After the 1919 elections, the first contested by the Labour party as a united bloc, Holland narrowly defeated the moderate James McCombs for the parliamentary leadership of the party, becoming Labour's first leader in the modern sense.
After the 1919 elections, the first contested by the Labour party as a united bloc, Holland contested for the leadership of the Labour party. The result was a draw, though after a draw by lot, Holland managed to win the parliamentary leadership of the party, becoming Labour's first leader in the modern sense.