Deputy leader of the Labour Party is a curious position. First, because the holder is not appointed by the leader but is instead elected by party members. This introduces some immediate ‘creative’ tensions (see: Jeremy Corbyn and Tom Watson). Second, and often relatedly, the deputy is not guaranteed a senior shadow/cabinet position, nor the title of deputy prime minister in those brief interludes of Labour government.
So, while in 1997 Tony Blair appointed John Prescott deputy PM and placed him in charge of what is today three departments, ten years on Gordon Brown merely made Harriet Harman Leader of the House – something of a graveyard shift in British politics. The deputy leader role is also little guarantee of the top job. Only Clement Attlee and Michael Foot went on to become leader (sorry for the Margaret Beckett erasure).
