151-597: Justin Piers Richard Madders (born 22 November 1972) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ellesmere Port and Bromborough , previously Ellesmere Port and Neston , since 2015 . He has served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment Rights, Competition and Markets since July 2024. Justin Madders was born on 22 November 1972. He studied law at
302-459: A Slip 'N Slide , while drawing attention to deteriorating mental health among children. On 23 May, Sunak said that before the election there would be no flights to Rwanda for those seeking asylum . Immigration figures were published for 2023 showing immigration remained at historically high levels, but had fallen compared to 2022. Nigel Farage announced that he would not be standing in the general election, preferring to focus on campaigning for
453-624: 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
604-557: A distinct set of political parties , Sinn Féin retained its seven seats and therefore became the largest party; this was the first election in which an Irish nationalist party won the most seats in Northern Ireland. The Democratic Unionist Party won five seats, a reduction from eight at the 2019 general election . The Social Democratic and Labour Party won two seats, and the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland ,
755-519: 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
906-821: A voter identification requirement in Great Britain. These changes were included in the Elections Act 2022 . The Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies , which proposed reducing the number of constituencies from 650 to 600, commenced in 2011 but temporarily stopped in January 2013. Following the 2015 general election , each of the four parliamentary boundary commissions of the United Kingdom recommenced their review process in April 2016. The four commissions submitted their final recommendations to
1057-536: A "nuclear deterrent triple lock", including building four new nuclear submarines. A YouGov poll conducted on the same day put Labour on course for the party's biggest election victory in history, beating Tony Blair 's 1997 landslide . On 4 June, Farage launched his campaign in Clacton. He predicted the previous day that Reform UK would be the Official Opposition following the election as opposed to
1208-513: A 18-week NHS waiting target within five years of a Labour government. Labour also pledged to double the number of NHS scanners in England. On the same day Starmer denied that Diane Abbott had been blocked as a candidate amid differing reports. Abbott had been elected as a Labour MP, but had been suspended from the parliamentary party for a brief period. There was controversy about further Labour Party candidate selections, with several candidates on
1359-671: 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
1510-575: A decrease in their popularity in opinion polling, with multiple party leaders and First Ministers ( Nicola Sturgeon , Humza Yousaf and John Swinney ) and the Operation Branchform police investigation. Sturgeon claimed occupational burnout was the reason for her resignation, while Yousaf resigned amid a government crisis following his termination of a power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens . When Swinney assumed
1661-417: A disproven claim that Labour would cost households £2000 more in tax. Keir Starmer used the word "change" as his campaign slogan and offered voters the chance to "turn the page" by voting Labour. The Liberal Democrat campaign led by Ed Davey was dominated by his campaign stunts, which were used to bring attention to campaign topics. When asked about these stunts, Davey said: "Politicians need to take
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#17327796519051812-523: A draft Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 (Repeal) Bill, later retitled the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022 . This entered into force on 24 March 2022. Thus, the prime minister can again request the monarch to dissolve Parliament and call an early election with 25 working days' notice. Section 4 of the Act provided: "If it has not been dissolved earlier, a Parliament dissolves at the beginning of
1963-497: 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
2114-516: A green society, a wealth tax , a carbon tax, and a windfall tax on the profit of banks. The manifesto promises quicker access to NHS dentistry and GPs and reductions in the hospital waiting list. They would also reach net zero by 2040 and introduce rent controls. On 12 June, Conservative minister Grant Shapps said in a radio interview that voters should support the Conservatives so as to prevent Labour winning "a super-majority", meaning
2265-617: A large majority (the UK Parliament does not have any formal supermajority rules). This was interpreted by journalists as a possible and surprising admission of defeat. It paralleled social media advertising by the Conservatives that also focused on urging votes not to give Starmer a large majority. On 13 June, Starmer released the Labour Party manifesto Change , which focused on economic growth, planning system reforms, infrastructure, clean energy, healthcare, education, childcare, crime, and strengthening workers' rights. It pledged
2416-564: A large majority at the 2019 general election and the new government passed the Brexit withdrawal agreement . The COVID-19 pandemic saw the government institute public-health restrictions , including limitations on social interaction, that Johnson and some of his staff were later found to have broken . The resulting political scandal ( Partygate ), one of many in a string of controversies that characterised Johnson's premiership , damaged his personal reputation. The situation escalated with
