Hugh Gaitskell simultaneously emerged as a potential candidate after a successful tenure as Chancellor of the Exchequer and after the trade union movement which had backed Bevan increasingly gravitated towards him.
As the Labour Party's leadership position became vacant, Hugh Gaitskell stepped forward as a prime candidate following his impressive tenure as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Meanwhile, the trade union movement that had previously backed Bevan started to favor Gaitskell instead.