1965 Conservative Party leadership election

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1965 Conservative Party leadership election

27 July 1965 (1965-07-27) 1975 →

Candidate Edward Heath Reginald Maudling Enoch Powell Popular vote 150 133 15 Percentage 50.4% 44.6% 5.0%

Leader before election Alec Douglas-Home Elected Leader Edward Heath

The 1965 Conservative Party leadership election was held in July 1965 to find a successor to Alec Douglas-Home.

It was the first time that a formal election by the parliamentary party had taken place, previous leaders having emerged through a consultation process. This procedure had fallen into disrepute following the manoeuvrings over the leadership at the 1963 party conference which had led to the appointment of Douglas-Home, then a hereditary member of the House of Lords. The plans for how the election would work were published in February 1965, and agreed upon by the parliamentary party thereafter.