Until they were abolished in 2011 it had been the tradition for the British Labour Party to hold elections to the Shadow Cabinet whenever the Party was in Opposition. Cabinet members would be elected by the MPs within the Parliamentary Labour Party, usually at the beginning of a Parliamentary session. The PLP voted to abolish Shadow Cabinet elections at a meeting on 5 July 2011.[1] The decision was later approved by Labour's National Executive Committee at the end of July, then at their annual conference in Liverpool in September.[2]