2567-677: 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
2718-476: A meeting of the Privy Council on 15 November 2023 and came into force on 29 November 2023, meaning that the election was contested on these new boundaries. The election was contested under new constituency boundaries established by the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies . Consequently, media outlets reported seat gains and losses as compared to notional results . These are estimates of
2869-565: 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
3020-552: 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
3171-630: A new publicly owned energy company ( Great British Energy ) and National Wealth Fund , a ''Green Prosperity Plan", rebuilding the NHS and reducing patient waiting times, free breakfast clubs in primary schools, investing in green infrastructure, innovation, training and skills across the UK to boost economic growth, and renationalisation of the railway network ( Great British Railways ). It includes wealth creation and "pro-business and pro-worker" policies. The manifesto also pledged to give votes to 16-year olds, reform
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#17327796519053322-546: 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
3473-499: A qualified mental health counsellor, boosting preventative mental health services, transforming NHS dentistry, legislating for a progressive ban on smoking (a bill proposed by the Conservative government which had not passed before Parliament was prorogued ), banning junk food advertising to children, and banning energy drinks for under 16s. Labour released its plan for small business on 8 June, which included pledges to replace
3624-480: A record 42.6% of the vote in the election: the Liberal Democrats , led by Ed Davey , made the most significant gains, of seventy-two seats, with a total of 3.5 million votes; like Labour, this represented a decline in their vote from 2019. It was the party's best-ever result and made it the third-largest party in the Commons, a status it had previously held but lost at the 2015 general election . Reform UK achieved
3775-530: 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
3926-671: 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
4077-554: 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
4228-466: 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
4379-484: 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
4530-680: A tutoring guarantee for children from low-income families), increased funding for public services, tax reforms, reaching net zero by 2045 (5 years before the current government target of 2050), investing in green infrastructure, innovation, training and skills across the UK to boost economic growth, and removing the two-child limit on tax and benefits . The Liberal Democrats also offered a lifelong skills grant, giving adults £5,000 to spend on improving their skills. The party wants electoral reform, and pledged to introduce proportional representation for electing MPs, and local councillors in England, and cap donations to political parties. Sunak released
4681-423: Is a political party in the United Kingdom that sits on the centre-left of 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
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4832-497: Is already incorporated in the 2023 and 2024 budget . Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay released the Green Party's manifesto Real Hope. Real Change. on 12 June, which pledged more taxes on the highest earners, generating £70 billion a year to help tackle climate change and the NHS. They also pledged increased spending for public services, free personal care in England, renationalisation of railway, water and energy,
4983-451: The 1945 general election almost exactly seventy-nine years earlier. A total of 4,515 candidates were nominated, more than in any previous general election. General elections in the United Kingdom are organised using first-past-the-post voting . The Conservative Party, which won a majority at the 2019 general election, included pledges in its manifesto to remove the 15-year limit on voting for British citizens living abroad, and to introduce
5134-439: 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
5285-422: 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
5436-472: 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
5587-411: 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
5738-649: 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
5889-565: The 2019 general election Corbyn announced that he would stand down as leader. 2024 United Kingdom general election Rishi Sunak Conservative Keir Starmer Labour The 2024 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday, 4 July 2024, to elect 650 members of Parliament to the House of Commons , the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . The opposition Labour Party , led by Keir Starmer , defeated
6040-516: 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
6191-419: The 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies , Madders' constituency of Ellesmere Port and Neston was abolished, and replaced with Ellesmere Port and Bromborough . At the 2024 general election , Madders was elected to Parliament as MP for Ellesmere Port and Bromborough with 57.6% of the vote and a majority of 16,908. He is married and has three children. Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party
