A socialist society is a membership organisation that is affiliated with the Labour Party in the UK .
127-700: The Jewish Labour Movement ( JLM ), known as Poale Zion (Great Britain) from 1903 to 2004, is one of the oldest socialist societies affiliated to the UK Labour Party . It is a member of the progressive coalition of Avodah / Meretz / Arzenu / Ameinu within the World Zionist Organization . Its sister parties are the Israeli Labor Party (Havodah) and Meretz. JLM is affiliated to the Board of Deputies of British Jews and
254-624: A confidence and supply agreement with the Liberal Party . While this initially proved stable, it could not survive in the face of major industrial disputes and widespread strikes in the 1978–79 " Winter of Discontent ", as well as the defeat of the referendum on devolution for Scotland . Minor parties joined the Conservatives to pass a motion of no-confidence in Callaghan on 28 March 1979. Callaghan led Labour to defeat at
381-519: A leadership election , which he won decisively with 62% support among Labour party members. In April 2017, Prime Minister Theresa May called a snap election for June 2017. Corbyn resisted pressure from within the Labour Party to call for a referendum on the eventual Brexit deal, instead focusing on healthcare, education and ending austerity. Although Labour started the campaign as far as 20 points behind, it defied expectations by gaining 40% of
508-725: A Poale Zion office in London , led by Shlomo Kaplansky and David Ben-Gurion . The office was in rooms in Petticoat Lane , where Moshe Sharett worked part-time translating Yiddish into English. They built contacts with both Labour and the Independent Labour Party , and succeeded in becoming affiliated to the British Labour Party in 1920 under the name of The Jewish Socialist Labour Party , claiming membership of 3,000, although actual membership
635-750: A Scottish branch, with the MP for East Kilbride , Maurice Miller , becoming its chair. In the mid-1980s, PZ claimed a paper membership of 2,000. Before the Arab-Israeli war of 1967, Poale Zion represented the dominant pro-Zionist view within the British Labour Party. However, as the left became increasingly anti-Zionist, relations with the left of the party were increasingly tense. For instance, in April 1983 women members of Poale Zion were prevented from attending an International Women's Day seminar at
762-671: A coalition with more than one other smaller party to gain an overall majority; anything less would result in a minority government. On 10 May 2010, after talks to form a coalition with the Liberal Democrats broke down, Brown announced his intention to stand down as Leader before the Labour Party Conference but a day later resigned as both Prime Minister and party leader. Ed Miliband won the subsequent leadership election . Miliband emphasised "responsible capitalism" and greater state intervention to rebalance
889-564: A crucial role in the 1930 Whitechapel and St Georges by-election , swinging the Jewish vote behind the non-Jewish Labour candidate, James Henry Hall , rather than the Jewish Liberal candidate Barnett Janner . In the 1940s, Poale Zion (Great Britain) claimed a membership of nearly 2,000. In 1957, Poale Zion played a role in the formation of Labour Friends of Israel , with which it continues to work. In June 1982, Poale Zion formed
1016-588: A disciplinary offence. In March 2018, the JLM supported a demonstration by Jewish groups against the Labour Party leadership's handling of antisemitism. In April 2018, the Jewish Labour Movement asked for and received a guarantee that JLM would remain Labour's only Jewish affiliate, after suggestions that Jewish Voice for Labour might be allowed to affiliate. This was one of 19 requests made by JLM to
1143-831: A document which preceded the Balfour Declaration by three months. In this period, it published the periodical Jewish Labour Correspondence . After World War I, Poale Zion published several pamphlets in Yiddish and a Yiddish journal, Undzer Veg . Shlomo Kaplansky collaborated with the Independent Labour Party in setting up the Vienna International of socialist parties. In mid-1920, the World Union of Poale Zion in Vienna set up
1270-497: A flood of membership applications during the leadership election, with most of the new members thought to be Corbyn supporters. Corbyn was elected leader with 60% of the vote. Membership continued to climb after his victory; one year later it had grown to more than 500,000, making it the largest political party in Western Europe. Tensions soon developed in the parliamentary party over Corbyn's leadership, particularly after
1397-413: A joint event at Labour Party conference. A small group of officers are elected to co-ordinate this work. The current committee is: As of January 2020, there are 20 affiliated socialist societies: There are other organisations, such as Labour Arts Alliance, Muslims for Labour and Labour Humanists, which are not formally affiliated to the Labour Party but act as campaign groups for Labour Party members in
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#17327720301651524-677: A low 2% interest rate, and the gift of $ 2.694 billion in Marshall Plan funds. Canada also provided gifts and $ 1.25 billion in loans. The government began the process of dismantling the British Empire , starting with independence to India and Pakistan in 1947, followed by Burma (Myanmar) and Ceylon (Sri Lanka) the following year. It relinquished its control over Palestine to the United Nations in 1948. Elsewhere independence movements were much weaker and London's policy
1651-565: A minority government with Liberal support that lasted 10 months. The only domestic achievement was the Wheatley Housing Act , which expanded the large-scale public housing program that started in 1919 with support from all three major parties. MacDonald was much more successful in foreign policy. He helped end the impasse over German payment of reparations by enlisting Washington to launch the Dawes Plan. Much more controversial
1778-552: A national conference to unite into a single party that would sponsor candidates for the House of Commons. The conference created the Labour Representation Committee (LRC), as a coalition of separate groups with Ramsay MacDonald as secretary. The fearsome issue for labour was the 1901 Taff Vale legal decision which made most strikes illegal; the urgent goal was to get Parliament to reverse it. The LRC cut
1905-635: A nationwide organisation was launched at a conference in Manchester in 1906. Poale Zion was active in Britain during World War I , under the leadership of J Pomeranz and Morris Meyer, and influential on the British labour movement, including on the drafting (by Sidney Webb and Arthur Henderson ) of the Labour Party ’s War Aims Memorandum, recognising the " right of return " of Jews to Palestine,
2032-546: A political levy to the party. In September 2014, Labour outlined plans to cut the government's current account deficit and balance the budget by 2020, excluding investment. The party carried these plans into the 2015 general election , which Labour lost. Its representation fell to 232 seats in the House of Commons. The party lost 40 of its 41 seats in Scotland to the Scottish National Party . After
