Electing And Ejecting Party Leaders In Britain

The Conservative, Labour and the Liberal Democrats parties each allow their members to participate in the selection of the party leader, where previously this task was left to MPs. This book examines the consequences of the shift to all-member ballots through a series of case studies of recent leadership contests.

It presents a wealth of evidence to show that, when party members choose leaders, they normally use the same selection criteria that MPs use: acceptability, electability and competence. Democratisation of leadership selection has not led to the election of radical leaders, but has proved compatible with the parties' major goals of internal unity and a broad electoral appeal.

The book also assesses the ways in which parties remove leaders who have outstayed their welcome. It shows that, although all the major parties have sought to make it harder to eject leaders, Labour leaders are offered the most protection by their party's eviction rules. Review: 'This is an important and timely study of what has been a neglected topic in the literature.

Public evaluations of party leaders play a really important role in influencing voting behaviour in Britain, and so it is important to understand why and how the parties select their leaders. This book makes a really interesting contribution to understanding that process.' - Paul Whiteley, Professor of Government, University of Essex, UKand Co-director of the British Election Study 'More attention than ever in British politics is focused on party leaders.

Drawing on a plethora of sources, Thomas Quinn provides a sophisticated and nuanced analysis as to how politicians are returned to party office, rejected, and replaced. Theoretically developed and empirically grounded, this book makes an outstanding and original contribution to our understanding of the internal life of British political parties.' - Mark Wickham-Jones, Professor of Political Science, University of Bristol, UK