1995 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election

Elections to the Labour Party's Shadow Cabinet took place in October 1995, at the beginning of the 1995/6 session of parliament. Under the rules then in effect, the Commons members of the Parliamentary Labour Party elected 19 members of the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet, who were then assigned portfolios by the leader. The Labour peers elected the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords. In addition, the Leader of the Labour Party and Deputy Leader (Tony Blair and John Prescott, respectively) were members by virtue of those offices. With this election, for the first time, the role Opposition Chief Whip was simply another portfolio to be handed out rather than an office separately elected by the PLP.[1] The 19 elected members of the Shadow Cabinet were the ones with the largest number of votes. MPs were required to vote for at least four women, but women were not necessarily guaranteed places in the Shadow Cabinet.

Colour
key 		Retained in the Shadow Cabinet
Joined the Shadow Cabinet
Voted out of the Shadow Cabinet
Rank
 Candidate
 Constituency
 Votes
1 Margaret Beckett Derby South 187
2 Robin Cook Livingston 181
3 Gordon Brown Dunfermline East 159
4 Ron Davies Caerphilly 157
5 Donald Dewar Glasgow Garscadden 156
6 Mo Mowlam Redcar 152
7 Chris Smith Islington South and Finsbury 148
8 Frank Dobson Holborn and St Pancras 142
9 David Clark South Shields 141
10 Ann Taylor Dewsbury 138
11 David Blunkett Sheffield Brightside 132
12 Gavin Strang Edinburgh East 131
13 Jack Straw Blackburn 128
14 Joan Lestor Eccles 122
15 Michael Meacher Oldham West 121
16 Clare Short Birmingham Ladywood 119
17 George Robertson Hamilton 116
18 Harriet Harman Peckham 108
19 Tom Clarke Monklands West 107
20 Jack Cunningham Copeland 100
21 Tony Lloyd Stretford 99
22 Derek Fatchett Leeds Central 90
23† Joyce Quin Gateshead East 88
23† Brian Wilson Cunninghame North 88
25 Dawn Primarolo Bristol South 86
26 Nick Brown Newcastle-upon-Tyne North 84
27 Stuart Bell Middlesbrough 82
28 Hilary Armstrong North West Durham 80
29 John Marek Wrexham 76
30 Ann Clwyd Cynon Valley 72
31 Irene Adams Paisley North 71
32† Alun Michael Cardiff West 69
32† Chris Mullin Sunderland South 69
34 Alistair Darling Edinburgh Central 67
35 Richard Caborn Sheffield Central 65
36 Llin Golding Newcastle-under-Lyme 64
37 Henry McLeish Central Fife 50
38 George Foulkes Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley 47
39 Ian McCartney Makerfield 46
40 Tony Banks Newham North West 41
41 Peter Kilfoyle Liverpool Walton 40
42 Kevin Barron Rother Valley 30

† Multiple candidates tied for position.

  1. ^ "Out of the Shadow". Herald Scotland. 17 October 1995. Retrieved 23 May 2010.