2159-464: A political movement of Jewish people within the UK Labour Party and the international labour movement". Full membership is open to Jewish people, while non-Jewish supporters can apply for ally membership. Only full members are eligible for a vote in JLM processes and internal elections. Members of parties which oppose the Labour Party in elections are ineligible for membership. The values of
2286-416: A political vacuum, others will come in and fill it. The whole purpose of JLM is to become an organising focus within the party and a space for people who feel Labour is their political home." In March 2016, David Hirsh of Engage , in an article entitled "Jew hate and today's Left", noted that "The Jewish Labour Movement—the old Poale Zion—is emerging as a key organising focus within the Labour Party." The JLM
2413-499: A range of roles in the organisation. They included networks officer, Rachel Wenstone, former National Union of Students vice-president; political education officer, Jay Stoll, a senior parliamentary assistant to a Labour MP and former general secretary of the London School of Economics ' student union; campaigns officer, Adam Langleben, who had been elected to Barnet Council ; and youth and student officer, Liron Velleman, still
2540-530: A reduced majority of 66 and popular vote of only 35.2%. Blair announced in September 2006 that he would step down as leader within the year, though he had been under pressure to quit earlier than May 2007 in order to get a new leader in place before the May elections which were expected to be disastrous for Labour. In the event, the party did lose power in Scotland to a minority Scottish National Party government at
2667-671: A secret deal with the Liberal Party : they would not compete against each other in the 1906 general election . Voters gave the Liberals a landslide with 397 seats out of 664; the new LRC won 29 seats. The LRC renamed itself "The Labour Party", with veteran MP Keir Hardie narrowly winning the role of leader of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP). The Labour Party's first national conference in Belfast in 1907 helped shape many of its key policies. Never fully resolved
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#17327720301652794-602: A small majority. During his second term as prime minister, Wilson oversaw the referendum that confirmed the UK's membership of the European Communities . When Wilson suddenly announced his retirement in March 1976, Callaghan defeated five other candidates to be elected Leader of the Labour Party; he was appointed prime minister on 5 April 1976. By now Labour had lost its narrow majority. To stay in power Callaghan made
2921-413: A smashing victory and national elation, guaranteeing Conservatives a massive landslide victory in the 1983 general election . Thatcher's successful attacks on labour unions in 1984-1985 further weakened the Labour base. It took a decade for Labour to recover. Labour's inward turn flared into a civil war between left and right. The party came under the control of young middle-class left-wing activists in
3048-413: A socialist society means it benefits from inside access to the party's various structures and systems', said that 'Mr Newmark is adamant that, to win the battle, Jews have to remain in the party rather than decamp in the face of Jew-hatred.' Newmark said "There are some people who have left the party. I respect their position and understand it up to a point but I don't agree with it on any level. If you leave
3175-497: A space for and support to Jewish Labour councillors nationally as representatives and campaigners for the Party and political leaders and role models within the Jewish community. The Youth and Students section provides 14–26 year old members a network and opportunities to engage with the JLM and the Labour Party. At the September 2017 Labour Party Conference, new rules proposed by the Jewish Labour Movement were adopted making hate speech
3302-432: A strong pacifist element made it slow to support the government's rearmament program. As the threat from Nazi Germany escalated, the Party gradually abandoned its pacifist stance and came to support re-armament, largely due to the efforts of Bevin and Hugh Dalton . By 1937 they had persuaded the Party to oppose Neville Chamberlain 's policy of appeasement of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy . However, as late as April 1939
3429-605: A student but holding a role in the party's Chipping Barnet branch. In July 2016, Ella Rose was appointed as the organisation's first director. Rose was formerly a Union of Jewish Students president and a Public Affairs Officer at the Israeli Embassy . She also sat on the advisory board of the Jewish Leadership Council 's Lead programme and on the Board of Deputies of British Jews. In September 2017,
3556-439: The 1979 election and was replaced by Conservative Margaret Thatcher . The 1979 defeat marked the beginning of 18 years in opposition for the Labour Party, the longest in its history. According to historian Kenneth O. Morgan , the fall of Callaghan meant the passing of an old obsolete system, as well as the end of corporatism , Keynesian spending programmes , subsidised welfare payments, and labour union power. Following 1979
3683-422: The 1997 general election in a landslide victory with a parliamentary majority of 179; it was the largest ever Labour majority, and at the time the largest swing to a political party achieved since 1945 . Over the next decade, a wide range of progressive social reforms were enacted, with millions lifted out of poverty during Labour's time in office largely as a result of various tax and benefit reforms. Among
3810-472: The 2007 elections and, shortly after this, Blair resigned as Prime Minister and was replaced by the Chancellor , Gordon Brown . Brown coordinated the UK's response to the 2007–2008 financial crisis . Membership of the party also reached a low falling to 156,205 by the end of 2009: over 40 per cent of the 405,000 peak reached in 1997 and thought to be the lowest total since the party was founded. In
3937-411: The 2010 general election on 6 May that year, Labour with 29.0% of the vote won the second largest number of seats (258). The Conservatives with 36.5% of the vote won the largest number of seats (307), but no party had an overall majority , meaning that Labour could still remain in power if they managed to form a coalition with at least one smaller party. However, the Labour Party would have had to form
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4064-649: The 2016 Brexit referendum . Many in the party were angered that Corbyn did not campaign strongly against Brexit; he had been only a "lukewarm" supporter of remaining in the European Union and refused to join David Cameron in campaigning for the Remain side . 21 members of the Shadow Cabinet resigned after the referendum. Corbyn lost a no-confidence vote among Labour MPs by 172–40, triggering
