Who is the most successful Labour leader?

Counting only those who have led the party in a General Election, here is a table showing the Labour leaders since the First World War and how many elections they won.

Leader	Tenure	GEs contested	GEs won	% success rate
Tony Blair	1994 – 2007	3	3	100
Harold Wilson	1963 – 1976	5	4	80
Clement Attlee	1935 – 1955	5	2	40
Ramsay MacDonald	1922 – 1931	5	2	40
Jeremy Corbyn	2015 - present	1	0	0
Ed Miliband	2010 - 2015	1	0	0
Gordon Brown	2007 - 2010	1	0	0
Neil Kinnock	1983 – 1992	2	0	0
Michael Foot	1980 – 1983	1	0	0
James Callaghan	1976 – 1980	1	0	0
Hugh Gaitskell	1955 – 1963	1	0	0
William Adamson	1917 - 1921	1	0	0

The Leader’s prime role is to seek and gain the keys to 10 Downing Street. So far only four Labour leaders have fully achieved this. It is arguable as to who is most successful; on the percentage success rate Tony Blair comes top. Harold Wilson has the most victories. Ramsay MacDonald was our first successful leader, although his subsequent desertion sullies his reputation. Clement Attlee has a special place in people’s affection because of his 1945 victory, although his landslide was thrown way within six years,

Eleven victories in twenty-seven attempts is some way behind the Conservative record. I hope that Jeremy Corbyn’s imminent success will begin a period where our success rate significantly improves.