150-399: [REDACTED] New Labour is the political philosophy that dominated the history of the British Labour Party from the mid- to late 1990s until 2010 under the leadership of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown . The term originated in a conference slogan first used by the party in 1994, later seen in a draft manifesto which was published in 1996 and titled New Labour, New Life for Britain . It
300-765: A Doncaster member of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants , Thomas R. Steels, proposed in his union branch that the Trades Union Congress call a special conference to bring together all left-wing organisations and form them into a single body that would sponsor Parliamentary candidates. The motion was passed at all stages by the TUC, and the proposed conference was held at the Congregational Memorial Hall on Farringdon Street, London on 26 and 27 February 1900. The meeting
450-540: A Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly and the first elections for these were held in 1999. Blair attempted to continue peace negotiations in Northern Ireland by offering the creation of a regional parliament and government. In 1998, the Good Friday Agreement was made, allowing for a 108-member elected assembly and a power-sharing arrangement between nationalists and unionists . Blair
600-438: A "dynamic market economy" was a way of continuing the operation of a capitalist market economy which prevented governments from interfering to achieve social justice. Reid argued that the social agenda of Clement Attlee 's government was abandoned by Margaret Thatcher and not revived by New Labour. He criticised the party for not preventing inequality from widening and argued that New Labour's ambition to win elections had moved
750-415: A National Health Service largely prepared by SMA members. The party's programme " For Socialism and Peace " adopted in 1934, committed the party to nationalisation of land, banking, coal, iron and steel, transport, power and water supply, as well as the setting up of a National Investment Board to plan industrial development. Harold Laski , a highly influential professor and pamphleteer began to argue that
900-566: A branch of the Independent Labour Party in that city. As a member of Bradford City Council, Jowett was responsible for the passage of several important reforms that were eventually adopted by other local authorities. In 1904, for instance, Bradford became the first local authority in Britain to provide free school meals , while a successful campaign led to the clearing of a slum area and its replacement with new houses. Jowett
1050-538: A centralised organisation to co-ordinate government communication and impose a united message to be delivered by ministers. This process, known as "Millbankization" in reference to the campaign headquarters of Labour at the Millbank , was strict but very effective. Charlie Whelan , Brown's press officer, was often in conflict with Campbell because of the former's attempts to brief the press by his own initiatives—this continued until his resignation in 1999. Campbell followed
1200-561: A dispute between strikers and a railway company that ended with the union being ordered to pay £23,000 damages for a strike. The judgment effectively made strikes illegal since employers could recoup the cost of lost business from the unions. The apparent acquiescence of the Conservative Government of Arthur Balfour to industrial and business interests (traditionally the allies of the Liberal Party in opposition to
1350-613: A five-year cycle, or when a snap election is called. Since the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022 , Parliament is automatically dissolved once five years have elapsed from its first meeting after an election. If a vacancy arises at another time, due to death or resignation , then a constituency vacancy may be filled by a by-election. Under the Representation of the People Act 1981 any MP sentenced to over
1500-472: A fortnight's annual holiday. Although Labour lost its majority two years later, its achievements in the council demonstrated Labour's effectiveness at instigating reform at a municipal level. In the 1895 General Election the Independent Labour Party put up 28 candidates but won only 44,325 votes. Keir Hardie , the leader of the party believed that to obtain success in parliamentary elections, it would be necessary to join with other left-wing groups. In 1899,
1650-777: A further split in 1932 when the Independent Labour Party , which for some years had been increasingly at odds with the Labour leadership, opted to disaffiliate from the Labour Party. The ILP embarked on a long drawn out decline. The role of the ILP within the Labour Party was taken up for a time by the Socialist League , which operated inside the Labour Party and was led by Stafford Cripps , which attracted several thousand teachers and intellectuals. In 1937 when
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#17327654562551800-665: A government supporting free trade to be formed. So with the acquiescence of Asquith's Liberals, Ramsay MacDonald became prime minister in January 1924 and formed the first ever Labour government, despite Labour only having 191 MPs (less than a third of the House of Commons). The most significant measure introduced by the first Labour government was the Wheatley Housing Act which began a building programme of 500,000 homes for rent to working-class families. However, because
1950-530: A greater reliance on the media, using that to set the national policy agenda, rather than Westminster . He spent considerable resources maintaining a good public image which sometimes took priority over the cabinet. Blair adopted a centralised political agenda in which cabinet ministers took managerial roles in their departments and strategic vision was to be addressed by the Prime Minister. Ideologically, Blair believed that individuals could only flourish in
2100-400: A lesser role for Dissenting Protestantism ); the " New Unionism " after 1890 brought unskilled workers into a movement previously dominated by the skilled workers; and new leisure-time activities, especially the music hall and sports, enthralled youth while repelling the older generation of Liberal voters. Childs notes that the 1918 electoral reforms added many young working-class voters, and
2250-469: A member of Parliament is to do what they think in their faithful and disinterested judgement is right and necessary for the honour and safety of Great Britain. The second duty is to their constituents, of whom they are the representative but not the delegate. Burke's famous declaration on this subject is well known. It is only in the third place that their duty to party organisation or programme takes rank. All these three loyalties should be observed, but there