4191-516: The 2019 general election , Labour campaigned on a manifesto widely considered the most radical in decades, more closely resembling Labour's politics of the 1970s than subsequent decades. These included plans to nationalise the country's biggest energy firms, the National Grid, the water industry, Royal Mail, the railways and the broadband arm of BT . The election saw Labour win its lowest number of seats since 1935. Following Labour's defeat in
4318-566: The Bank of England , coal mining, the steel industry, electricity, gas and inland transport (including railways, road haulage and canals). It developed and implemented the "cradle to grave" welfare state . It created the National Health Service (NHS), which gave publicly funded medical treatment for all. Nationalisation primarily affected weak and poorly managed industries, opening the hope that centralized planning would reverse
4445-461: The Equality and Human Rights Commission and asked it to investigate the Labour Party which, it said, was "institutionally anti-Semitic". In March 2019, Jeremy Corbyn wrote to the JLM conveying his and the shadow cabinet's "very strong desire for you to remain a part of our movement" following reports that it was considering disaffiliating. In April 2019, former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and
4572-601: The February 1974 general election , forming a minority government with the support of the Ulster Unionists . In a bid to gain a majority, Prime Minister Wilson soon called an election for October 1974 . Labour won a slim majority of three, gaining 18 seats taking its total to 319. In March 1974 Wilson was appointed prime minister for a second time ; he called a snap election in October 1974, which gave Labour
4699-531: The First World War , but in the early 1920s overtook the Liberal Party to become the main opposition to the Conservative Party , and briefly formed a minority government under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924. In 1929, Labour for the first time became the largest party in the House of Commons with 287 seats, but fell short of a majority, forming another minority government. In 1931, in response to
4826-618: The Great Depression , MacDonald formed a new government with Conservative and Liberal support, which led to his expulsion from the party. Labour was soundly defeated by his coalition in the 1931 election, winning only 52 seats, but began to recover in 1935, with 154 seats. During the Second World War , Labour served in the wartime coalition , after which it won a majority in the 1945 election. Clement Attlee's government enacted extensive nationalisation and established
4953-568: The Greater London Council 's County Hall, and in 1984 it was proposed that the Labour Party end the connection. In 1985, Eric Heffer suggested Poale Zion as a model for a black socialist society, as a way for Labour Party Black Sections to represent black and minority members within the party structure. In the 1990s, PZ affiliated to the Anti-Racist Alliance , a black-led anti-racist movement closely aligned to
5080-422: The Liberal Democrats . There have been seven Labour prime ministers and fourteen Labour ministries . The party traditionally holds the annual Labour Party Conference during party conference season , at which senior Labour figures promote party policy. The Labour Party was founded in 1900, having emerged from the trade union movement and socialist parties of the 19th century . It was electorally weak before
5207-541: The Mayor of London , Sadiq Khan , announced that they had joined the JLM. Brown said that he joined to support Jews in light of antisemitism in the Labour Party . Khan said he had joined "to demonstrate 'support and appreciation'" for British Jews. In April 2019, JLM decided to remain affiliated to the Labour Party but passed a motion of no confidence in Jeremy Corbyn over his alleged mishandling of anti-Semitism within
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5334-481: The Open University created for adults. Wilson's first period as Prime Minister coincided with a period of relatively low unemployment and economic prosperity, it was however hindered by significant problems with a large trade deficit which it had inherited from the previous government. The first three years of the government were spent in an ultimately doomed attempt to stave off the continued devaluation of
5461-605: The South Tottenham CLP towards prospective Haredi Jewish members. It also alleged the labelling of Jews as 'child killers,' 'subhuman' and ' Zio scum ,' and told of how Jews were told that ' Hitler was right .' In 2020, the JLM nominated Lisa Nandy in the 2020 Labour Party leadership election and Ian Murray in the 2020 Labour Party deputy leadership election, in both cases by a small margin. Following its 2016 restructuring, JLM offered training on antisemitism awareness to Constituency Labour Parties . In 2018,
5588-668: The Young Plan that seemed to resolve the issue of German reparations, and the London Naval Treaty of 1930 that limited submarine construction. Some minor legislation was passed, notably a noncontroversial expansion of new public housing . Overnight in October 1929 the world economy plunged into the Great Depression , and no party had an answer as tax revenue plunged, unemployment doubled to 2.5 million (in late 1930), prices fell, and government spending on unemployment benefits soared. Conditions became much worse in 1931 as
5715-471: The Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland . Its objects are to maintain and promote Labour or Socialist Zionism as the movement for self-determination of the Jewish people within the state of Israel, and to support, develop and promote political activists who work to enable the objects and values of the Jewish Labour Movement. The organisation's aim is stated as "To organise and maintain
5842-596: The working class ; the most influential was the Fabian Society , which was made up of middle class reformers. Keir Hardie worked for cooperation among the unions and left-wing groups such as his small Independent Labour Party (ILP). The Labour Party was formed by unions and left-wing groups to create a distinct political voice for the working class in Britain. In 1900 the Trades Union Congress (TUC), an umbrella body for most unions, sponsored
5969-402: The 1960s of its paper Jewish Vanguard ; the brothers Leslie and Harold Lever (Leslie served as chair); Percy Sassoon Gourgey, secretary in 1959 and chair 1964–67; Sidney Goldberg, general secretary at the time of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war; and Eric Moonman , chair in the 1970s. Reginald Freeson served as the political secretary of Poale Zion, co-chair and editor of its journal Vanguard in
6096-494: The 2015 general election, Miliband resigned as party leader and Harriet Harman again became interim leader. Labour held a leadership election in which Jeremy Corbyn , then a member of the Socialist Campaign Group , was considered a fringe candidate when the contest began, receiving nominations from just 36 MPs, one more than the minimum required to stand, and the support of just 16 MPs. The Labour Party saw
