1983 Labour Party (UK) leadership election 1983 Labour Party (UK) leadership election The 1983 Labour Party leadership election was an election in the United Kingdom for the leadership of the Labour Party. It occurred when former leader Michael Foot resigned after winning only 209 seats at the 1983 general election, a loss of 60 seats compared to their performance at the previous election four years earlier. This was the worst showing for Labour since 1931. Neil Kinnock was elected Leader with 71% of the Electoral College vote; runner-up Roy Hattersley stood simultaneously for Deputy Leader and was elected as Deputy. The election took place at Labour
Michael Foot Michael Foot Michael Mackintosh Foot (23 July 1913 – 3 March 2010) was a British Labour Party politician and man of letters. Foot began his career as a journalist, on "Tribune" and the "Evening Standard". He co-wrote the classic polemic against appeasement of Adolf Hitler, "Guilty Men", under a pseudonym. Foot served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1945 to 1955 and again from 1960 until he retired in 1992. A passionate orator and associated with the left-wing of the Labour Party for most of his career, Foot was an ardent supporter of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and