2400-451: A peaceful, democratic transition to socialism was unlikely because the opposition would resort to violence, and Labour had to be prepared. There was little innovation in party thinking on economic issues. "Planning" and "nationalisation" remained little more than slogans that Hugh Dalton , the chief economic spokesman, promised would create a new Jerusalem that left economic hardship behind. Party leader Attlee avoided economics. By contrast,
2550-499: A person must be at least 18 years old and be a citizen of the UK , a Commonwealth nation, or Ireland . A person is not required to be registered to vote, nor are there any restrictions regarding where a candidate is a resident. The House of Commons Disqualification Act 1975 outlaws the holders of various positions from being MPs. These include civil servants , regular police officers (but not special constables ), regular members of
2700-433: A policy advisor to the Labour Party, wrote to the party's leadership that the brand had become contaminated and an object of criticism and ridicule, undermined by an apparent lack of conviction and integrity. The brand was weakened by internal disputes and the apparent failure to deal with issues. This assessment was supported by Blair, who argued that the government needed to spend more time working on domestic affairs, develop
2850-581: A prison sentence of a year or more. People in respect of whom a bankruptcy restrictions order has effect are disqualified from (existing) membership of the House of Commons (details differ slightly in different countries). Members are not permitted to resign their seats. In practice, however, they always can. Should a member wish to resign from the Commons , they may request appointment to one of two ceremonial Crown offices: that of Crown Steward and Bailiff of
3000-500: A private buyer of the bank could not be found. The 2010 general election ended in a hung parliament in which Labour won 258 seats, 91 fewer than in 2005. Following failure to achieve a coalition agreement with the Liberal Democrats , Brown announced his intention to resign as leader of the party on 10 May and resigned as the Prime Minister the following day. Shortly thereafter, David Cameron and Nick Clegg announced
3150-469: A professional approach to media relations to ensure that a clear message was presented and the party planned stories in advance to ensure a positive media reaction. Campbell used his own experience in journalism as he was known for his attention to detail and effective use of sound bites . Campbell developed a relationship with News International , providing their newspapers with early information in return for positive media coverage. In 2002, Philip Gould ,
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#17327654562553300-545: A quick general election were widely publicised, although they never were officially announced. On 18 February 2008, Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling announced that the failing bank Northern Rock would be nationalised, supporting it with loans and guarantees of £50,000,000,000. The bank had been destabilised by the subprime mortgage crisis the previous year in the United States and
3450-544: A split with David Owen and others forming the Social Democratic Party , resulted in opposition status during the Thatcher years from 1979 to 1990. Labour returned with a 179-seat majority in the 1997 general election under the leadership of Tony Blair . The party's large majority in the House of Commons was slightly reduced to 167 in the 2001 general election and more substantially reduced to 66 in
3600-547: A strong increase in anti-Conservative voting and a decrease in anti-Labour tactical voting. Political commentators Neal Lawson and Joe Cox wrote that tactical voting helped to provide New Labour with its majorities in 1997, 2001 and 2005, arguing that the party won because of public opposition to the Conservative Party. The party declared after its victory that it "won as New Labour and would govern as New Labour", but Cox and Lawson challenged this view, suggesting that
3750-596: A strong society and this was not possible in the midst of unemployment. Tony Blair served as Prime Minister , from 1997 to 2007. Gordon Brown was an important figure in Blair's Labour government and played a key role in developing the party's philosophy. Brown served as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1992 to 1997 and was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer following Labour's election victory in 1997. He attempted to control public spending and sought to increase
3900-399: A traditional approach to crime, Tony Blair 's approach to crime is quoted as being ' tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime '. The first government under New Labour spent a smaller percentage of the budget on crime than the previous Tory government, however the second Labour government spent practically double (roughly 6.5% of the budget), Finally the third Labour government spent roughly
4050-426: A unifying strategy and create "eye-catching initiatives". Blair also announced the need to be more assertive in foreign affairs. The leaders of New Labour therefore created and ran an efficient and calculated media-handling strategy in an effort to increase electoral success. Florence Faucher-King and Patrick Le Galés note that "by 2007 the party had been emptied of its capacities for intermediation with society and, in
4200-502: A year in jail automatically vacates their seat. For certain types of lesser acts of wrongdoing, the Recall of MPs Act 2015 mandates that a recall petition be opened; if signed by more than 10% of registered voters within the constituency, the seat is vacated. In the past, only male adult property owners could stand for Parliament. In 1918, women acquired the right to stand for Parliament , and to vote. To be eligible to stand as an MP,
4350-414: Is no doubt of the order in which they stand under any healthy manifestation of democracy. Theoretically, contemporary MPs are considered to have two duties, or three if they belong to a political party. Their primary responsibility is to act in the national interest. They must also act in the interests of their constituents, where this does not override their primary responsibility. Finally, if they belong to
4500-539: Is time to move on from Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and Peter Mandelson and to move on from the New Labour establishment and that is the candidate that I am at this election who can best turn the page. I think frankly most members of the public will want us to turn the page". Miliband won the leadership election and was able to mobilise support from the trade union electorate. In a July 2011 speech, Blair stated that New Labour died when he left office and Brown assumed