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6342-489: The 2024 United States presidential election instead. However, Farage later announced on 3 June that, contrary to his statement earlier in the campaign, he would stand for Parliament in Clacton , and that he had resumed leadership of Reform UK , taking over from Richard Tice , who remained the party's chairman. Farage also predicted that Labour would win the election, whilst stating the Conservatives were incapable of being
6493-409: The 59 in 2019 , with the following notional partisan composition of Scotland's parliamentary delegation. The Scottish National Party would have remained steady on 48 seats despite two of its constituencies being dissolved. The Scottish Conservatives ' seat count of six would likewise remained unchanged. Scottish Labour would have retained Edinburgh South , the sole constituency they won in 2019. Had
6644-566: 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
6795-682: The Chris Pincher scandal in July 2022, leading to Johnson's resignation . He resigned as an MP the following year, after an investigation unanimously found that he had lied to Parliament. Liz Truss won the resultant leadership election and succeeded Johnson in September. Truss announced large-scale tax cuts and borrowing in a mini-budget on 23 September, which was widely criticised and – after it rapidly led to financial instability – largely reversed. She resigned in October, making her
6946-546: 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
7097-618: 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
7248-519: The House of Commons , followed in seat share by the Conservative Party and 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
7399-526: The Israel–Hamas war and appealing to the constituency's sizeable Muslim population. However, Alba lost both their seats and the Workers Party lost their sole seat of Rochdale after Galloway lost it to Labour's Paul Waugh , having only been an MP for 92 days. This table relates to the composition of the House of Commons at the 2019 general election and its dissolution on 30 May 2024 and summarises
7550-481: 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
7701-639: The Ulster Unionist Party and Traditional Unionist Voice won one seat each, and the independent unionist Alex Easton won North Down . Many of the record number of newly-elected independent MPs, including the former leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn , formed the Independent Alliance group in parliament. Labour entered the election with a large lead over the Conservatives in opinion polls , and
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#17327796519057852-574: The University of Sheffield and worked as a solicitor, specialising in employment law, before entering politics. Before his election to Parliament, Madders was the leader of the Labour opposition on Cheshire West and Chester Council and leader of Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Council. At the 2005 general election , Madders stood as the Labour candidate in Tatton , coming second with 23.5% of
8003-668: 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
8154-410: The left and toward the political centre , and also emphasised the elimination of antisemitism within the party . Starmer's leading his party rightward in order to improve its electability has been widely compared to Tony Blair 's development of New Labour in the 1990s. The political turmoil from the Conservative scandals and government crises led to Labour having a significant lead in polling over
8305-491: The shortest-serving prime minister in British history . Rishi Sunak won the resultant leadership election unopposed to succeed Truss in October. During his premiership , Sunak was credited with improving the economy and stabilising national politics following the premierships of his predecessors, although many of his pledges and policy announcements ultimately went unfulfilled. He did not avert further unpopularity for
8456-651: 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
8607-513: The 19th century . It was electorally weak before 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
8758-494: 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
8909-523: The 2017 votes would have translated to seats under the 2018 boundaries suggested the changes would have been beneficial to the Conservatives and detrimental to Labour. In March 2020, Cabinet Office minister Chloe Smith confirmed that the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies would be based on retaining 650 seats. The previous relevant legislation was amended by the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 2020 and
9060-417: The 2019 election . For example, the Conservatives would have won Wirral West and Leeds North West instead of the Labour Party, but Labour would have won Pudsey and Heywood & Middleton instead of the Conservatives. Westmorland and Lonsdale , the constituency represented by former Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron , was notionally a Conservative seat. In Scotland , 57 MPs were elected, down from
9211-542: The 2019 general election occurred with the new boundaries in effect, the Scottish Liberal Democrats would have only won two seats ( Edinburgh West and Orkney and Shetland ), instead of the four they did win that year, as the expanded electorates in the other two would overcome their slender majorities. Under the new boundaries, Wales lost eight seats, electing 32 MPs instead of the 40 it elected in 2019 . Welsh Labour would have won 18 instead of
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#17327796519059362-733: 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
