After the sudden death of John Smith, Margaret Beckett finds herself hurled into the position of Acting Leader of the Opposition, and the sole female candidate in the race to lead the party. She embarks on her campaign with the support of Clare Short in the contest that saw the birth of New Labour.

Joy Wilkinson's short play Acting Leader was first performed at the Tricycle Theatre, London, as part of the Women, Power and Politics season in June 2010.