4650-647: The 1945 general election landslide under Clement Attlee (1945–1951) it set up the welfare state with the National Health Service , nationalised a fifth of the economy, joined NATO and opposed the Soviet Union in the Cold War . Under Harold Wilson in 1964–1970 it promoted economic modernisation. Labour was in government again in 1974–1979 under Wilson and then James Callaghan . Escalating economic crises (the " Winter of Discontent ") and
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4800-519: The 1987 and 1992 general elections, with quantitative research conducted by Anthony Heath and Roger Jowell indicating that the electorate viewed Labour as more moderate and electable in 1992 than in 1987, arguably legitimising the arguments for increased modernisation. However, Smith's approach which was dubbed (sometimes pejoratively) " one more heave " was perceived as too timid by modernisers like Blair, Brown and Mandelson. They felt that his cautious approach which sought to avoid controversy and win
4950-424: The 2005 general election . Under Gordon Brown , it was defeated in the 2010 general election , becoming the opposition to a Conservative/Liberal-Democrat coalition . The party remained in opposition until Keir Starmer won a landslide victory for Labour in the 2024 general election , returning Labour to government. The Labour Party's origins lie in the growth of the urban proletariat in the late 19th century and
5100-548: The Campbell Case , a vote which MacDonald had declared to be a vote of confidence. The ensuing general election saw the publication, four days before polling day, of the hoaxed Zinoviev letter , which implicated Labour in a plot for a Communist revolution in Britain, and the Conservatives were returned to power, although Labour increased its vote from 30.7% of the popular vote to a third of the popular vote—most of
5250-575: The Co-operative Party after the armistice. The Co-operative Party later reached an electoral agreement with the Labour Party. The Communist Party of Great Britain was refused affiliation between 1921 and 1923. Meanwhile, the Liberal Party declined rapidly and the party suffered a catastrophic split that allowed the Labour Party to co-opt much of the Liberals' support. With the Liberals in disarray Labour won 142 seats in 1922 , making it
5400-523: The German invasion of Belgium and the surge of pro-war attitudes among the membership of the party led increasingly to support of British entry into the war . Ramsay MacDonald continued to oppose the war, but he quickly resigned as party leader and was replaced by Arthur Henderson , who was strongly committed to defeating the German Empire . In 1915, the Labour Party gained ministerial office for
5550-468: The Liberal welfare reforms was the result of an informal Labour-Liberal alliance that was established in the run up to the general election of 1906. The Labour and Liberal parties reached agreement to accommodate each other's candidates. The Liberals, who were eager to cut deadweight electoral losses to the Conservatives, arrived at a list of 30 constituencies in which they would "stand down", thereby giving
5700-657: The Senedd (Welsh Parliament) or the Northern Ireland Assembly are also ineligible for the Commons according to the Wales and Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Acts respectively, passed in 2014 (but members of the Scottish Parliament are eligible). People who are bankrupt cannot stand to be MPs. The Representation of the People Act 1981 excludes persons who are currently serving
5850-528: The Socialist League proposed a Popular Front coalition with Communist Party of Great Britain , the Labour Party closed it down. The Labour Party moved to the left during the early 1930s. At the 1932 conference Somerville Hastings of the Socialist Medical Association moved a resolution, which was carried, calling for the establishment of a State Medical Service and in 1934 Conference unanimously accepted an official document on
6000-727: The United Kingdom , a member of Parliament ( MP ) is an individual elected to serve in the House of Commons , the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . All 650 members of the UK House of Commons are elected using the first-past-the-post voting system in single member constituencies across the whole of the United Kingdom, where each constituency has its own single representative. All MP positions become simultaneously vacant for elections held on
6150-521: The Workmen's Compensation Act 1906 by the time of its implementation, such as in its level of coverage. The Labour Party was emerging from the rapidly growing union movement after 1890. It formed an alliance with the Liberal Party that allowed for cross support in elections, and permitted the emergence of a small labour contingent in Parliament. It was a temporary arrangement until the 1920s, when
New Labour - Misplaced Pages Continue
6300-666: The Workmen's Compensation Act 1906 , the Mines Act 1908 , the Old Age Pensions Act 1908 , and compulsory medical inspections in state schools. In 1906, the Labour Party scored its first ever legislative success in the new Parliament with the passage of a bill put forward by the Labour MP Fred Jowett in the form of the Education (Provision of Meals) Act 1906 . Labour's influence in the passage of
6450-535: The armed forces (but not reservists), and some judges . Members of the House of Lords were not permitted to hold Commons seats until the passing of the House of Lords Reform Act 2014 , which allows retired or resigned members of the House of Lords to stand or re-stand as MPs. Members of legislatures outside of the Commonwealth are excluded, with the exemption of the Irish legislature . Additionally, members of
6600-499: The equality which was the focus of previous Labour governments and challenged the view that social justice and economic efficiency are mutually exclusive. The party's traditional attachment to equality was reduced as minimum standards and equality of opportunity were promoted over the equality of outcome . The Commission on Social Justice set up by John Smith reported in 1994 that the values of social justice were equal worth of citizens, equal rights to be able to meet their basic needs,
6750-407: The middle class ; resulting in a landslide victory. Labour maintained this wider support at the 2001 general election and won a third consecutive victory in the 2005 general election for the first time ever in the history of the Labour Party. However, the party's majority was significantly reduced from four years earlier. In 2007, Blair resigned from the party leadership after thirteen years and
6900-531: The political spectrum . According to Florence Faucher-King and Patrick Le Galés, "New Labour's leadership was convinced of the need to accept a globalized capitalism and join forces with the middle classes, who were often hostile to the Unions", therefore shaping policy direction. New Labour offered a middle way between the neoliberal market economics of the New Right which it saw as economically efficient; and
