The Eton and Oxford educated Sir Anthony Eden - Churchill’s long time heir apparent - led the Tories into an election campaign for the first time.
The former foreign secretary was keen to emerge from Churchill’s shadow - especially after the former PM found seemingly endless reasons to stay in office despite being well past his prime.
A change of leadership for Labour also looked imminent, but Attlee at 78 decided to stay on until the election at least. The party’s leader since 1935, he was reluctant to hand over the leadership to a deputy whom he deeply disliked - the ambitious Herbert Morrison.
Attlee’s leadership also found itself undermined as a growing caucus of MPs began to surround the charismatic but unpredictable figure of Nye Bevan.
The fiery and talented left-winger, by far and away Labour's best campaigner, left the shadow cabinet over German re-armament in 1954 and more rebellions from the Labour line saw him lose the party whip in 1955.
The voters never reward divided parties, as Labour was to find.