1988 Labour Party (UK) leadership election final 30% of the votes. Neil Kinnock became leader of the Labour Party in 1983 following the resignation of Michael Foot. The party had been moving towards the left, something that Kinnock sought to change. At the 1987 general election, Kinnock was placed front and centre of the Labour campaign, leading to claims that it was almost presidential. Margaret Thatcher's Conservative Party, seven points ahead in the polls, won the election despite a 1.2% swing to Labour. Rumours were spreading early in 1988 that Tony Benn was planning a leadership challenge against Kinnock. The 63-year-old Benn had lost his seat
Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party (UK) Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party (UK) The Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party is sometimes an official title of a senior Conservative politician of the United Kingdom. Some are given this title officially by the party, such as Peter Lilley, while others are given the title as an unofficial description by the media, such as William Hague. Distinct from being 'second-in-command', there is formally no current position of deputy party leader in the party's hierarchy. Unlike the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, whenever the position has existed, it has been conferred through appointment and selection by the party