7050-406: The south of England . In the elections of 2001 and 2005, Labour maintained much of the middle-class support that it had won in 1997. According to academics Charles Pattie and Ron Johnston, Labour's landslide in 1997 was achieved through Labour's strong performance in opposition, their modernisation efforts and moderate policies. These all encouraged many Conservative voters to abstain as the landslide
7200-414: The state and benefit claimants. Mark Bevir argues that another motivation for the creation of New Labour was as a response to the emergence of the New Right in the preceding decades. The previous two party leaders Neil Kinnock and John Smith had begun efforts to modernise the party as a strategy for electoral success before Smith died in 1994. Kinnock undertook the first wave of modernisation between
7350-548: The trade union movement of the late 19th century and surpassed the Liberal Party as the main opposition to the Conservatives in the early 1920s. In the 1930s and 1940s, it stressed national planning, using nationalisation of industry as a tool, in line with Clause IV of the original constitution of the Labour Party which called for the "common ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange, and
7500-477: The 1918 Labour Party Conference, the Party adopted Clause IV into its constitution, which had been drafted by Sidney Webb the year previously, and which called for "the common ownership of the means of production , distribution and exchange." The growth in Labour's local activist base and organisation was reflected in the elections following the war, the co-operative movement now providing its own resources to
7650-639: The American-led invasion of Iraq . British intervention in Iraq promoted public protest. Crowds numbering 400,000 and more demonstrated in October 2002 and again the following spring. On 15 February 2003, over 1,000,000 people demonstrated against the war in Iraq and 60,000 marched in Manchester before the Labour Party conference, with the demonstrators' issues including British occupation of Afghanistan and
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#17327654562557800-574: The Campaigns and Communications Directorate (established in 1985) and initiated the Shadow Communications Agency. He oversaw Labour's relationship with the media and believed in the importance of the agenda-setting role of the press. He felt that the agenda of the press ( broadsheets in particular) would influence important political broadcasters. In government, Mandelson was appointed minister without portfolio to co-ordinate
7950-528: The Chiltern Hundreds , or that of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead . These offices are sinecures (that is, they involve no actual duties); they exist solely to permit the "resignation" of members of the House of Commons. The Chancellor of the Exchequer is responsible for making the appointment, and, by convention, never refuses to do so when asked by a member who desires to leave
8100-690: The Conservative Party as a success as well its economic policy, welfare reform and certain aspects of education. Giddens criticised what he called Labour's "half-way houses", including the National Health Service and environmental and constitutional reform. History of the Labour Party (UK) National votes for Labour at general elections since 1992 (millions) England Wales Scotland The British Labour Party grew out of
8250-476: The Conservative gains were at the expense of the Liberals. The Zinoviev letter is now generally believed to have been a forgery. The new Conservative government led by Stanley Baldwin took decisive control of the general strike of 1926 , ending it in nine days by bringing in middle-class strikebreakers and averting violence. Ramsay MacDonald continued with his policy of opposing strike action , including
8400-468: The Conservative's landed interests) intensified support for the LRC against a government that appeared to have little concern for the industrial proletariat and its problems. In the 1906 election , the LRC won 29 seats—helped by the secret 1903 pact between Ramsay MacDonald and Liberal Chief Whip Herbert Gladstone that aimed to avoid splitting the opposition vote between Labour and Liberal candidates in
8550-618: The European convention of human rights had established. It was given the royal assent on the 9 November 1998, but it was not truly put in place until early October 2000. After the United States strikes on Afghanistan and Sudan in 1998 , Blair released a statement supporting the actions. He lent military support to the United States' 2001 invasion of Afghanistan . In March 2003, the Labour government, fearing Saddam Hussein 's alleged access to weapons of mass destruction , participated in
8700-530: The House of Commons. Members of Parliament are entitled to use the post-nominal initials MP. MPs are referred to as "honourable" as a courtesy only during debates in the House of Commons (e.g., "the honourable member for ..."), or if they are the children of peers below the rank of marquess ("the honourable [first name] [surname]"). Those who are members of the Privy Council use the form The Right Honourable ( The Rt Hon. ) Name MP. The first duty of
8850-470: The ILP played a leading role. This forced the government to pass legislation which fixed wartime rents at pre-war levels. This was significant in that it showed labour to be the party that would defend working-class interests in housing, more than its rivals, while also helping Labour to move away from trade union related issues towards areas which had some direct appeal to women, in particular. In addition, as argued by Andrew Thorpe, it also "added credibility to
9000-499: The LRC free run against Conservatives in exchange for some sway over LRC campaign planks. Winning 25 out of the 30 seats in question, Labour helped H. H. Asquith 's government pass Britain's first national pension law in 1908 and, after extended collaboration in the election of 1910, the National Insurance Act 1911 providing National Insurance for both health and unemployment. Labour was also successful in amending
9150-610: The Labour Party and formed the National Labour Organisation . The remaining Labour Party, now led by Arthur Henderson , and a few Liberals went into opposition. The resulting 1931 election resulted in a landslide victory for the National Government, and was a disaster for the Labour Party which won only 52 seats, 225 fewer than in 1929. MacDonald continued as Prime Minister of the Conservative dominated National Government until 1935. MacDonald
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#17327654562559300-462: The Labour Party between its anti-war vs anti-fascist wings with some Labour MPs stating that it would amoral for Britain to go to war against Germany under the grounds that all wars were evil while other Labour MPs argued that Britain had a moral duty to defend Czechoslovakia should Germany invade. An internal memo in April 1938 for all Labour MPs and peers argued against support for Czechoslovakia under
