From coronations to close encounters: Party leadership selection in British politics

Abstract

Since 1965, Britain’s major political parties have radically and repeatedly changed the ways in which they choose their leaders. Consistent with trends in other English-speaking ‘Westminster’ countries, they have expanded their leadership selectorates beyond parliamentary elites to include party members and, in the case of the Labour Party, affiliated organizations, principally trade unions and their members. This article explains, briefly, why these changes occurred. It then assesses the extent to which the ‘democratization’ of party leadership selection in British politics has resulted in more (or less) competitive contests. The article concludes that the British experience of ‘democratization’ has been mixed, both in terms of the number of candidates involved and in respect of the outcomes, which have ranged from ‘coronations’ to ‘close encounters’. For the parties themselves and their leaders, the consequences of ‘democratization’ have been similarly mixed. On some occasions, it has proved to be a ‘success’, in that it has enhanced both a party’s internal cohesiveness and public image and the perceived legitimacy of newly elected leaders chosen by a broad electorate and with a substantial majority. On others, it has, arguably, resulted in ‘too much’ competition, or ‘too little’, with negative consequences for parties and their leaders.