6223-800: The 2024 general election. Labour is a member of the Party of European Socialists and the Progressive Alliance , and holds observer status in the Socialist International . The party includes semi-autonomous London , Scottish , Welsh and Northern Irish branches ; it supports the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) in Northern Ireland, while still organising there. As of March 2024 , Labour has 366,604 registered members. The origins of what became
6350-484: The Conservative argument that traditional Labour was holding ambitious people back with higher tax policies. To present a fresh face and new policies to the electorate, New Labour needed more than fresh leaders; it had to jettison outdated policies, argued the modernisers. Calling on the slogan, " One Member, One Vote " Blair defeated the union element and ended block voting by leaders of labour unions. Blair and
6477-676: The Director, Ella Rose, left for a role with the Holocaust Educational Trust . In April 2019, Mike Katz was elected National Movement Chair, defeating Ivor Caplin , and Ruth Smeeth was elected as Parliamentary Chair, succeeding Luciana Berger , who resigned from the Labour Party in February 2019. Joe Goldberg, Sarah Sackman and Ulrich Stephane Savary were elected as National Vice-Chairs. In January 2020, Margaret Hodge became Parliamentary Chair while Ruth Smeeth, who
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#17327720301656604-419: The JLM are centred around a connection between socialism , the Labour Party and socialist Zionism , and the values which are espoused by these movements, including international peace and cooperation, social justice, equality and freedom. This doctrine is enshrined in the organisation's constitution and values, which state their values as including 'international peace and cooperation,' 'democratic socialism in
6731-478: The JLM held its first ever one-day conference. By February 2018, the JLM had over 2,000 members, according to National Secretary Peter Mason . In February 2018, Jeremy Newmark resigned as chair of the JLM after The Jewish Chronicle published an internal audit report into his conduct while he was CEO of the Jewish Leadership Council. It was alleged that, between 2006 and 2013, he defrauded
6858-483: The JLM refused to collaborate with the Labour Party in developing educational materials on antisemitism. In June 2020, the JLM said they would not undertake antisemitism training for all Labour staff, as Keir Starmer had requested, while "staff who were central to the failure to deal with antisemitism under Mr Corbyn remained in their jobs". In mid–July 2021, Labour's National Executive Committee announced that all prospective Labour candidates would be trained by
6985-425: The JLM refused to provide antisemitism awareness training to those subject to disciplinary proceedings as they did not believe training was an appropriate sanction. In August 2018, the JLM refused to offer training at the Party's annual conference, after disagreeing with the Party leadership over its content. In March 2019, the JLM suspended their training programme. JLM said that their role had been undermined after
7112-652: The Jewish Labour Movement to deal with anti-Semitism. The Jewish Labour Movement also welcomed the NEC's decision to ban four alleged far left factions, namely Resist , Labour Against the Witchhunt , the Labour in Exile Network and Socialist Appeal , during that same meeting. Socialist society (Labour Party) The best-known and oldest socialist society is the Fabian Society , founded in 1884, some years before
7239-634: The Labour Party Black Sections and founded by Marc Wadsworth , and later to its successor the National Assembly Against Racism . Leading postwar members of Poale Zion included Maurice Orbach ; Samuel Fisher, Baron Fisher of Camden ; Leo Abse , who set up the Cardiff branch in 1948; Mary Mikardo and Ian Mikardo ; Simon Pinner and his son Hayim Pinner, who was president of the youth wing and editor in
7366-408: The Labour Party Constitution, with its commitment to nationalisation. Gaitskell led Labour to a third consecutive defeat at the 1959 general election despite the party appearing more united than it had been for some time. Gaitskell responded by attempting to remove Clause IV (the nationalisation clause) from the party constitution, but this was unsuccessful. Gaitskell died suddenly in 1963, and cleared
7493-459: The Labour Party announced it planned to enrol staff and members of the National Executive Committee and National Constitutional Committee on a short course on antisemitism being developed by the Pears Institute for the Study of Antisemitism , despite Labour's stated intention of consulting Jewish communal organisations prior to its implementation. In July 2019, JLM suspended a member who had continued to provide training on antisemitism. In July 2019,
7620-486: The Labour Party emerged in the late 19th century. It represented the interests of the labour unions and more generally the growing urban working class. Hundreds of thousands of workers had recently gained voting rights by laws passed in 1867 and 1884 . Many different trade unions flourished in the industrial districts. Their leaders used the Methodist revival tradition to find ways to rally the membership. Several small socialist organizations formed and wanted power based on
7747-468: The Labour Party found itself overwhelmed by the Conservative government led by a highly aggressive Margaret Thatcher . From the right she largely rejected the Post-war consensus on economic and social policies that had bipartisan support since the 1950s. At first Thatcher's economic reforms were doing poorly. Argentina's invasion of a British possession in the Falklands War in Spring 1982 transformed British politics. Thatcher's aggressive reaction produced
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#17327720301657874-476: The Labour Party on a local, regional and national basis. In the 2016 Labour Party leadership election , when MPs unsuccessfully sought to replace Jeremy Corbyn , JLM nominated Owen Smith after over 90% of its members voted for him in an internal ballot. Some commentators concluded that the revived JLM wished to remove or weaken Corbyn and others sympathetic to the Palestinians. Young people who had had some success in their early political careers were appointed to
8001-428: The Labour Party was seen by the electorate as the party most likely to follow it through. With victory in Europe the coalition broke up in May 1945. The 1945 general election gave Labour a landslide victory, as they won 12 million votes (50% of the total) and 393 seats. The Labour government proved the most radical in British history. It presided over a policy of nationalising major industries and utilities including