9450-407: The Labour Party was strong enough to act on its own, and the Liberals were in an irreversible decline. The causes were subtle social changes in the working class that produced the younger generation that wanted to act independently. Michael Childs argues that the younger generation had reason to prefer Labour over Liberal political styles. Social factors included secularised elementary education (with
9600-422: The Labour government attempted to emphasise counter-terrorism measures. From 2002, the government followed policies aimed at reducing anti-social behaviour; in the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act , New Labour introduced Anti-social behaviour orders . Under this Labour Government, the '7/7' bombings took place, the first Islamic suicide attack and most deadly since the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 . Controversy on
9750-406: The New Labour branding and moved the party's political stance further to the left under the branding One Nation Labour . Jeremy Corbyn moved the party further to the left, while Keir Starmer has repositioned it back to the centre and won the 2024 general election ; Starmer's leadership of the party has been widely compared to that of Blair, and he is regarded as having taken the party back to
9900-815: The Non-Conscription Fellowship while a Labour Party affiliate, the British Socialist Party , organised a number of unofficial strikes. Arthur Henderson resigned from the Cabinet in 1917 amid calls for party unity to be replaced by George Barnes . Overall, however, the majority of the movement continued to support the war for the duration of the conflict, and the British Labour Party, unlike most of its equivalents in Continental Europe , did not split over
10050-479: The Report's recommendations must be adopted to avoid incurring a budget deficit. The dispute over spending and wage cuts split the Labour government; as it turned out, fatally. The cabinet repeatedly failed to agree to make cuts to spending or introduce tariffs. The resulting political deadlock caused investors to take fright, and a flight of capital and gold further de-stabilised the economy. In response, MacDonald, on
10200-577: The United Kingdom needed a stronger national identity and signalled a tougher stance on groups promoting Islamist extremism. However, official statistics showed that European Union and non-European Union mass immigration , together with asylum seeker applications, all increased substantially during Cameron's term in office. Trade union activist and journalist Jimmy Reid wrote in The Scotsman in 2002 criticising New Labour for failing to promote or deliver equality. He argued that Labour's pursuit of
10350-449: The beginning of 1918, ensuring a real degree of "fair play." An excess profits duty was also introduced in 1915 which stood at 80% by 1917, and Labour's credentials were further established by the WEC's "Conscription of Riches" campaign, launched in 1916. Since 'fair play' was one of the great traditions of British radicalism, it was clearly to Labour's advantage to push in this direction, and
10500-583: The behaviour of the leadership of New Labour and their use of threats in parliament such as overlooking promotions for MPs in order to maintain party support. While referring to the other parties in Westminster as well, he likened these MPs as "little more than docile lobby-fodder for their respective oligarchies". Although close to New Labour and a key figure in the development of the Third Way , sociologist Anthony Giddens dissociated himself from many of
10650-449: The best obtainable system of popular administration and control of each industry or service" (this clause was eventually revised in 1994). Labour has had several spells in government, first as minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929–1931. MacDonald and half his cabinet split with the mainstream of the party and were denounced as traitors. Labour was a junior partner in the wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945. Following
10800-427: The break through for the party, as the Liberals declined sharply and Labour moved into second place behind the Conservatives. Historian Andrew Thorpe argues that "Labour's ability to make so much of the opportunities offered by the war was due, mainly, the parties basic underlying unity during the conflict." Before the war the party was officially committed to the antiwar argument that capitalism caused warfare. However,
10950-682: The centre-ground, in a similar way to that achieved by New Labour. First elected to parliament as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sedgefield , County Durham at the 1983 general election , Tony Blair became the leader of the Labour Party in 1994 after winning 57% of the vote in that year's leadership election , defeating John Prescott and Margaret Beckett . His first shadow cabinet role came in November 1988, when Neil Kinnock appointed him as Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and in July 1992
11100-454: The clause committed Labour to a balance of market and public ownership and to balance creation of wealth with social justice . Blair argued for increased modernisation at the conference, asserting that "parties that do not change die, and [Labour] is a living movement not a historical monument". During the period from 1994 to 1997, after Blair's election as party leader, Labour managed to reverse decades of decline in party membership by increasing
11250-530: The difficult task of keeping the various strands of opinions in the LRC united. The October 1900 "Khaki election" came too soon for the new party to campaign effectively; total expenses for the election only came to £33. Only 15 candidatures were sponsored, but two were successful; Keir Hardie in Merthyr Tydfil and Richard Bell in Derby . Support for the LRC was boosted by the 1901 Taff Vale Case ,
11400-435: The electorate and to portray a departure from the party's traditional socialist policies, thereby communicating the party's modernisation to the public. However, it was criticised for its breaking of election promises and of loosening its links to the trade unions . Calls for modernisation had become prominent following Labour's heavy defeat in the 1983 general election , with the new Labour leader, Neil Kinnock , who came from
11550-462: The ethical reformism of post-1945 Labour which shared New Labour's concern for social justice. New Labour's ideology departed with its traditional beliefs in achieving social justice on behalf of the working class through mass collectivism . Blair was influenced by ethical and Christian socialist views and used these to cast what some consider a modern form of socialism or liberal socialism . New Labour tended to emphasise social justice rather than
