Deputy Leader of the Labour Party (UK) of the Party until a new leader is elected. If a vacancy in the leadership occurs while the Labour Party is in government, then the Cabinet, in consultation with the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party, chooses a new leader, who serves until a new leader is elected. To date, the only Deputy Leaders who have gone on to become the elected leader of the Labour Party are Clement Attlee and Michael Foot. Margaret Beckett briefly served as Labour leader following the unexpected death of John Smith in 1994. Harriet Harman was leader after Gordon Brown resigned in 2010
1992 Labour Party (UK) leadership election John Smith was elected in a landslide victory with 91% of the vote. John Smith was elected leader of the Labour Party with a clear majority. Shortly after Black Wednesday in September 1992, Labour's lead in the opinion polls began to rise. By the time of his sudden death, Smith was widely predicted and expected to become prime minister at the next general election. In the event, he would only serve two years before his death, which precipitated another leadership election. 1992 Labour Party (UK) leadership election The 1992 Labour Party leadership election followed the Labour Party's failure to win