8128-415: The Labour Party's policy reviews, and the work of the Socialist Societies is co-ordinated by the Socialist Societies Executive. This is a regular meeting of the chairs and key officers of all the societies to share ideas and co-ordinate work. These meetings also co-ordinate regular meetings with senior Labour Party officials and MPs. As a collective, the societies try to co-ordinate campaigning work and hold
8255-400: The Labour Party, alongside six set by Jewish community organisations. In September 2018, as the JLM asked, Labour added all 11 IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism examples, unamended, to the Party's code of conduct. In October 2018, the JLM appealed to Labour Party members to send it examples of antisemitism within Labour. In November 2018, the JLM submitted a dossier of examples to
8382-411: The Labour Party." In December 2019, the JLM made a submission to the Equality and Human Rights Commission as part of the EHRC's investigation into anti-Semitism in the Labour Party. It offered alleged incidents of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party, including the description of Jewish Labour MP Margaret Hodge as a 'Zionist remedial cancer' and a 'Zionist bitch,' as well as the discriminatory practices of
8509-501: The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Luke Akehurst , director of We Believe in Israel and secretary of Labour First , Nathan Yeowell, director of Progress , Miriam Mirwitch, chair of Young Labour and Rania Ramli, chairperson of the recently disbanded Labour Students . Smeeth said that "This isn't a fight for Jews (or) equality in the party – this is a fight for the Labour Party." Hodge drew loud cheers when she promised that "I'm not going to give up until Jeremy Corbyn ceases to be leader of
8636-426: The National Policy Forum; currently, these are Sina Lari, Andrew Harrop and Paul Clarkson. Since the 2011 'refounding Labour' process, seats on the NPF have also been allocated to LGBT+ Labour and the Disability Labour . Each Socialist Society can nominate, and since 2015 Socialist Society members can vote individually, in the Labour leader and deputy leader elections. The socialist societies are also involved in
8763-447: The Party strongly opposed conscription for the Army. The party returned to power in May 1940, with about a third of the seats in the wartime coalition government under Churchill. Attlee was given a new position as Deputy Prime Minister . He was in charge of the cabinet when Churchill was absent, and handled domestic affairs, working closely with Bevin as Minister of Labour . The war set in motion profound demands for reform. This mood
8890-461: The Party supported the momentous and largely successful Liberal battles in favor of a welfare state and against the Unionist/Conservative Party and against the veto power of the House of Lords. Growth continued, with 42 Labour MPs elected to the House of Commons in the December 1910 general election. During World War I, the party experienced internal divisions over support for the war effort, but also saw one of its top leaders Arthur Henderson , serve in
9017-420: The UK and Israel, 'the application of 'Jewish ethical principles to create a society based on social justices and a sustainable environment', 'to promote the centrality of Israel in Jewish life' and opposition to 'fascist, racist and anti-Semitic groups.' The origins of Poale Zion in Britain were in the Ma'aravi ("Western") Society, formed in London in 1902 by Jewish socialist journalist Kalman Marmor, under
9144-532: The banks became unable to loan the government enough to cover the growing deficit. In an era before Keynesian economics , the strong consensus among experts was for the government to balance its budget. Spending was cut again and again but MacDonald and his Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Snowden argued that the only way to get an emergency loan from New York banks was to cut unemployment benefits by 10%. They pointed out that cost of food
9271-540: The continuing popularity of Blair, Labour went on to win the 2001 election with a similar majority, dubbed the "quiet landslide" by the media. In 2003 Labour introduced tax credits , government top-ups to the pay of low-wage workers. A perceived turning point was when Blair controversially allied himself with US President George W. Bush in supporting the Iraq War , which caused him to lose much of his political support. The UN Secretary-General , among many, considered
9398-443: The council of more than £10,000. The newspaper claimed that the council had covered up his alleged behaviour and accepted his resignation on the grounds of ill health. Newmark denied any wrongdoing, though he resigned as Chair of the JLM two days later to enable him to respond to the allegations. Later in February, the JLM reported some financial matters to the police for investigation. He was replaced by Ivor Caplin . In October 2018,
9525-529: The creation of the Labour Party itself (in which the Society participated). The Society's membership is relatively small (around 7000) but it exerts much influence in Labour circles. The Co-operative Party is not strictly a "socialist society" in the context of the Labour Party; it is in fact a separate party with an electoral agreement with Labour. It acts as a socialist society for the most part although it has certain additional rights. Affiliation means that
9652-473: The decline. Iron and steel, however, were already well-run and nationalization was denounced and later reversed by the Conservatives. The economy was precarious during the age of austerity, as wartime restrictions and rationing continued, and the wartime bombing damage was slowly being rebuilt at great cost. The Treasury depended heavily on American money, especially the 1946 loan of $ 3.75 billion at
9779-518: The early acts of Blair's government were the establishment of the national minimum wage , the devolution of power to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland , major changes to the regulation of the banking system and the re-creation of a citywide government body for London, the Greater London Authority , with its own elected- Mayor . Combined with a Conservative opposition that had yet to organise effectively under William Hague , and
9906-517: The economy away from financial services . He advocated for more regulation of banks and energy companies and often addressed the need to challenge vested interests and increase inclusivity in British society. He adopted the " One Nation Labour " branding in 2012. The Parliamentary Labour Party voted to abolish Shadow Cabinet elections in 2011, ratified by the National Executive Committee and Party Conference. Henceforth
10033-534: The election of Labour Party leaders and deputy leaders, have delegates and votes at Annual Conference. Socialist societies also elect a delegate (currently James Asser) to the Labour National Executive Committee and can affiliate at a local level to Constituency Labour Parties . A second seat was allotted to BAME Labour in early 2007, when its membership rose above 2,500. The Socialist Societies also elect three representatives to