11700-481: The extension of the franchise to working-class males, when it became apparent that there was a need for a political party to represent the interests and needs of those groups. Some members of the trade union movement became interested in moving into the political field, and after the extensions of the franchise in 1867 and 1885, the Liberal Party endorsed some trade-union sponsored candidates. In addition, several small socialist groups had formed around this time with
11850-408: The fact that such policies could be implemented greatly enhanced labour's general credibility. The wartime experience of the Labour ministers made them feel more confident of their party's ability to use the machinery of state to bring about social change, and encouraged them to resist policies of "direct action" urged by local Soviets and the fledgling Communist Party of Great Britain . However, at
12000-559: The first all-Labour local council to be elected in England. Elections for the Women's Sections were carried out by postal ballot in 1931. They resulted in the appointment of Clarice Shaw , Ald. Rose Davies, Mrs. Hyde and Jessie Stephen . The 1923 general election was fought on the Conservatives' protectionist proposals; although they got the most votes and remained the largest party, they lost their majority in parliament, requiring
12150-516: The first elections held there. This was the first council to have substantial socialist influence, and carried out a programme of municipalisation , while constructing some of the first social housing in England and increasing public spending on services such as the London Fire Brigade . In addition, fair wages contracts and minimum wage rates were introduced, the number of parks and public baths were increased, London's sewerage system
12300-471: The first time as the largest grouping in the House of Commons with 287 seats, and 37.1% of the popular vote (actually slightly less than the Conservatives). However, MacDonald was still reliant on Liberal support to form a minority government. MacDonald's government included the first ever woman cabinet minister Margaret Bondfield who was appointed Minister of Labour . MacDonald's second government
12450-597: The first time when Henderson was invited to join Asquith's wartime government . Asquith wanted the co-operation of the trade union movement to greatly expand munitions production. Henderson became President of the Board of Education and served as adviser to Asquith on labour issues. Minor positions were given to G. H. Roberts and William Bruce. In December 1916, when Asquith was replaced by David Lloyd George , more Labour leaders were included in more important positions. Henderson
12600-657: The first to win three consecutive general elections. He was also the first Labour leader to win a general election since Harold Wilson in 1974. In the months following Labour's 1997 election victory, referendums were held in Scotland and Wales regarding devolution . There was a clear majority supporting devolution in Scotland and a narrower majority in Wales—Scotland received a stronger degree of devolution than Wales. The Labour government passed laws in 1998 to establish
12750-534: The formation of a coalition between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats . Cameron became the Prime Minister and Clegg the Deputy Prime Minister of a cabinet that contained eighteen Conservative ministers and five Liberal Democrat ministers. In announcing his intention to run for the leadership, David Miliband declared that the New Labour era was over. Following the publication of Blair's memoirs on 1 September 2010, Ed Miliband said: "I think it
12900-506: The forthcoming invasion of Iraq. In June 2007, Blair resigned as the leader of the Labour Party and Gordon Brown , previously the Chancellor of the Exchequer , succeeded him following the 2007 Labour Party conference. Three years earlier, Blair had announced that he would not be contesting a fourth successive general election as Labour Party leader if he won the 2005 general election. Brown initially had strong public support and plans for
13050-593: The funding for education and healthcare. His economic strategy was market-based , attempting to reform the welfare state through a tax credit scheme for poorer working families and assigned the Bank of England to set interest rates. In 1985, Peter Mandelson was appointed as the Labour Party's director of communications. Previously, he had worked in television broadcasting and helped the party become increasingly effective at communication and more concerned with its media image, especially with non-partisans. Mandelson headed
13200-459: The general strike, arguing that the best way to achieve social reforms was through the ballot box. Labour deeply distrusted the media and lost heavily in the court of public opinion formed by a hostile press. They learned a lesson and switched to a policy of deliberate media engagement, notably with the BBC , which proved successful in the long run. The election of May 1929 left the Labour Party for
13350-463: The government came to power, and the crisis hit Britain hard. By the end of 1930 the unemployment rate had doubled to over two and a half million. The Labour government struggled to cope with the crisis and found itself attempting to reconcile two contradictory aims; achieving a balanced budget in order to maintain the pound on the Gold Standard , whilst also trying to maintain assistance to
13500-402: The government had to rely on the support of the Liberals it was unable to implement many of its more contentious policies such as nationalisation of the coal industry, or a capital levy . Although no radical changes were introduced, Labour demonstrated that they were capable of governing. The government collapsed after only nine months when the Liberals voted for a Select Committee inquiry into
13650-718: The government in February 1931 and went on to form the New Party , and later the British Union of Fascists after he converted to Fascism . By 1931 the situation had deteriorated further. Under pressure from its Liberal allies as well as the Conservative opposition who feared that the budget was unbalanced, the Labour government appointed a committee headed by Sir George May to review the state of public finances. The May Report of July 1931 urged public-sector wage cuts and large cuts in public spending (notably in payments to
13800-878: The grounds that it would cause a world war. However, as the Sudetenland crisis went along, Labour MPs increasingly framed the crisis of a struggle between a small, weak and democratic state, namely Czechoslovakia, that was being bullied by a large, strong and totalitarian state, namely Germany. Member of Parliament (United Kingdom) King Charles III [REDACTED] William, Prince of Wales [REDACTED] Charles III ( King-in-Council ) [REDACTED] Starmer ministry ( L ) Keir Starmer ( L ) Angela Rayner ( L ) ( King-in-Parliament ) [REDACTED] Charles III [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The Lord Reed The Lord Hodge Andrew Bailey Monetary Policy Committee In