9513-562: The 22 MPs it elected in 2019, and the Welsh Conservatives 12 instead of 14. Due to the abolition and merging of rural constituencies in West Wales , Plaid Cymru would have only won two seats instead of four. Nonetheless, the boundary changes were expected to cause difficulty for the Conservatives as more pro-Labour areas were added to some of their safest seats. In Northern Ireland , the notional results are identical to
9664-423: 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
9815-459: The Conservative manifesto Clear Plan. Bold Action. Secure Future. on 11 June, addressing the economy, taxes, welfare, expanding free childcare, education, healthcare, environment, energy, transport, community, and crime. They pledged to lower taxes, increase education and NHS spending, deliver 92,000 more nurses and 28,000 more doctors, introduce a new model of National Service , continue to expand apprenticeships and vocational training, simplify
9966-469: The Conservatives who, by the time of Sunak's election, had been in government for 12 years. Public opinion in favour of a change in government was reflected in the Conservatives' poor performance at the 2022 , 2023 and 2024 local elections . Keir Starmer won the Labour Party 's 2020 leadership election , succeeding Jeremy Corbyn . Under his leadership, Starmer repositioned the party away from
10117-671: The Conservatives, often by very wide margins, since late 2021, coinciding with the start of the Partygate scandal. Labour made gains in local elections: in the 2023 local elections, Labour gained more than 500 councillors and 22 councils, becoming the largest party in local government for the first time since 2002. Ed Davey , who previously served in the Cameron–Clegg coalition , won the Liberal Democrat 's 2020 leadership election , succeeding Jo Swinson , who lost her seat in
10268-667: The Conservatives, saying that the Conservatives are incapable of being the Opposition due to "spending most of the last five years fighting each other rather than fighting for the interests of this country". On 6 June, the Green Party announced plans to invest an extra £50 billion a year for the NHS by raising taxes on the top 1% of earners. The Conservatives announced a policy on expanding child benefit for higher-earners. Labour also announced communities will be given powers to transform derelict areas into parks and green spaces. Labour's countryside protection plan would also include
10419-652: The D-Day commemorations, and said that Sunak "has to answer for his actions". Sunak apologised the next day and apologised again on 10 June. He made a third apology on 12 June. Farage was among those critical of Sunak over his leaving the D-Day events, saying on 7 June that Sunak did not understand "our culture". Conservative and Labour politicians criticised these words as being a racist attack on Sunak, which Farage denied. On 10 June, Labour pledged 100,000 new childcare places and more than 3,000 new nurseries as part of its childcare plan. It also announced its Child Health Action Plan, which included providing every school with
10570-401: The King to call a general election for 4 July 2024, surprising his own MPs. Though Sunak had the option to wait until December 2024 to call the election, he said that he decided on the date because he believed that the economy was improving, and that "falling inflation and net migration figures would reinforce the Conservative Party 's election message of 'sticking to the plan'". The calling of
10721-408: 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
10872-682: The Labour Party campaign in Gillingham at the Priestfield Stadium . On 24 May, the Conservatives proposed setting up a Royal Commission to consider a form of mandatory national service. It would be made up of two streams for 18-year-olds to choose from, either 'community volunteering' by volunteering with organisations such as the NHS, fire service, ambulance, search and rescue, and critical local infrastructure, or 'military training' in areas like logistics and cyber security. Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn announced on 24 May he
11023-542: 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
11174-638: 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
11325-530: 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
11476-581: The Labour whip in a vote on a second Brexit referendum . He supported Owen Smith in the failed attempt to replace Jeremy Corbyn in the 2016 Labour leadership election . At the snap 2017 general election , Madders was re-elected as MP for Ellesmere Port and Neston with an increased vote share of 59.2% and an increased majority of 11,390. Madders was appointed the Shadow Minister for Business, Employment Rights and Levelling Up in July 2018, before also resigning this post in March 2019. Madders
11627-757: The Official Opposition due to having spent "much of the last five years fighting each other rather than fighting for the interests of this country." Davey released the Liberal Democrat campaign in Cheltenham in Gloucestershire . The SNP campaign launch the same day was overshadowed over a dispute around leader John Swinney 's support for Michael Matheson and developments in Operation Branchform. Starmer launched
11778-498: 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
11929-598: 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
12080-679: The Secretary of State on 5 September 2018 and made their reports public a week later. However, the proposals were never put forward for approval before the calling of the general election held on 12 December 2019, and in December 2020 the reviews were formally abandoned under the Schedule to the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 2020. A projection by psephologists Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher of how
