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The 1981 Labour Party deputy leadership election took place when Tony Benn unsuccessfully challenged the incumbent deputy leader Denis Healey at the party conference of that year. Healey had been elected as deputy leader in the previous year.
As well as Healey and Benn, John Silkin also stood in the election. It was the first election to take place using the party's electoral college. At this time 40% of the votes were given to affliated unions and societies, and 30% each to the Parliamentary Labour Party and the individual members and activists of the party. When this majority in favour of the unions had been introduced it received considerable criticism from the more social democratic wing of the party. Ironically it transpired that if the unions had had an equal share to the PLP and the membership then Healey's narrow majority would have been wiped out and the more left-wing Benn won the contest.
[edit] Results
| First round |
| Candidate |
Votes |
|
Denis Healey |
45.4% |
|
Tony Benn |
36.6% |
|
John Silkin |
18.0% |
| John Silkin eliminated |
| Second round |
| Candidate |
Votes |
|
Denis Healey |
50.4% |
|
Tony Benn |
49.6% |
| Denis Healey re-elected |
[edit] References