10160-447: The first time in over 30 years there was serious doubt among the public and the media as to whether Labour could ever return to government. Kinnock resigned as leader and was succeeded by John Smith . The damage to the economy on Black Wednesday in September 1992 undermined the Conservative reputation for superior economic competence. By December, Labour had a comfortable lead in the opinion polls. The recession ended in early 1993 and
10287-576: The former director of London Jewish Forum and a councillor in Ealing, became national secretary. He was also elected to Labour's National Constitutional Committee, which handles disciplinary cases, the first JLM candidate to be elected to a national committee for 20 years. It followed a report by former Liberty director Shami Chakrabarti that recommended a transfer of powers to the NCC. The Jewish Chronicle , observing that '(JLM's) affiliation to Labour as
10414-484: The government plan devised by Winston Churchill proved highly effective in keeping the economy open while minimizing violence. In the long run, however, the episode tended to strengthen working class support for Labour, and it gained in the 1929 general election, forming a second government with Liberal help. Once again with Liberal help, MacDonald became prime minister following the successful 1929 election . There were some promising achievements in foreign policy, notably
10541-403: The highly unpopular poll tax , combined with the fact that the economy was sliding into recession . Major replaced the poll tax but Kinnock energized Labour with the theme "It's Time for a Change", after more than a decade of unbroken Conservative rule. The 1992 general election gave Conservatives a victory with a much-reduced majority of 21. It was a deeply disappointing result for Labour. For
10668-774: The influence of the Eastern European Labour Zionist movement led by Marxist theorist Ber Borochov . Branches of Poale Zion were formed in London and Leeds in 1903/04 and 1905 respectively, and in Manchester and Liverpool by 1906. Two branches were formed in London, one by the garment workers union, one by the Independent Cabinet Makers Union. A permanent headquarters was opened in Whitechapel in February 1904, and
10795-514: The larger share of the popular vote. Its 13.9 million vote total was the highest ever. Most of its innovation were accepted by the Conservatives and Liberals and became part of the " post-war consensus " that lasted until the Thatcher era of the 1980s. Labour spent 13 years in opposition. It suffered an ideological split, between the left-wing followers of Aneurin Bevan (known as Bevanites ) and
10922-521: The late 1980s to early 1990s. In the 1990s, Lawrie Nerva was chair. In 2002, Louise Ellman was vice-chair. Poale Zion (Great Britain) was relaunched as the Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) in 2004 in response to changes within global left Zionism during the Second Intifada , with an increased focus on Britain's Jewish community. Louise Ellman recounts that the July 2004 'launch at the House of Commons
11049-448: The leader of the modernisers, warned that the long-term weaknesses had to be reversed. He argued that the party was too locked into a base that was shrinking, since it was based on the working-class, on trade unions and on residents of subsidised council housing. Blair said that the rapidly growing middle class was largely ignored, as well as more ambitious working-class families. He argued that they aspired to become middle-class and accepted
11176-413: The leader of the party chose the Shadow Cabinet members. In March 2014, the party reformed internal election procedures, including replacing the electoral college system with " one member, one vote ". Mass membership was encouraged by creating a class of "registered supporters" as an alternative to full membership. Trade union members would also have to explicitly opt in rather than opt out of paying
11303-409: The leadership of Home Secretary Roy Jenkins such as the abolition of the death penalty ; the legalisation of abortion ; loosening restrictions on homosexuality , the abolition of theatre censorship , and legislation to outlaw racial discrimination The government put heavy emphasis on expanding opportunities through education: Comprehensive education was expanded at the secondary level and
11430-523: The left wing, reversed the highly controversial Manifesto proposals, expelled extremist factions like the Trotskyist Militant tendency , and began a process of modernization and acceptance of many Thatcherite innovations. In November 1990, Thatcher resigned and was succeeded by the less confrontational Thatcherite John Major . Opinion polls had shown Labour comfortably ahead of the Conservatives largely because of Thatcher's introduction of
11557-502: The local constituencies. The left was led by Michael Foot and Tony Benn . They were keen on radical proposals as presented in the 1983 manifesto entitled "The New Hope for Britain". It called for extensive nationalisation of industry, with heavily centralized economic planning, and many additional controls on business. It demanded unilateral nuclear disarmament and withdrawal from the European Community. Labour's manifesto
11684-493: The miners by a nationwide general strike that would paralyze most of the national economy. A strike was postponed when the Conservative government offered a subsidy for wages, but it also prepared to deal with the threatened general strike. Meanwhile, the TUC failed to make preparations. It ignored the Labour Party in and out of Parliament and in turn party leaders opposed a national strike. The 1926 general strike failed after 9 days as
11811-400: The modern welfare state and National Health Service before losing power in 1951. Under Harold Wilson and James Callaghan , Labour again governed from 1964 to 1970 and from 1974 to 1979 . The party then entered a period of intense internal division which ended in the defeat of its left wing by the mid-1980s. After electoral defeats to the Conservatives in 1987 and 1992, Tony Blair took
11938-410: The modernisers called for radical adjustment of Party goals by repealing "Clause IV", the historic commitment to nationalisation of industry. This was achieved in 1995. Blair continued to move the party further to the centre, abandoning the largely symbolic Clause Four at the 1995 mini-conference in a strategy to increase the party's appeal to " middle England ". The political philosophy of New Labour
12065-539: The next day. The Labour Party felt betrayed and expelled MacDonald and Snowden. The new National Government, 1931–1935 kept Macdonald and Snowden and two others, replacing the rest of the Laborites with Conservatives. The 1931 election took place on 27 October. Labour had 6.3 million votes (31 percent), down from 8.0 million and 37 percent in 1929. Nevertheless, it was reduced to a helpless minority of only 52 members, chiefly from coal mining districts. The old leadership