12231-568: The actual results of the 2019 general election in Northern Ireland . Labour entered the election with a large lead over the Conservatives in opinion polls , and the potential scale of the party's victory was a topic of discussion during the campaign period. The economy , healthcare , education , infrastructure development, environment, housing, energy , and immigration , and standards in public office were main campaign topics. The Conservative campaign led by Rishi Sunak focused primarily on attacks towards Labour over alleged tax plans including
12382-532: 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
12533-580: The changes in party affiliation that took place during the 2019–2024 Parliament. Originally the next election was scheduled to take place on 2 May 2024 under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 . At the 2019 general election, in which the Conservatives won a majority of 80 seats, the party's manifesto contained a commitment to repeal the Fixed-term Parliaments Act. In December 2020, the government duly published
12684-516: The concerns and interests of voters seriously but I'm not sure they need to take themselves seriously all the time and I'm quite happy to have some fun." Party manifesto and fiscal spending plans were independently analysed by the Institute for Fiscal Studies and their environmental policies were assessed by Friends of the Earth . On the afternoon of 22 May 2024, Sunak announced that he had asked
12835-540: 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
12986-444: The current business rates system and to tackle the skill shortage by creating a new public body, Skills England . They also pledged to revitalise Britain's high streets and a new trade strategy. The Liberal Democrat manifesto For a Fair Deal was released on 10 June, which included commitments on free personal care in England, investment in the NHS including more GPs , increased funding for education and childcare (including
13137-513: The date of the general election. This led to the song reaching number two on UK's iTunes Charts . At the beginning of the campaign, Labour had a significant lead in polling over the Conservatives. Polling also showed Labour doing well against the Scottish National Party (SNP) in Scotland. When visiting Windermere , Davey fell off a paddleboard , while campaigning to highlight the issue of sewage discharges into rivers and lakes. A couple of days later, Davey won media attention when going down
13288-477: The day that is the fifth anniversary of the day on which it first met". The Electoral Commission confirmed that the 2019 Parliament would, therefore, have to be dissolved, at the latest, by 17 December 2024, and that the next general election had to take place no later than 28 January 2025. With no election date fixed in law, there was speculation as to when the prime minister , Rishi Sunak , would call an election. On 18 December 2023, Sunak told journalists that
13439-410: 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
13590-404: The different rates of population growth. North West England and North East England lost two seats each, whereas South East England gained seven and South West England gained three. Based on historical voting patterns, this was expected to help the Conservatives. Using the new boundaries, different parties would have won several constituencies with unchanged names but changed boundaries from
13741-518: 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
13892-517: 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
14043-429: The election was welcomed by all major parties. Sunak's announcement took place during heavy rain at a lectern outside 10 Downing Street , without the use of any shelter from the rain. The D:Ream song " Things Can Only Get Better " (previously used by the Labour Party in its successful 1997 general election campaign) was being played loudly in the background by the political activist Steve Bray as Sunak announced
14194-480: The election would be held on 4 July with the dissolution of the Parliament on 30 May. The deadline for candidate nominations was 7 June 2024, with political campaigning for four weeks until polling day on 4 July. On the day of the election, polling stations across the country were open from 7 am, and closed at 10 pm. The date chosen for the 2024 general election made it the first to be held in July since
14345-438: The election would take place in 2024 rather than January 2025. On 4 January, he first suggested the general election would probably be in the second half of 2024. Throughout 2024, political commentators and MPs expected the election to be held in the autumn. On 22 May 2024, following much speculation through the day (including being asked about it by Stephen Flynn at Prime Minister's Questions ), Sunak officially announced
14496-447: 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
14647-590: The four boundary commissions formally launched their 2023 reviews on 5 January 2021. They were required to issue their final reports prior to 1 July 2023. Once the reports had been laid before Parliament, Orders in Council giving effect to the final proposals had to be made within four months, unless "there are exceptional circumstances". Prior to the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 2020, boundary changes could not be implemented until they were approved by both Houses of Parliament. The boundary changes were approved at
14798-402: The governing Conservative Party , led by Rishi Sunak , in a landslide victory . The election was the first general election victory for Labour since 2005 , and ended the Conservatives' fourteen-year tenure as the primary governing party. Labour achieved a 174-seat simple majority, and a total of 411 seats, a single-party figure surpassed only by Tony Blair in 1997 . The party's vote share
