Alternate 21st Century Labour Leaders

[Josh Byron]

I’m trying to brainstorm a timeline idea, and while this is just a part of it, I’d like to have some suggestions.

Broadly, Kinnock wins in a ‘91 election and serves until 2001, when Labour is defeated by the Conservatives, led by Michael Howard. Margaret Beckett becomes Labour Leader and leads until the 2005 election, in which the Conservative government is re-elected.

In a normal timeline, you would likely have Blair or Brown succeed her, but just for a bit of a challenge, let’s rule out Blair, Brown and the Milibands. Feel free to use any left-wing Lib Dems or even an OTL Conservative figure.

So, who leads next?

 

[Politibrit]

No New Labour will probably mean that the soft left of the party will wield a greater amount of influence than OTL-so people of that persuasion, like Hain, Dobson, and Cook (if his death is butterflied away) are possible contenders. Harman would probably be my pick as most likely though, given that Beckett would likely look to promote female talent in her shadow cabinet, and she won Labour's only national internal election in that decade.

From the right, Blair or Brown are of course the obvious picks. Without them, maybe you'd have Straw, John Reid, Milburn. Alan Johnson would be a strong candidate if he ran, but I'm not sure he'd even be an MP ITTL-by all accounts he took some convincing to run for parliament in 1997.

The campaign against the hard left of the party might not be quite so aggressive ITTL either, so there is a decent chance they would have the numbers needed to put Abbott or Meacher or someone on the ballot-though the electoral college would mean they likely wouldn't win. Incidentally, a lot would also depend on whether the bloc vote is still around, given that Smith never became leader. Perhaps Beckett would try and abolish it, but if she didn't or if she tried and failed, then a lot more power would be in the hands of the major unions in deciding the winner.

 

[Josh Byron]

I’d forgotten about Harman, if I remember rightly, she’s on the right of the party isn’t she?
I was thinking about Johnson but wasn’t sure whether 2005 is too early for him..

 

[Politibrit]

I’d forgotten about Harman, if I remember rightly, she’s on the right of the party isn’t she?

I was thinking about Johnson but wasn’t sure whether 2005 is too early for him..

As I recall, she has historically been seen as more soft left (at least until the welfare bill).

Johnson was a cabinet minister at this point IOTL, and a smaller PLP will of course increase his chances of early promotion Keep in mind that Cameron, Miliband, and Starmer were all elected leader of the main opposition party within five years of first becoming an MP.