Conclusion

Abstract

Labour remained in the doldrums following the 1992 election defeat. Within a matters of months, Neil Kinnock had been replaced as party leader by the 53-year-old Scottish MP, John Smith, who had served as Shadow Chancellor under his predecessor. Smith undoubtedly had many assets. Although associated with the Labour right in his earlier career, he had not been closely embroiled in the factional disputes of the early 1980s, and had built up a reputation as a committed egalitarian, trustworthy and reassuring to the wider electorate. He was also one of very few on the opposition front bench after 1990 who could claim ministerial experience, having served as Trade Secretary in the latter stages of the Callaghan regime. As a result, Smith amassed an overwhelming 91 per cent of the electoral college vote in defeating his only rival for the leadership, Bryan Gould. The deputy leadership contest held simultaneously saw a woman, Margaret Beckett, for the first time promoted to one of the top two positions in the party hierarchy. Smith, like Kinnock before him, was clear that things would have to change if Labour fortunes were to improve. In his inaugural speech as leader, he pledged to make efforts to woo back women voters, to reform the system of trade union block votes at party conference, and to seek unity among anti-Conservative forces, though whether this meant embracing proportional representation was not specified.¹