Labour Party (UK) Shadow Cabinet election, 2010
Encyclopedia
The Commons members of the Parliamentary Labour Party
(PLP) elected 19 members of the Shadow Cabinet from among their number in 2010. This follows the Labour Party
's defeat in 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, and she will 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, and the National Executive Committee
and the Party Conference followed suit. As a result, the 2010 Shadow Cabinet election was the last.
, which ended with the announcement of Ed Miliband
as winner on 25 September. Nominations were open from 26 to 29 September, and voting occurred from 4 to 7 October. The leader may choose to assign Shadow Cabinet portfolios to non-members, who are considered to "attend" Shadow Cabinet.
Alistair Darling
announced that he would not be a candidate in the elections, thus ending more than 20 years of frontbench service. In August, both Shadow Justice Secretary Jack Straw
and Shadow Defence Secretary
Bob Ainsworth
announced their retirements from the frontbench. On 29 September, the day nominations closed, Shadow Foreign Secretary
David Miliband
announced he would step down from the Shadow Cabinet, having been defeated for the Labour leadership
days earlier by his brother, Ed
.
Forty-nine Labour MPs stood for election, and the results were as follows:
Notes
. The incumbent Chief Whip, Nick Brown
, announced on 29 September that he would not be a candidate, writing in a letter to the new leader, Ed Miliband
, that though he had intended to stand for election to the post, he was acceding to Miliband's request that he stand down. According to the BBC, after the announcement, Jim Fitzpatrick
, who had also intended to stand for the post, withdrew his candidacy, and Miliband asked Rosie Winterton
to stand, and she did so unopposed.
Parliamentary Labour Party
In UK politics, the Parliamentary Labour Party is the parliamentary party of the Labour Party in Parliament: Labour MPs as a collective body....
(PLP) elected 19 members of the Shadow Cabinet from among their number in 2010. This follows the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
's defeat in the 2010 general election, after which the party formed the Official Opposition in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
A separate election for Opposition Chief Whip
Labour Chief Whip
This is a list of those people who have served as Chief Whip of the Labour Party in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-House of Commons:*1906: David Shackleton*1906: Arthur Henderson*1907: George Roberts*1914: Arthur Henderson*1914: Frank Goldstone...
, an ex officio member of the Shadow Cabinet, happened at the same time. Rosie Winterton
Rosie Winterton
Rosalie "Rosie" Winterton is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Doncaster Central since 1997. Formerly a minister within both the Blair and Brown Governments, she first entered the Shadow Cabinet in May 2010 as the Shadow Leader of the House of Commons...
was unopposed in that election, and she will 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, and the National Executive Committee
National Executive Committee
The National Executive Committee or NEC is the chief administrative body of the UK Labour Party. Its composition has changed over the years, and includes representatives of affiliated trade unions, the Parliamentary Labour Party and European Parliamentary Labour Party, Constituency Labour Parties,...
and the Party Conference followed suit. As a result, the 2010 Shadow Cabinet election was the last.
Background
Shadow Cabinet elections typically happen near the beginning of a session, but were delayed until after the leadership electionLabour Party (UK) leadership election, 2010
The 2010 Labour Party leadership election was triggered by a general election which resulted in a hung parliament. On 10 May, Gordon Brown resigned as Leader of the Labour Party. The following day, he stepped down as Prime Minister....
, which ended with the announcement of Ed Miliband
Ed Miliband
Edward Samuel Miliband is a British Labour Party politician, currently the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition...
as winner on 25 September. Nominations were open from 26 to 29 September, and voting occurred from 4 to 7 October. The leader may choose to assign Shadow Cabinet portfolios to non-members, who are considered to "attend" Shadow Cabinet.
Rules changes
On 8 September 2010, the PLP voted to continue electing the Shadow Cabinet and made various changes to the rules for such elections:- Shadow Cabinet elections will be held every two years, rather than every year.
- The Chief Whip will once again be separately elected, reversing a change made before the 1995 Shadow Cabinet electionLabour Party (UK) Shadow Cabinet election, 1995Elections 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...
that allowed the Leader of the Labour Party to hand out the position as with any other Shadow Cabinet portfolio. Now, the Chief Whip will be elected by the PLP for the duration of a Parliament. - For a PLP member's ballot to be valid, it must contain votes for at least six women and six men, up from four.
- The Shadow Cabinet will no longer be the Parliamentary Committee when the party is in opposition. Instead, the latter will be a backbench group just as when the party is in government.
Ex officio members
The following are also members of the Shadow Cabinet by virtue of the office listed:- Leader of the Labour Party (Ed MilibandEd MilibandEdward Samuel Miliband is a British Labour Party politician, currently the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition...
) - Deputy Leader (Harriet HarmanHarriet HarmanHarriet Ruth Harman QC is a British Labour Party politician, who is the Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham, and was MP for the predecessorPeckham constituency from 1982 to 1997...