14949-484: 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
15100-403: 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
15251-498: The hot-spot policing programme to more areas, and more town regeneration projects. The Conservatives also unveiled plans for fly-tippers to get points on their driving licences and other new measures to protect the environment. On 2 June, Labour pledged to reduce record high legal immigration to the United Kingdom by improving training for British workers. Net migration to the UK was 685,000 in 2023. Labour also focused on national security, with Starmer reaffirming his commitment to
15402-514: 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
15553-590: The largest party in Wales . It lost seven seats: five to independent candidates in seats with sizeable Muslim populations, largely attributed to its stance on the Israel–Hamas war ; one to the Green Party of England and Wales ; and one to the Conservatives. The Conservative Party was reduced to 121 seats on a vote share of 23.7%, the worst result in its history. It lost 251 seats in total, including those of twelve Cabinet ministers and also South West Norfolk ,
15704-448: 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
15855-413: 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
16006-453: The leadership after being elected unopposed to succeed Yousaf, the SNP had been in government for 17 years. Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay took over leadership of the Green Party of England and Wales from Siân Berry and Jonathan Bartley in 2021. Rhun ap Iorwerth took over leadership of Plaid Cymru . The Brexit Party rebranded as Reform UK , and was initially led by Richard Tice in
16157-409: 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
16308-498: The left of the party being excluded. Abbott said she had been barred from standing as a Labour Party candidate at the election, but Starmer later said she would be "free" to stand as a Labour candidate. On 30 May, both the Conservatives and Labour ruled out any rise in value-added tax . The SNPs Màiri McAllan claimed that only the SNP offered Scotland a route back into the European Union , making Pro-Europeanism part of
16459-523: 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
16610-502: 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
16761-487: The marginal constituency of Westmorland and Lonsdale , highlighting the release of sewage in waterways. He pledged to abolish Ofwat and introduce a new water regulator to tackle the situation, in addition to proposing a ban on bonuses for chief executives of water companies. Starmer was in West Sussex and emphasised his small town roots in his first big campaign speech. On 29 May, Labour's Wes Streeting promised
16912-493: 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
17063-400: 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
17214-410: 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
17365-539: 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
17516-440: 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
17667-630: 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
17818-475: 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
17969-808: The party's campaign. Reform UK proposed an immigration tax on British firms who employ foreign workers . Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay launched the Green Party of England and Wales campaign in Bristol. Rhun ap Iorwerth launched the Plaid Cymru campaign in Bangor . George Galloway launched the Workers Party of Britain campaign in Ashton-under-Lyne . On 31 May, the Conservatives announced new "pride in places" pledges, including new rules to tackle anti-social behaviour, rolling out
18120-499: The permanent leader in May. New political parties who made their campaign debuts in this election included the Alba Party , led by former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond , and the Workers Party of Britain , led by anti-war activist George Galloway , who won the 2024 Rochdale by-election in a political upset three months before the election was called – advertising himself as a protest candidate against Labour's stance on
18271-511: The planning system to speed up infrastructure projects (digital, transport and energy), and to treble Britain's offshore wind capacity and support solar energy. The manifesto includes a pledge to abolish Stamp Duty on homes worth up to £425,000 for first time buyers and expand the Help to Buy scheme. The Conservatives also pledged a recruitment of 8,000 new police officers and a rollout of facial recognition technology . Much of what has been proposed
18422-582: The planting new national forests, taskforces for tree-planting and flood resilience, new river pathways, and a commitment to revive nature. Green spaces would be a requirement in the development of new housing and town plans. Both Sunak and Starmer attended D-Day commemorations in Normandy on 6 June, the 80th anniversary of Operation Neptune . Sunak was widely criticised for leaving events early to do an interview with ITV, including by veterans. Starmer met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and King Charles III during
18573-456: 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
18724-409: The potential scale of the party's victory was a topic of discussion during the campaign period. The economy , healthcare , education , infrastructure development, environment, housing , energy , immigration , and standards in public office were main campaign topics. There was relatively little discussion of Brexit , which was a major issue during the 2019 general election . This general election