13950-611: The idea of state action to control market forces which disadvantaged the working class." The Labour Party also campaigned for "fair shares," attacking profiteering and unrestricted market forces, and secured some advances by applying pressure on the government. The Labour Party pushed hard for high taxation of war profits, rationing, and other controls, and in 1917 with J. R. Clynes at the Food Commission and in 1918 as Controller, price controls were introduced which stabilised food prices, while rationing, which came into operation at
14100-418: The influence of the press which had weakened former Labour leader Neil Kinnock and create allies for the party. While in government, Campbell established a Strategic Communications Unit , a central body whose role was to co-ordinate the party's media relations and ensure that a unified image was presented to the press. Because of his background in tabloid journalism , Campbell understood how different parts of
14250-674: The intention of linking the movement to political policies. Among these were the Independent Labour Party , the intellectual and largely middle-class Fabian Society , the Social Democratic Federation and the Scottish Labour Party . It was during this period that British socialism began to make headway in local government. In 1889 the Progressive Party composed of Fabians and British Liberals took control of London County Council at
14400-579: The interest of removing the Conservatives from office. In their first meeting after the election the group's Members of Parliament decided to adopt the name "The Labour Party" formally (15 February 1906). Keir Hardie, who had taken a leading role in getting the party established, was elected as Chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party (in effect, the Leader), although only by one vote over David Shackleton after several ballots. In
14550-483: The interpretations of the Third Way made in the sphere of day-to-day politics. For him, it was not a succumbing to neoliberalism or the dominance of capitalist markets . The point was to get beyond both market fundamentalism and traditional top-down socialism —to make the values of the centre-left count in a globalising world. He argued that "the regulation of financial markets is the single most pressing issue in
14700-404: The media would cover stories. He was a valued news source for journalists because he was close to Blair—Campbell was the first press secretary to regularly attend cabinet meetings. New Labour developed and subscribed to the Third Way, a platform designed to offer an alternative "beyond capitalism and socialism". The ideology was developed to make the party progressive and attract voters from across
14850-626: The mining areas, or a much larger number on Boards of Guardians , Parish Councils , and District Councils . Aside from education, and the feeding and medical inspection and treatment of schoolchildren, the issues which the Labour Party pressed most urgently in local government were the local provision of work for the unemployed, the eight-hour workday , the adoption and enforcement of the Fair Wages Clause in public contracts, and fair wages and conditions for local authority employees. In some areas (particularly Birmingham and Glasgow ) there
15000-408: The next election by capitalising on the unpopularity of the Conservative government was not sufficient. New Labour also used the party's brand to continue this modernisation and it was used to communicate the modernisation of the party to the public. The party also began to use focus groups to test whether their policy ideas were attractive to swing voters . Its purpose was to reassure the public that
15150-448: The number by around 40%, increasing its capacity to compete for office whilst also legitimising the leadership of Blair. In 1997, New Labour won a landslide victory at the general election after eighteen years of Conservative government, winning a total of 418 seats in the House of Commons —the largest victory in the party's history. The party was also victorious in 2001 and 2005, making Blair Labour's longest-serving Prime Minister and
15300-417: The party had lost. This was due to the calculated targeting of C1 and C2 voters by the Labour campaign and an anti-Conservative vote as opposed to an endorsement of Labour. Labour won greater support among younger voters than older, but there was no significant gender difference. During the 1980s, much of Labour's support had retreated into industrial areas of the north and in 1997 Labour performed much better in
15450-432: The party leadership, claiming that from 2007 the party "lost the driving rhythm". Nonetheless, New Labour's Third Way influenced a range of centre-left political parties across the world. Once New Labour was established, it was developed as a brand, portrayed as a departure from Old Labour , the party of pre-1994 which had been criticised for regularly betraying its election promises and was linked with trade unionism ,
15600-409: The party towards the right . Many left-wing Labour members such as Arthur Scargill left the party because of New Labour's emergence; however, New Labour attracted many from the centre and centre-right into its ranks. Underlining the significant ideological shifts that had taken place and indicating why the reception of New Labour was negative amongst traditional left-wing supporters, Lord Rothermere ,
15750-435: The party won on account of public opposition to the Conservative Party. Tony Blair became the leader of the Labour Party after 1994's leadership election and coined the term New Labour in that October's party conference. Blair pursued a Third Way philosophy that sought to use the public and private sectors to stimulate economic growth and abandon Labour's commitment to nationalisation. Blair's approach to government included
15900-415: The party would provide a new kind of governance and mitigate fears that a Labour government would return to the labour unrest that had characterised its past. Blair explained that modernisation was "about returning Labour to its traditional role as a majority mainstream party advancing the interests of the broad majority of people". While the party was in power, press secretary Alastair Campbell installed
16050-455: The party's soft left Tribune Group of Labour MPs, calling for a review of policies that led to the party's defeat, and for improvements to the party's public image to be made by Peter Mandelson , a former television producer. Following the leaderships of Neil Kinnock and John Smith , the party under Tony Blair attempted to widen its electoral appeal under the New Labour tagline and by the 1997 general election it had made significant gains in
