Unions and members get role in decision
UNTIL 1981 the leader of the Labour Party was elected by members of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP).
After 1981, an electoral college procedure was adopted with 40 per cent of the vote going to trades unions, 30 per cent to the PLP and the final 30 per cent to constituency Labour Parties (CLPs).
In 1993, the rules were changed again to require trades unions and CLPs to hold ballots of their individual members while the the electoral college was adjusted to three equal constituent parts between affiliated unions, the PLP and CLPs.
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair was the first Labour leader elected under this system in 1994. Gordon Brown was selected without a contest in 2007.