12192-470: The official commemorations of the Battle of Cable Street on its 75th and 80th anniversaries in 2011 and 2016 respectively. In the 2015 Labour Party leadership election , JLM nominated Yvette Cooper . After ten years in the role, Louise Ellman retired as chair to become Honorary President. Her successor, Jeremy Newmark , was a former CEO of the UK's Jewish Leadership Council and a former spokesperson for
12319-440: The official opposition to the Conservative government. Its support for the war effort demonstrated that the Labour Party was a patriotic and moderate force that solved problems and did not threaten class warfare. The 1923 election was a pivotal achievement with the formation of the first Labour government. The Conservatives called for high tariffs. Labour and Liberals both wanted free trade. Labour leader Ramsay MacDonald formed
12446-582: The organisation's first female chair. By 1928, the World Union of Poale Zion claimed to have 1,000 members in the United Kingdom. World PZ leader Dov Hoz was based in the UK in 1928, and set about reviving and re-organising Poale Zion (Great Britain), including inspiring PZ members to become more active in the mainstream Labour Party. Young Poale Zion was launched in Bethnal Green , London, in 1928, by Sam Dreen. Poale Zion and Dov Hoz played
12573-630: The party or were suspended over antisemitism-related incidents. In 2018, internal divisions emerged over adopting the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism , with 68 rabbis criticising the leadership. The issue was cited by a number of MPs who left the party to set up Change UK . An investigation by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission found the party responsible for three Equality Act breaches, including harassment political interference in antisemitism complaints. During
12700-475: The party to the political centre as part of his New Labour project, which governed under Blair and then Gordon Brown from 1997 to 2010. After further electoral defeats in the 2010s, Keir Starmer again took Labour to the centre and has governed since 2024. Labour is the largest party in the Senedd (Welsh Parliament), being the only party in the current Welsh government . The party won most Scottish seats in
12827-653: The party. In July 2019, JLM described Labour's appointment of a liaison officer to improve the party's relationships with the Jewish community as a "pointless, ineffective gesture". In September 2019, the JLM held a rally at the Middle Street Synagogue in Brighton during the Labour Party Conference . Speakers included MPs, Ruth Smeeth, Margaret Hodge , Alex Sobel , Louise Ellman, Stella Creasy and Rosie Duffield , Seb Dance MEP,
12954-474: The political spectrum. In a broader sense, the party has been described as an alliance of social democrats , democratic socialists and trade unionists . It is the governing party of the United Kingdom , having won the 2024 general election , and is currently the largest political party by number of votes cast and number of seats in the House of Commons , followed in seat share by the Conservative Party and
13081-456: The popular vote went up, but it lost seats. Above all the moderation of the Macdonald government put to rest the lingering fears that a Labour victory would produce a violent class war. In 1925–26, coal sales fell and the mining companies demanded an increase in hours and a cut in wages. The miners were totally opposed and planned a strike. The TUC coalition of unions decided it would support
13208-412: The pound. Labour went on to unexpectedly lose the 1970 general election to the Conservatives under Edward Heath . Labour in opposition kept Wilson as Leader. The 1970s proved a difficult time to be in government for both the Conservatives and Labour due to the 1973 oil crisis , which caused high inflation and a global recession. The Labour Party was returned to power again under Wilson a few days after
13335-485: The powerful war cabinet. After the war, the party focused on building a strong constituency-based support network and adopted a comprehensive statement of policies titled "Labour and the New Social Order". In 1918, Clause IV was added to Labour's constitution, committing the party to work towards common ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange. Socialism was vaguely promised, but there
13462-537: The previous Chief Rabbi , Jonathan Sacks . He had also stood as a Labour candidate for Parliament in 2017, in Finchley and Golders Green . Sarah Sackman and Mike Katz were elected as Vice-Chairs. Sackman had stood as Labour's candidate in the Finchley and Golders Green constituency in the 2015 general election while Katz was selected as a Labour Party candidate in the 2016 London Assembly election . Peter Mason ,
13589-531: The right-wing following Hugh Gaitskell (known as Gaitskellites ). The economy recovered as Conservatives hung together and chanted, "You Never Had It So Good.". The ageing Attlee contested the general election in 1955 , which saw Labour lose ground; he retired and was replaced by Gaitskell. Internal squabbling now focused on the issues of nuclear disarmament , Britain's entry into the European Economic Community (EEC), and Clause IV of
13716-400: The same way as the affiliates, but have yet to apply for affiliation or have decided not to do so. Young Labour and Labour Students are not Socialist Societies, and retain separate places within the Labour Party as national branches for young and student members. Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a political party in the United Kingdom that sits on the centre-left of
13843-484: The socialist societies – like a number of British trade unions – pay an affiliation fee to the Labour Party, and the affiliates' members become affiliated supporters of the Labour Party (a different status from full member), unless they specifically choose otherwise. In return the societies receive a formal role in Labour decision-making, and the affiliated supporters can take part in all-member ballots in certain circumstances. For example, they can participate in
13970-575: The vote, its greatest share since 2001 and the biggest increase in vote share in a single general election since 1945 . The party gained a net 30 seats with the Conservatives losing their overall majority. From 2016, the Labour Party faced criticism for failing to deal with antisemitism . Criticism was also levelled at Corbyn. The Chakrabarti Inquiry cleared the party of widespread antisemitism but identified an "occasionally toxic atmosphere". High-profile party members, including Ken Livingstone , Peter Willsman < and Chris Williamson , left
14097-583: The war illegal and a violation of the UN Charter . The Iraq War was deeply unpopular in most western countries, with Western governments divided in their support and under pressure from worldwide popular protests . The decisions that led up to the Iraq war and its subsequent conduct were the subject of the Iraq Inquiry . In the 2005 general election , Labour was re-elected for a third term, but with