) - Opposition Chief Whip in the Commons (Rosie WintertonRosie WintertonRosalie "Rosie" Winterton is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Doncaster Central since 1997. Formerly a minister within both the Blair and Brown Governments, she first entered the Shadow Cabinet in May 2010 as the Shadow Leader of the House of Commons...
) - Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords (Baroness Royall of BlaisdonJanet Royall, Baroness Royall of BlaisdonJanet Anne Royall, Baroness Royall of Blaisdon, PC is a British Labour politician. She is the current Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords.-Education and early political career:...
) - Opposition Chief Whip in the Lords (Lord Bassam of Brighton)
Candidates
Shortly after the 2010 general election, Shadow Chancellor of the ExchequerShadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer in the British Parliamentary system is the member of the Shadow Cabinet who is responsible for shadowing the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The title is in the gift of the Leader of the Opposition but is informal. The Shadow Chancellor has no constitutional...
Alistair Darling
Alistair Darling
Alistair Maclean Darling is a Scottish Labour Party politician who has been a Member of Parliament since 1987, currently for Edinburgh South West. He served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2007 to 2010...
announced that he would not be a candidate in the elections, thus ending more than 20 years of frontbench service. In August, both Shadow Justice Secretary Jack Straw
Jack Straw
Jack Straw , British politician.Jack Straw may also refer to:* Jack Straw , English* "Jack Straw" , 1971 song by the Grateful Dead* Jack Straw by W...
and Shadow Defence Secretary
Secretary of State for Defence
The Secretary of State for Defence, popularly known as the Defence Secretary, is the senior Government of the United Kingdom minister in charge of the Ministry of Defence, chairing the Defence Council. It is a Cabinet position...
Bob Ainsworth
Bob Ainsworth
Robert William Ainsworth is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Coventry North East since 1992, and was the Secretary of State for Defence from 2009 to 2010...
announced their retirements from the frontbench. On 29 September, the day nominations closed, Shadow Foreign Secretary
Shadow Foreign Secretary
In British politics, the shadow foreign secretary is a position within the opposition's shadow cabinet that deals mainly with issues surrounding the Foreign Office; such things are relations with other nations, if elected, the designated person may be slated to become the new Foreign...
David Miliband
David Miliband
David Wright Miliband is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for South Shields since 2001, and was the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 2007 to 2010. He is the elder son of the late Marxist theorist Ralph Miliband...
announced he would step down from the Shadow Cabinet, having been defeated for the Labour leadership
Labour Party (UK) leadership election, 2010
The 2010 Labour Party leadership election was triggered by a general election which resulted in a hung parliament. On 10 May, Gordon Brown resigned as Leader of the Labour Party. The following day, he stepped down as Prime Minister....
days earlier by his brother, Ed
Ed Miliband
Edward Samuel Miliband is a British Labour Party politician, currently the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition...
.
Forty-nine Labour MPs stood for election, and the results were as follows:
| Colour key |
Retained in the Shadow Cabinet |
|---|
| Joined the Shadow Cabinet |
| Voted out of the Shadow Cabinet |
| Rank | Candidate | Constituency | Votes | Subsequent Portfolio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford (UK Parliament constituency) Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:... |
232 | Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Shadow Foreign Secretary In British politics, the shadow foreign secretary is a position within the opposition's shadow cabinet that deals mainly with issues surrounding the Foreign Office; such things are relations with other nations, if elected, the designated person may be slated to become the new Foreign... |
|
| 2 | It is unclear from the sources (see note 2, below) whether Healey was a full Shadow Cabinet member before the election or merely in attendance, in which case he would be listed as joining rather than having been retained in the Shadow Cabinet. | Wentworth and Dearne Wentworth and Dearne (UK Parliament constituency) Wentworth and Dearne is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was created for the 2010 general election, and elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.... |
192 | Shadow Secretary of State for Health Shadow Secretary of State for Health The Shadow Secretary of State for Health is an office within British politics held by a member of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. The duty of the office holder is to scrutinise the actions of the government's Secretary of State for Health and develop alternative policies. The office holder is a... |
| 3 | Morley and Outwood Morley and Outwood (UK Parliament constituency) Morley and Outwood is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.... |
179 | Shadow Secretary of State for the Home Department Shadow Home Secretary In British politics, the Shadow Home Secretary is the person within the shadow cabinet who 'shadows' the Home Secretary; this effectively means scrutinising government policy on home affairs including policing, national security, immigration, the criminal justice system, the prison service, and... |
|
| 4† | Leigh Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) Leigh is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:... |
165 | Shadow Secretary of State for Education; Election Co-ordinator | |
| 4† | Wallasey Wallasey (UK Parliament constituency) Wallasey is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:... |
