Reassessing Party Leadership Selection: Why MPs Should Choose Leaders

In June 1976 the Liberal Party, after Jeremy Thorpe’s resignation, opened its leadership election to local activists. The Times called it “the first time a British political party will bring the extra-Westminster constituencies into the procedure for electing a leader.” Labour adopted a similar system in 1981 and the Conservatives in 2001.

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Since reform, split recurred. In 1981 Tony Benn beat Denis Healey among activists while MPs backed Healey 2:1. In 2001 Iain Duncan Smith won Conservative member vote over Kenneth Clarke, despite MP preference for Clarke. Labour’s 2010 leadership pitted brothers David and Ed Miliband; MPs favoured David, yet members chose Ed. Grassroots victories include Jeremy Corbyn (2015), Liz Truss (2022) and Kemi Badenoch (2024).

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Labour’s electorate fell from one million in the 1994 leadership vote to under 250,000 by the 2020 Starmer contest; Conservative rolls fell from three million in the 1950s to under 100,000 in the 2024 Badenoch vote. Votes for Corbyn (2015) 250,000 and 140,000 for Truss (2022); insurgent winners have overseen Labour defeats, suggesting a disconnect.

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Proponents argue that MPs, answerable, have the strongest incentive to pick leaders who can win elections. They note MPs can complete a leadership transition in days, while a membership ballot may take two months. The record of insurgent leaders—Corbyn, Truss, Duncan Smith—includes electoral defeats, reinforcing the case for MP-centric choice.

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Supporters argue that leaders should reflect members’ democratic will, even though many Labour members sit left of the electorate and many Conservative members sit right. They say falling membership does not undermine legitimacy and that grassroots involvement can revitalize activism.

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Precise counts of affiliated trade-union voters in Labour contests remain unavailable, and membership figures for parties are reported inconsistently, leaving the full impact of grassroots votes uncertain.

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• “Here is how the Times assessed the outcome of a specially convened party assembly in Manchester at the time: “For the first time a British political party will bring the extra-Westminster constituencies into the procedure for electing a leader…” — *The Times*, 1976

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• “MPs can do the whole thing in days; a full nationwide contest involving grassroots membership can take two months.” — *Prospect*

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• “Their need to be re-elected gives them the greatest incentive to choose the right leader.” — *Prospect*

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• “For the rest of us, the 50-year experiment in taking the power to choose party leaders away from Westminster has gone on long enough.” — *Prospect*

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The leadership-selection debate is likely to resurface as parties confront shrinking memberships and repeated electoral setbacks; reviews may consider MP-only ballots or hybrid reforms ahead of the next general election.

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