Victory 'by a hair of my eyebrow' - Not again, surely?

It was, it was claimed astatine the time, the predetermination that saved the Labour Party.

The brutal conflict betwixt Denis Healey and Tony Benn for Labour's lawman enactment successful 1981 is said to person shaped UK authorities today.

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Now, 44 years later, could the clash betwixt Bridget Phillipson and Lucy Powell for the occupation prevention Sir Keir Starmer's faltering premiership?

Or possibly undermine the PM's enactment and authorization adjacent much than they're damaged already?

In 1981, erstwhile chancellor Denis Healey was the incumbent and the constitution candidate. Tony Benn, the darling of left-wing Labour activists, was the insurgent challenger.

'Independent voice'

This clip Ms Phillipson, the acquisition secretary, is seen arsenic Sir Keir's campaigner - astir surely a disadvantage - portion Ms Powell, sacked successful past month's furniture reshuffle, has told Sky News she could "provide a stronger, much autarkic voice".

The 1981 contention was the archetypal fought nether an "electoral college" giving 40% of votes to the unions, 30% to MPs and 30% to delegates from section parties. These days it's 1 member, 1 vote.

Previously, the person and lawman had been chosen by the party's MPs. And successful what was seen arsenic a astonishment astatine the time, Mr Healey had mislaid to the seasoned left-winger Michael Foot successful the canvass of Labour MPs successful the enactment predetermination successful 1980.

In 1981, successful a temper of civilian warfare successful the enactment and aft a run afloat of allegations of soiled tricks and ballot rigging by the unions, Mr Healey held disconnected Mr Benn's situation for the lawman enactment by conscionable 50.426% of the votes to 49.574%.

'Popularity without power'

As the aged bruiser with the astir celebrated bushy eyebrows successful authorities aboriginal admitted: "I scraped successful to triumph by a hairsbreadth of my eyebrow." Mr Benn claimed it was a "staggering result" and his constrictive decision had fixed him "popularity without power".

Given Ms Powell's pb implicit Ms Phillipson successful sentiment polls, it volition beryllium a astonishment if the 2025 effect is arsenic adjacent arsenic 1981. But the polls could, of course, beryllium wrong.

There person been allegations of soiled tricks successful the existent contention arsenic well. With conscionable days to spell earlier the victor is announced connected Saturday, Ms Powell accused her opponent's squad of "throwing mud" and briefing against her.

Interviewed by Sky News governmental exertion Beth Rigby for the Electoral Dysfunction podcast, Ms Powell attacked a "Labour source" who told the New Statesman: "Lucy was sacked from furniture due to the fact that she couldn't beryllium trusted not to little oregon leak."

Asked if her squad had briefed against Ms Powell, Ms Phillipson told Beth: "Not to my knowledge." But she said it would beryllium "destabilising" if her hostile was elected, arsenic she was nary longer successful the cabinet. There was "a hazard of airing excessively overmuch disagreement successful public", she claimed.

In a colourful and acerbic relationship of the 1981 contention successful his autobiography, The Time Of My Life, Mr Healey began by noting wryly that Mr Benn announced his determination to combat him for the lawman enactment connected April Fool's Day.

"The adjacent six months were the busiest and slightest agreeable of my life," helium wrote. "And it was each for the involvement of a occupation which I recovered disagreeable and which successful itself was not worthy having.

"I felt, however, that it was indispensable to contradict it to Tony Benn. If helium had go lawman person determination would person been a haemorrhage of Labour defections to the SDP some successful parliament and successful the country. I bash not judge the Labour Party could person recovered."

'Impossible for maine to beryllium heard'

The defections had already begun. Former Labour furniture ministers Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Shirley Williams and Bill Rodgers had formed the "Gang of Four" and launched the SDP with a twelve much erstwhile Labour MPs.

Alleging soiled tricks during the 1981 campaign, Mr Healey claimed: "Wherever I went, a radical of Militant Tendency supporters followed maine circular to heckle.

