Harriet Harman - Deputy Leader of The Labour Party

Deputy Leader of The Labour Party

Harman announced her intention to stand for Deputy Leadership of the Labour Party when John Prescott stood down. On 27 November 2006, the Press Association reported that she had commissioned an opinion poll from YouGov which found that Harman would be the most likely potential deputy leader to increase the Labour vote at the next general election. She used this point to argue that she should become the next Deputy Prime Minister in an interview with the BBC.

Harman did not have the support of any major unions, and helped to fund her campaign for deputy leadership by taking out a personal loan of £10,000 and a £40,000 extension to her mortgage. Harman failed to report some donations and loans on time, and was subject to an Electoral Commission inquiry for breaches of electoral law. The commission said that her "failure to report on time is a serious matter" though the case was not handed over to the police.

On 24 June 2007, in what was a close contest Harman was elected Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. Alan Johnson had led in all but the first of the previous rounds, but when second-preference votes had been redistributed after the fourth round, Harman stood elected with 50.43% of the vote to Johnson's 49.56%

Read more about this topic:  Harriet Harman

Famous quotes containing the words deputy, leader, labour and/or party:

    Not all the water in the rough rude sea
    Can wash the balm off from an anointed king;
    The breath of worldly men cannot depose
    The deputy elected by the Lord.
    William Shakespeare (1564–1616)

    I don’t think that a leader can control to any great extent his destiny. Very seldom can he step in and change the situation if the forces of history are running in another direction.
    Richard M. Nixon (1913–1995)

    He’ll fear not what men say,
    He’ll labour night and day
    To be a Pilgrim.
    John Bunyan (1628–1688)

    This Party is a moral crusade or it is nothing.
    Harold Wilson, Lord Riveaulx (1916–1995)