Labour Party (UK) leadership election, 1922

Labour Party (UK) leadership election

14 December 1922

Candidate Ramsay MacDonald John Clynes First Round Votes 61 56 First Round Percentage 52.14% 47.86%

Leader before election John Clynes Elected Leader Ramsay MacDonald

The Labour Party leadership election of 1922 was the first leadership election for the posts of Chairman and Leader of the Parliamentary Labour Party. Previously the position had been simply the "Chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party".

The election took place when incumbent Chairman John Clynes was challenged by former leader Ramsay MacDonald. MacDonald opposed the way Clynes ruled the party.

Candidates

• John Clynes, incumbent Leader of the Labour Party, Member of Parliament for Manchester Platting
• Ramsay MacDonald, Former Leader of the Labour Party, Member of Parliament for Wakefield

Result

The result of the only ballot of Labour MPs on 14 December was as follows:

Only Ballot: 21 November 1922
Candidate		Votes	%
	Ramsay MacDonald	61	52.14
	John Clynes	56	47.86
Majority		5	4.28
Turnout		117	82.39

After the election Clynes was given the newly created office of Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. As Labour leader, MacDonald became prime minister in 1924 and from 1929 to 1931, at which point he became head of a National Government that was opposed by the bulk of the Labour Party, and he was succeeded as party leader by Arthur Henderson. MacDonald was subsequently expelled from the party. In 1932, George Lansbury became leader unopposed, as one of the few experienced Labour MPs left in Parliament, but trades union opposition to his pacifism led to his resignation in 1935 and replacement by his deputy Clement Attlee. A month later Attlee was challenged in a new election.

Sources

• David Marquand, Ramsay MacDonald, Jonathan Cape, London 1977; pages 285-287