"In Cardiff, determination was an orchestrated effort to howl maine down by extremist mobs of Trotskyites and anarchists, whom Tony Benn did thing to discourage oregon condemn.

"In my rally successful Birmingham, specified groups were joined by a wide of IRA supporters who made it rather intolerable for maine to beryllium heard."

Mr Healey claimed soiled tricks against him continued close up to the time the electoral assemblage met successful Brighton's celebrated league centre connected Sunday 27 September 1981.

After a 3rd candidate, outsider John Silkin, was eliminated, the 1.25 million-strong Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) - present portion of Unite - switched to Mr Benn aft saying it would abstain, pursuing a determination by the union's delegation connected the level of the conference.

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"If adjacent that 1 union's delegation had voted arsenic it cognize its members wanted it to vote, I would person had a bulk of 2 and a fractional million," Healey claimed successful his autobiography.

But helium went on: "My triumph was a turning point." He reported that 1 of his supporters, Labour MP Giles Radice, had written successful his diary that evening: "Denis Healey has saved the Labour Party."

But Mr Healey admitted the quality of the run and the "shameless ballot rigging by the commercialized unions" did the Labour Party tremendous and lasting damage. The SDP "took off" and past the Falklands warfare helped the Tories retrieve and Margaret Thatcher won the 1983 wide election.

"The standard of our decision was devastating," Healey wrote astir the 1983 election. "That Tony Benn mislaid his spot successful Bristol was tiny compensation."

'The astir tremendous result'

But Mr Healey's opponent, begetter of the existent Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn, saw it precise otherwise successful his relationship of the 1981 contention successful his acclaimed diaries.

Mr Benn recorded successful his diary that arsenic helium entered the league hallway astatine 5pm helium was "prepared for a monolithic defeat".

But later, signaling himself for his diary astatine 1am successful his edifice bath truthful arsenic not to disturb his woman Caroline, helium reflected: "Of people it has been an perfectly staggering effect with each the media against us, with the astir convulsive attacks by the shadiness cabinet… we got to wrong 0.8% of victory.

"It was the champion imaginable effect due to the fact that if I had won by 0.8% radical would person shouted 'cheat', but Healey can't outcry cheat due to the fact that helium won … It is the astir tremendous result."

Mr Benn said Caroline told him: "'You've got popularity without power, which is what you want' … It was a shrewd comment... possibly connected maine personally. But astatine the aforesaid clip it was a terrific result."

And Mr Benn's run to resistance the enactment to the near was lone conscionable beginning. The 1980s saw left-wing disciples including Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbott elected arsenic MPs, followed successful the 1990s by Corbyn state John McDonnell, and aboriginal Mr Corbyn's predetermination arsenic Labour person successful 2015.

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But successful 2025, nary left-wing campaigner made it connected to the ballot for lawman leader. The nominations threshold of 80 MPs saw to that. Ms Powell has been called "soft left" and Ms Phillipson is 1 of Sir Keir's astir loyal furniture allies and sometimes described arsenic a Blairite.

Ms Philipson hasn't been afraid, either, to suggest Ms Powell is simply a unsafe left-wing insurgent.

"Members mightiness privation to see wherefore a radical that caused truthful overmuch harm to the Labour Party implicit galore years is backing my opponent," Ms Phillipson said aft the pro-Corbyn radical Momentum endorsed her rival.

Left-wingers, however, assertion this contest, triggered by Angela Rayner's resignation, is an uninspiring choice, dissimilar 1981.

It is, however, the archetypal clip since 1981 that an predetermination lone for lawman person has been held. Normally, the person and lawman are elected astatine the aforesaid time.

In nary mode is Phillipson versus Powell a repetition of the 1981 civilian warfare betwixt the hard near and the aged right, which did so signifier Labour's future. But immoderate wrong the enactment judge this predetermination volition bash that arsenic good and beryllium conscionable arsenic significant.