165 | Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Chief Secretary to the Treasury The Chief Secretary to the Treasury is the third most senior ministerial position in HM Treasury, after the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer . In recent years, the office holder has usually been given a junior position in the British Cabinet... |
|
| 6 | Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle | 163 | Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer The Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer in the British Parliamentary system is the member of the Shadow Cabinet who is responsible for shadowing the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The title is in the gift of the Leader of the Opposition but is informal. The Shadow Chancellor has no constitutional... |
|
| 7† | Paisley and Renfrewshire South Paisley and Renfrewshire South (UK Parliament constituency) Paisley and Renfrewshire South is a constituency of the British House of Commons, located in Renfrewshire, Scotland to the south-west of Glasgow. It elects one Member of Parliament at least once every five years using the First-past-the-post system of voting.The seat was formed in 2005, and is a... |
160 | Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions | |
| 7† | East Renfrewshire East Renfrewshire (UK Parliament constituency) East Renfrewshire is a constituency of the British House of Commons, located in Scotland to the south of Glasgow. It elects one Member of Parliament at least once every five years using the First-past-the-post system of voting.... |
160 | Shadow Secretary of State for Defence Secretary of State for Defence The Secretary of State for Defence, popularly known as the Defence Secretary, is the senior Government of the United Kingdom minister in charge of the Ministry of Defence, chairing the Defence Council. It is a Cabinet position... |
|
| 9 | Dulwich and West Norwood | 152 | Shadow Minister for the Olympics Minister for the Olympics The Minister for the Olympics was a position within the United Kingdom Government created on 6 July 2005 as a result of the selection of London to host the 2012 Summer Olympics and was merged into the position of Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport in May 2010.Tessa Jowell was... |
|
| 10 | Don Valley Don Valley (UK Parliament constituency) Don Valley is a parliamentary constituency which returns one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.Created in 1918, Don Valley is a former coal mining area which has elected only Labour MPs since 1922... |
139 | Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, is a Cabinet position heading the UK's Department for Communities and Local Government.... |
|
| 11 | Southampton Itchen | 129 | Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills | |
| 12† | Leeds Central Leeds Central (UK Parliament constituency) Leeds Central is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :... |
128 | Shadow Leader of the House of Commons Leader of the House of Commons The Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Commons... |
|
| 12† | Khan was listed on the Labour Party's and Parliament's frontbench lists as attending Shadow Cabinet rather than as a full member. The Shadow Cabinet list at Labour's website, produced earlier than the others, makes no distinction between full members and attendees. | Tooting Tooting (UK Parliament constituency) -Elections in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:- See also :* List of Parliamentary constituencies in Greater London* London Borough of Wandsworth-External links:****... |
128 | Shadow Secretary of State for Justice; Shadow Lord Chancellor |
| 14 | Wakefield Wakefield (UK Parliament constituency) Wakefield is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:... |
119 | Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is a position with the Opposition's Shadow Cabinet that deals with issues surrounding the environment and food and rural affairs; if elected, the designated person is slated to become the new Secretary of State for Environment, Food... |
|
| 15 | Glasgow North Glasgow North (UK Parliament constituency) Glasgow North is a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post voting system.... |
117 | Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland | |
| 16 | Garston and Halewood Garston and Halewood (UK Parliament constituency) Garston and Halewood is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.... |
107 | Shadow Secretary of State for Transport Secretary of State for Transport The Secretary of State for Transport is the member of the cabinet responsible for the British Department for Transport. The role has had a high turnover as new appointments are blamed for the failures of decades of their predecessors... |
|
| 17 | Hackney South and Shoreditch | 106 | Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change is a British government cabinet position currently held by Chris Huhne. The government department was created on 3 October 2008 when former Prime Minister Gordon Brown reshuffled his cabinet.... |
|
| 18 | Bury South Bury South (UK Parliament constituency) Bury South is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election... |
104 | Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport is a United Kingdom cabinet position with responsibility for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The role was created in 1992 by John Major as Secretary of State for National Heritage... |
|
| 19 | Birmingham Hodge Hill | 100 | Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office Minister for the Cabinet Office The Minister for the Cabinet Office is a position in the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom. The post of Minister of the Cabinet Office is sometimes derided as the Minister for the Today programme.-Ministers for the Cabinet Office:... |
|
| 20 | Islington South and Finsbury | 99 | ||
| 21 | Peter Hain and Shaun Woodward were appointed to the Shadow Cabinet by Ed Miliband to serve as the Shadow Welsh and Northern Irish Secretaries, respectively. | Neath Neath (UK Parliament constituency) Neath is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election and one Assembly Member by the first past the post system of election.- The Constituency of Neath :The constituency... |
