The Commons members of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) elected 19 members of the Shadow Cabinet from among their number in 2010.[1][2] This follows the Labour Party's defeat at the 2010 general election, after which the party formed the Official Opposition in the United Kingdom.
A separate election for Opposition Chief Whip, an ex officio member of the Shadow Cabinet, happened at the same time. Rosie Winterton was unopposed in that election; she would serve for the remainder of the Parliament. The results of the Shadow Cabinet election were announced on 7 October 2010, hours after the balloting closed.
The PLP voted to abolish Shadow Cabinet elections at a meeting on 5 July 2011,[3] before the National Executive Committee and the Party Conference followed suit.[4] As a result, the 2010 Shadow Cabinet election was the last.
- ^ "Get ready for the return of shadow cabinet elections". The Spectator. 20 February 2009. Archived from the original on 14 April 2009. Retrieved 25 September 2010.
- ^ "Shadow Cabinet elections–they haven't gone away you know". London Evening Standard. 8 January 2010. Retrieved 25 September 2010.
- ^ Neild, Barry (6 July 2011). "Labour MPs vote to abolish shadow cabinet elections". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
- ^ "John Prescott calls for Labour shadow cabinet reshuffle". BBC News. 26 September 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2016.