Margaret Beckett the hassle, the scrutiny from [the press]. That’s a world that was beyond him until he was elected leader". Margaret Beckett Dame Margaret Mary Beckett (; born 15 January 1943) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Derby South since 1983. She was the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party under John Smith from 1992 to 1994, and briefly served as Leader of the Labour Party after Smith died suddenly. She later served in the Cabinet under Prime Minister Tony Blair in a number of roles, becoming Britain's first female Foreign Secretary
History of the Labour Party (UK) the 2015 general election. With the party bidding to return to government in Westminster under the leadership of Ed Miliband, Labour gained more than 20 seats in England and Wales, mostly from the Liberal Democrats but also from the Conservative Party, although several of its MPs lost reelection to Conservative challengers, including Ed Balls. However, the fall of what was popularly dubbed Labour's "Scottish fortress" to the Scottish National Party turned out 40 Labour MPs from their seats, including Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy. Discounting pickups, the party lost 48 seats in total throughout Great Britain, falling to 232 seats