Thread by @labour_history, As we await the result of the 2020 Labour Leadership contest, read [...]

As we await the result of the 2020 Labour Leadership contest, read up on some of the historic battles

From the shock death of Hugh Gaitskell in 1963 to the rise of Thatcherism and the aftermath of the 1983, 1992 and 2010 defeats

The contests from Harold Wilson to Ed Miliband

1963 - The rise of Wilson https://tidesofhistory.wordpress.com/2020/03/04/a-new-britain-how-harold-wilson-became-labour-leader/

A New Britain: How Harold Wilson Became Labour Leader

Contested between Wilson, George Brown and James Callaghan in the wake of Hugh Gaitskell’s death, it was seen as a fight to select the next Prime Minister A thread re-visiting the contest &#…

https://tidesofhistory.wordpress.com/2020/03/04/a-new-britain-how-harold-wilson-became-labour-leader/

1975 - The emergence of Margaret Thatcher https://tidesofhistory.wordpress.com/2020/02/13/thatcher-the-vote-snatcher-the-1975-conservative-leadership-contest/

Thatcher the Vote-Snatcher : The 1975 Conservative Leadership Contest

Vote Snatcher Thatcher Below is a thread on the 1975 Tory Leadership contest which saw Margaret Thatcher become the first female leader of a British political party The Tories were seen as a party …

https://tidesofhistory.wordpress.com/2020/02/13/thatcher-the-vote-snatcher-the-1975-conservative-leadership-contest/

1976 - The End of the Wilson Era https://tidesofhistory.wordpress.com/2020/03/26/the-resignation-the-end-of-the-harold-wilson-era/

The Resignation: The End Of The Harold Wilson Era

Harold Wilson shocks the world as he resigns as Labour leader. Dubbed ‘The man who came near to making Labour a natural party of government’ he brings an end to a thirty-year career at the top of B…

https://tidesofhistory.wordpress.com/2020/03/26/the-resignation-the-end-of-the-harold-wilson-era/

1979 - The Fall of the Callaghan Gov https://tidesofhistory.wordpress.com/2020/04/04/end-days-the-night-the-callaghan-government-fell/

End Days: The Night the Callaghan Government Fell

In March 1979 there was a Vote of Confidence in the Callaghan Government which it lost 311-310, triggering a General Election. The story of one of the most dramatic nights in British Political Hist…

https://tidesofhistory.wordpress.com/2020/04/04/end-days-the-night-the-callaghan-government-fell/

1983 - Fallout from a Record Defeat https://tidesofhistory.wordpress.com/2020/01/10/british-general-election-1983-how-the-labour-party-responded/

British General Election 1983: How the Labour Party Responded

‘We must not abandon our policies’ v ‘We must not bury our head in the sand’ A thread on Labour’s Response – left, right and centre – to its last major traumatic defeat at the 1983 General Election…

https://tidesofhistory.wordpress.com/2020/01/10/british-general-election-1983-how-the-labour-party-responded/

1988 - The Final Battle of the 1980s https://tidesofhistory.wordpress.com/2020/03/31/kinnock-v-benn-labours-final-battle-of-the-1980s/

Kinnock v Benn: Labour’s Final Battle of the 1980s

In 1988, Tony Benn challenged Neil Kinnock for the leadership of the Labour Party. The story of the campaign often overlooked by historians. ——————– Rumour…

https://tidesofhistory.wordpress.com/2020/03/31/kinnock-v-benn-labours-final-battle-of-the-1980s/

1992 - Must Labour Lose? https://tidesofhistory.wordpress.com/2020/01/07/british-general-election-1992-how-the-labour-party-responded/

British General Election 1992: How the Labour Party Responded

By Popular Demand: A thread on the Labour Party’s response to the 1992 General Election – The last time it lost four times in a row The prominent question dominating Labour thinking was ‘If n…

https://tidesofhistory.wordpress.com/2020/01/07/british-general-election-1992-how-the-labour-party-responded/

1994 - The Rise of Tony Blair https://tidesofhistory.wordpress.com/2020/01/26/two-tribes-the-1994-leadership-contest-and-the-birth-of-the-blair-corbyn-divide/

Two Tribes: The 1994 Leadership Contest and the Birth of the Blair/Corbyn Divide

Below is a thread on the 1994 Labour Leadership Contest. Looking back through the archives it is remarkable how the divide between the Bennites (then Corbyn, Abbott, Milne) and the Blairites…

https://tidesofhistory.wordpress.com/2020/01/26/two-tribes-the-1994-leadership-contest-and-the-birth-of-the-blair-corbyn-divide/

2001 - The Strange Death of Tory England https://tidesofhistory.wordpress.com/2020/02/02/the-strange-death-of-tory-england-when-the-tories-picked-ids-to-take-on-blair/

The Strange Death of Tory England: When the Tories picked IDS to take on Blair

Ahead of the Labour leadership contest, I’ve looked into the archives to see what happened when the Tories turned inwards and ended up picking IDS to take on Tony Blair. Below is a Twitter th…

https://tidesofhistory.wordpress.com/2020/02/02/the-strange-death-of-tory-england-when-the-tories-picked-ids-to-take-on-blair/

2010 - The Miliband Brothers and the Battle for Labour https://tidesofhistory.wordpress.com/2020/04/04/bloodied-brothers-the-milibands-and-the-battle-for-new-labours-legacy/

Bloodied Brothers: The Milibands and the Battle for New Labour’s Legacy

In the aftermath of election defeat, David Miliband emerged as the clear front-runner. Bookmakers priced DM at 4/7, Alastair Darling 8/1, Alan Johnson 10/1, Ed Miliband 11/1, Ed Balls 12/1. …

https://tidesofhistory.wordpress.com/2020/04/04/bloodied-brothers-the-milibands-and-the-battle-for-new-labours-legacy/

Will finish this project off by looking back at the 1976 Leadership contest tomorrow and the 1981 Deputy contest next week....

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