14224-446: The way for Harold Wilson to lead the party. A downturn in the economy and a series of scandals in the early 1960s had engulfed the Conservative government by 1963. The Labour Party returned to government with a 4-seat majority under Wilson in the 1964 general election but a landslide increased its majority to 96 in the 1966 general election . Labour was responsible for a number of sweeping social and cultural reforms mostly under
14351-450: Was a continuation of the trend that had begun under the leadership of Neil Kinnock . New Labour as a name has no official status, but remains in common use to distinguish modernisers from those holding to more traditional positions, normally referred to as "Old Labour". New Labour is a party of ideas and ideals but not of outdated ideology. What counts is what works. The objectives are radical. The means will be modern. The Labour Party won
14478-718: Was a few hundred. One issue that they tried to influence policy on was the northern border of Palestine which was being decided at the San Remo conference . They hoped that it would be extended as far as the Litani River . They had only limited success in influencing Labour Party Middle East policy and the office closed in March 1921. However, party leader Ramsay MacDonald was influenced by PZ, who would publish his pamphlet A Socialist in Palestine (1922) documenting his visit to Palestine. In 1923, Leah L'Estrange Malone became
14605-697: Was a highly successful event, with the Israeli Ambassador and the Foreign Office Minister responsible for Middle East matters as guest speakers. Messages of goodwill were delivered from the Prime Minister, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the World Labour Zionist Movement'. Louise Ellman rose from being vice-chair to chair in 2006, a position she held until 2016. There were JLM speakers at
14732-465: Was a repudiation of the Post-war consensus from the left. It alienated so many moderates, skilled workers and the general public that it was ridiculed as the " longest suicide note in history ." Some top leaders quit the Labour Party and formed a new Social Democratic Party , but it could not survive. After Labour's massive defeat in the 1983 General Election , Neil Kinnock replaced Foot. He defeated
14859-436: Was described by The Jewish Chronicle as a 'gathering-place for moderates concerned about the direction the party is taking under Mr Corbyn' and affiliate membership was established for non-Jews. Membership increased to around 1,000 with a "flood" of affiliate members showing their "support and solidarity". The 2016 JLM annual general meeting voted unanimously to adopt a new structure to enable it to increase its engagement inside
14986-417: Was down 15% and overall prices were down 10%. But in the cabinet most Labour members were vehemently opposed—they demanded new taxes on the rich instead. MacDonald gave up and on 23 August went to King George V and resigned the government. Unexpectedly the monarch insisted that the only patriotic solution was for MacDonald to stay and form an all-party "national government" with the Conservatives, which he did
15113-520: Was epitomised in the Beveridge Report of 1942, by the Liberal economist William Beveridge . The Report assumed that the maintenance of full employment would be the aim of post-war governments, and that this would provide the basis for the welfare state . Immediately upon its release, it sold hundreds of thousands of copies. All major parties committed themselves to fulfilling this aim, but
15240-452: Was followed by a sharp fall in unemployment, together with sustained economic growth. Nevertheless, the Labour lead in the polls remained strong. Smith died suddenly in May 1994, and Tony Blair became leader. Once again the battle resumed between the old guard on the left and the younger "modernisers". The old guard argued that they were regaining strength under Smith's strong leadership. Blair,
15367-593: Was gone. One bright note came in 1934 when Herbert Morrison led Labour to take control of the London County Council for the first time ever. In the 1935 election , Labour recovered to 8.0 million votes (38 percent), and Clement Attlee became Minority Leader. The Party now had 154 seats but had minimal influence in Parliament. At the local level union leaders, led by Ernest Bevin , successfully defeated Communist infiltration. In foreign policy
15494-530: Was his decision to recognize the Soviet Union. That ignited an anti-Communist backlash that exploded four days before the 1924 election in the fake Zinoviev Letter in which Kremlin supposedly called for revolutionary uprising by British workers. The 1924 election saw the Conservatives return to power, benefiting from the Zinoviev letter and the continuing collapse of the Liberal vote. The Labour share of
15621-428: Was influenced by the party's development of Anthony Giddens ' Third Way which attempted to provide a synthesis between capitalism and socialism . New Labour was first termed as an alternative branding for the Labour Party, dating from a conference slogan first used by the Labour Party in 1994, which was later seen in a draft manifesto published by the party in 1996, called New Labour, New Life For Britain . It
15748-522: Was no effort made to draw up detailed plans on what that would mean or how it could be accomplished. The Representation of the People Act 1918 greatly expanded the electorate, enfranchising all men and most women. The party concentrated its appeal on the new electorate with considerable success among working men, but far less success among women. As the Liberal Party collapsed, Labour became
15875-569: Was no longer an MP, became a National Vice-Chair. In October 2019, the Honorary President, Louise Ellman, resigned from the Labour Party but said that she was not planning to support another party, meaning she remained eligible to be a member. The Jewish Labour Movement has a Local Government Network which seeks to recruit ambassadors in every Labour Group across the country to be a point of contact, educate local members and work with JLM nationally. Its Jewish Councillors Network provides
16002-595: Was the puzzle of where the final decisions ought to lie—in the annual conference? the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP)? The local chapters? The Trade Union Congress (which brought together the heads of most unions)? The conference created a "conscience clause" allowing diversity of opinions rather than a rigid orthodoxy. Irish politics proved to be so different that the Party simply quit Ireland and worked only in England, Scotland and Wales. In 1908–1910
16129-673: Was to keep the Empire in business. Under Ernest Bevin 's leadership, London pushed Washington into an anti-Communist coalition that launched the Cold War in 1947 and established the NATO military alliance against the USSR in 1949. Furthermore, independent of Washington London committed large sums to developing a secret nuclear weapons programme . In the 1951 general election , Labour narrowly lost to Churchill's Conservatives, despite receiving
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