18875-412: 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
19026-485: 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
19177-477: The previous general election. Davey prioritised defeating the Conservatives and ruled out working with them following the election. The Liberal Democrats made gains in local elections: in the 2024 local elections, the Liberal Democrats finished second for the first time in a local election cycle since 2009. Like the Conservatives, the Scottish National Party (SNP) suffered political turmoil and saw
19328-476: The results if all votes cast in 2019 were unchanged, but regrouped by the new constituency boundaries. Since notional results in the vote counts at parliamentary elections in the UK do not yield figures at any level more specific than that of the whole constituency, it is only possible to estimate the notional results, with the assistance of local election results. In England , seats were redistributed towards Southern England , away from Northern England , due to
19479-531: 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
19630-514: The seat of the former prime minister Liz Truss . It also lost all its seats in Wales. The Conservatives' notional loss of 251 seats represents the highest decrease for any party at a single election in British history, narrowly surpassing 1906 , and the corresponding Labour gain of 211 is the largest since 1945 . The combined Labour and Conservative vote share was 57.4%, the lowest since the December 1910 general election . Smaller parties took
19781-437: The third-highest vote share at 14.3%, with over four million votes, which won it five seats, and the Green Party of England and Wales won four seats; both parties achieved their best parliamentary results in history. In Wales Plaid Cymru won four seats. In Scotland the Scottish National Party was reduced from forty-eight seats to nine, and lost its status as the third-largest party in the Commons. In Northern Ireland, which has
19932-438: The vote behind the incumbent Conservative MP George Osborne . Madders was elected to Parliament at the 2015 general election as MP for Ellesmere Port and Neston with 47.8% of the vote and a majority of 6,275. In September 2015, Madders was appointed Shadow Minister for Secondary Care, Workforce and Patient Health . He remained in this position until March 2019, when he resigned from his frontbench position, after defying
20083-575: 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
20234-583: 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
20385-446: 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
20536-704: The years preceding the election before Nigel Farage resumed leadership during the election campaign. Edwin Poots took over as the Democratic Unionist Party leader in May 2021 but lasted only 20 days. He was replaced by Jeffrey Donaldson , who resigned in March 2024 after being arrested on charges relating to historical sex offences. He appeared in court on 3 July, the day before polling day, to face additional sex offence charges. Gavin Robinson initially took over as interim leader, and then became
20687-474: Was running as an independent in Islington North against a Labour candidate, and was thus expelled from the party. On 27 May, Starmer made a keynote speech on security and other issues. On 28 May, the Conservatives pledged a "Triple Lock Plus" where the personal income tax allowance for pensioners would always stay higher than the state pension. Davey went paddleboarding on Lake Windermere in
20838-475: Was 33.7%, the lowest of any majority party on record, making this the least proportional general election in British history according to the Gallagher index . Labour won 211 more seats than the previous general election in 2019 , but half a million fewer total votes. The party became the largest in England for the first time since 2005, in Scotland for the first time since 2010 , and retained its status as
20989-450: 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
21140-410: 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
21291-423: Was again re-elected at the 2019 general election , with a decreased vote share of 53.3% and a decreased majority of 8,764. In April 2020, Madders was re-appointed as the Shadow Minister for Secondary Care, Workforce and Patient Health by the new Labour leader Keir Starmer . He left this post in December 2021, when he was appointed as the Shadow Minister for Business, Employment Rights and Levelling Up . Due to
21442-417: 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
21593-520: 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
21744-403: 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,
21895-534: 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
22046-530: 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
22197-428: 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
22348-522: 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
22499-449: Was the first in which photo identification was required to vote in person in Great Britain, the first fought using the new constituency boundaries implemented following the 2023 periodic review of Westminster constituencies , and the first called under the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022 . This was also the first election to be held under the reign of King Charles III . The Conservative Party under Boris Johnson won
22650-540: 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
22801-673: 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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