97 | Shadow Secretary of State for Wales Secretary of State for Wales The Secretary of State for Wales is the head of the Wales Office within the British cabinet. He or she is responsible for ensuring Welsh interests are taken into account by the government, representing the government within Wales and overseeing the passing of legislation which is only for Wales... |
| 22 | Slough Slough (UK Parliament constituency) Slough is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:... |
88 | ||
| 23 | Worsley and Eccles South Worsley and Eccles South (UK Parliament constituency) Worsley and Eccles South is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election... |
87 | ||
| 24 | Gedling Gedling (UK Parliament constituency) -Electiobs in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:-See also:*List of Parliamentary constituencies in Nottinghamshire... |
85 | ||
| 25 | Wolverhampton South East | 84 | ||
| 26† | Bishop Auckland Bishop Auckland (UK Parliament constituency) Bishop Auckland is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. Since 1935 it has elected Labour MPs.-Boundaries:... |
80 | ||
| 26† | Tottenham Tottenham (UK Parliament constituency) Tottenham is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :... |
80 | ||
| 28 | East Ham East Ham (UK Parliament constituency) East Ham is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, in the London Borough of Newham... |
79 | ||
| 29 | Rhondda Rhondda (UK Parliament constituency) Rhondda is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election... |
77 | ||
| 30 | St Helens South and Whiston St Helens South and Whiston (UK Parliament constituency) St. Helens South and Whiston is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:... |
72 | Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Secretary of State for Northern Ireland The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, informally the Northern Ireland Secretary, is the principal secretary of state in the government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State is a Minister of the Crown who is accountable to the Parliament of... |
|
| 31 | Harrow West | 71 | ||
| 32 | North Durham North Durham (UK Parliament constituency) North Durham is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.... |
68 | ||
| 33 | Cardiff West Cardiff West (UK Parliament constituency) Cardiff West is a borough constituency in the city of Cardiff. It returns one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system... |
64 | ||
| 34 | City of Durham | 63 | ||
| 35 | Hackney North and Stoke Newington | 59 | ||
| 36 | Liverpool West Derby | 55 | ||
| 37 | Glasgow South Glasgow South (UK Parliament constituency) Glasgow South is a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.... |
54 | ||
| 38 | Exeter Exeter (UK Parliament constituency) Exeter is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.... |
53 | ||
| 39 | Hartlepool Hartlepool (UK Parliament constituency) Hartlepool is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election.- Boundaries :... |
43 | ||
| 40 | Brent North | 41 | ||
| 41 | Delyn Delyn (UK Parliament constituency) Delyn is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, first used in the 1983 General Election. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.... |
38 | ||
| 42 | Wrexham Wrexham (UK Parliament constituency) Wrexham is a parliamentary constituency in North Wales which is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom... |
34 | ||
| 43 | Caerphilly Caerphilly (UK Parliament constituency) Caerphilly is a county constituency centred on the town of Caerphilly in South Wales. It returns one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system.The constituency has always elected Labour MPs.- Boundaries... |
30 | ||
| 44 | Ogmore Ogmore (UK Parliament constituency) Ogmore is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.- Boundaries :Taking its name from the River Ogmore, the constituency is situated close to the source of the river in the Ogwr valley and excludes the village of Ogmore-by-Sea, which is the... |
28 | ||
| 45 | Nottingham East Nottingham East (UK Parliament constituency) Nottingham East is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:... |
26 | ||
| 46 | Stoke-on-Trent South | 15 | ||
| 47 | Ilford South Ilford South (UK Parliament constituency) Ilford South is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :... |
12 | ||
| 48 | Cardiff South and Penarth | 11 | ||
| 49 | Falkirk Falkirk (UK Parliament constituency) - References :... |
10 |
Notes
- † Multiple candidates tied for position.
Chief Whip election
At the same time they elect members of the Shadow Cabinet, the Commons PLP will elect the Opposition Chief WhipChief Whip
The Chief Whip is a political office in some legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires.-The Whips Office:...
. The incumbent Chief Whip, Nick Brown
Nick Brown
Nicholas Hugh "Nick" Brown is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Newcastle upon Tyne East since 1983...
, announced on 29 September that he would not be a candidate, writing in a letter to the new leader, Ed Miliband
Ed Miliband
Edward Samuel Miliband is a British Labour Party politician, currently the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition...
, that though he had intended to stand for election to the post, he was acceding to Miliband's request that he stand down. According to the BBC, after the announcement, Jim Fitzpatrick
Jim Fitzpatrick (politician)
James Fitzpatrick is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Poplar and Limehouse since the 2010 General Election. From 1997 to the 2010 election he was the member for Poplar and Canning Town...
, who had also intended to stand for the post, withdrew his candidacy, and Miliband asked Rosie Winterton
Rosie Winterton
Rosalie "Rosie" Winterton is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Doncaster Central since 1997. Formerly a minister within both the Blair and Brown Governments, she first entered the Shadow Cabinet in May 2010 as the Shadow Leader of the House of Commons...
to stand, and she did so unopposed.