1971 Labour Party deputy leadership election

1971 Labour Party deputy leadership election

10–17 November 1971 (1971-11-10 – 1971-11-17)

Candidate Roy Jenkins Michael Foot Tony Benn First ballot 140 (48.3%) 96 (38.0%) 46 (16.3%) Second ballot 140 (52.6%) 126 (47.4%) Eliminated

Deputy Leader before election Roy Jenkins Elected Deputy Leader Roy Jenkins

The 1971 Labour Party deputy leadership election took place in November 1971 after left-wingers Michael Foot and Tony Benn challenged sitting deputy leader Roy Jenkins.

Candidates

• Roy Jenkins, incumbent Deputy Leader, Member of Parliament for Birmingham Stechford
• Michael Foot, Shadow Leader of the House of Commons, Member of Parliament for Ebbw Vale
• Tony Benn, Shadow Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Member of Parliament for Bristol East

Results

First ballot: 10 November 1971
Candidate		Votes	%
	Roy Jenkins	140	48.3
	Michael Foot	96	38.0
	Tony Benn	46	16.3
Second ballot required

As a result of the first round, Benn was eliminated. The remaining two candidates were left to face each other in a second round a week later.

Second ballot: 17 November 1971
Candidate		Votes	%
	Roy Jenkins	140	52.6
	Michael Foot	126	47.4
Roy Jenkins re-elected

Sources

• http://privatewww.essex.ac.uk/~tquinn/labour_party_deputy.htm Archived 17 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine