= Frank Judd Portsmouth West 36
34= Tom Driberg Barking 36
36 Alf Morris Manchester Wythenshawe 35
37 John Mendelson Penistone 34
38= Robert Sheldon Ashton under Lyne 33
38= Hugh Brown Glasgow Provan 33
40 Fred Mulley Sheffield Park 31
41 Joel Barnett Heywood and Royton 28
42 Denis Howell Birmingham Small Heath 27
43 Joyce Butler Wood Green 26
44= Harold Walker Doncaster 24
44= Judith Hart Lanark 24
45 Lena Jeger Holborn and St Pancras South 23
46 Alex Lyon York 21
48= William Molloy Ealing North 20
48= Thomas Urwin Houghton-le-Spring 20
50 Arthur Blenkinsop South Shields 19
51 John Stonehouse Wednesbury 14
52 Samuel Silkin Dulwich 10

This page was last updated at 2023-10-29 07:42 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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