16200-523: The party's early years the Independent Labour Party (ILP) provided much of its activist base as the party did not have individual membership until 1918 but operated as a conglomerate of affiliated bodies. The Fabian Society provided much of the intellectual stimulus for the party. One of the first acts of the new Liberal Government was to reverse the Taff Vale judgement , while Labour parliamentarians encouraged and supported progressive measures such as
16350-608: The passing of older Liberal-oriented age cohorts during the 1920s enabled Labour to supplant the Liberals. The 1910 election saw 42 Labour MPs elected to the House of Commons, a significant victory since, a year before the election, the House of Lords had passed the Osborne judgment ruling that Trades Unions in the United Kingdom could no longer donate money to fund the election campaigns and wages of Labour MPs. The governing Liberals were unwilling to repeal this judicial decision with primary legislation. The height of Liberal compromise
16500-416: The poor and unemployed. All of this whilst tax revenues were falling. The Chancellor of the Exchequer , Philip Snowden refused to permit deficit spending . One junior minister, Oswald Mosley , put forward a memorandum in January 1930, calling for the public control of imports and banking as well as an increase in pensions to boost spending power. When this was repeatedly turned down, Mosley resigned from
16650-455: The premiership in the future, although Blair's supporters have contended that such a deal never took place. The term New Labour was coined by Blair in his October 1994 Labour Party Conference speech as part of the slogan "new Labour, new Britain". During this speech, Blair announced the modification of Clause IV of the party's constitution which abandoned Labour's attachment to nationalisation and embraced market economics . The new version of
16800-552: The proprietor of The Daily Mail , defected to the Labour Party, stating: "I joined New Labour because that was obviously the New Conservative party". When Thatcher was asked what her greatest achievement was, she stated, "Tony Blair and New Labour". Tony Blair himself declared Thatcher to be a "towering political figure" of whom he said he wanted "to build on some of the things she did rather than reverse them". Warwick University politics lecturer Stephen Kettell criticised
16950-666: The reputation as an "Iron Chancellor" with his " Golden Rule " and conservative handling of the budget. Welfare reforms proposed by New Labour in their 2001 manifesto included Working Families Tax Credit , the National Childcare Strategy and the National Minimum Wage . Writing in Capital & Class , Chris Grover argued that these policies were aimed at promoting work and that this position dominated New Labour's position on welfare. He considered
17100-413: The requirement to spread opportunities as much as possible and the need to remove unjustified inequalities. The party viewed social justice primarily as the requirement to give citizens equal political and economic liberty and also as the need for social citizenship. It encompasses the need for equal distribution of opportunity, with the caveat that things should not be taken from successful people to give to
17250-465: The same percentage of the budget on crime as the first. Incidents of crime did drastically decrease under New Labour, from around 18,000 in 1995 to 11,000 in 2005–6, yet this doesn't account for the decrease in police reports that occurred as well during this time. The prison population in 2005 rose to over 76,000, mostly owing to the increasing length of sentences. Following the September 11 attacks ,
17400-527: The second largest political group in the House of Commons and the official opposition to the Conservative government. After the election the now-rehabilitated Ramsay MacDonald was voted the first official leader of the Labour Party . Progress continued in local government. In 1919 John Adams (later Baron Adams of Ennerdale) led a successful election challenge to the sitting members of Arlecdon and Frizington District Council in Cumberland. This established
17550-447: The small surviving Liberal party had elaborate analyses and proposals thanks to its experts such as John Maynard Keynes and William Beveridge . When Labour came to power in 1945, it discovered there were no plans on how to conduct nationalisation. No preparation had been made for the shortages in coal that experts had warned was coming. Attlee and his fellow leaders based their postwar policies on wartime experiences. The Labour Party
17700-420: The space of 10 years, lost half of its membership. But it had become a formidable machine for winning elections". Under Neil Kinnock , Labour attempted to widen its electoral support from narrow class divisions . After Blair took the leadership, the party made significant gains in higher social classes and won 39% support from managers and administrators in the 1997 election, more than in previous elections that
17850-466: The subject came to the fore when Andrew Neather—a former adviser to Jack Straw , Tony Blair and David Blunkett —said that Labour ministers had a hidden agenda in allowing mass immigration into Britain. This alleged conspiracy has become known by the sobriquet Neathergate. According to Neather, who was present at closed meetings in 2000, a secret government report called for mass immigration to change Britain's cultural make-up and that "mass immigration
18000-426: The threat from Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy in 1936 to 1938. The Spanish crisis discredited the once-dominant pacifist element. The Party now came out in favour of rearmament. This shift largely came about due to the efforts of Ernest Bevin and Hugh Dalton who by 1937 also persuaded the party to oppose Neville Chamberlain 's policy of appeasement . The Sudetenland crisis of 1938 caused much internal tension in
18150-514: The time being may be engaged in promoting legislation in the direct interests of labour". This created an association called the Labour Representation Committee (LRC), meant to coordinate attempts to support MPs sponsored by trades unions and represent the working-class population. It had no single leader, and in the absence of one, the Independent Labour Party nominee Ramsay MacDonald was elected as Secretary. He had
18300-399: The time). See Abyssinia Crisis Lansbury had to resign. He was succeeded by his deputy, Clement Attlee , who achieved a revival in Labour's fortunes in the 1935 General Election , securing 154 seats and winning a similar number of votes to those attained in 1929 and actually, at 38% of the popular vote, the highest percentage that Labour had ever achieved. Mild, unassuming and modest Attlee
18450-414: The unemployed) in order to avoid a budget deficit. This proposal proved deeply unpopular within the Labour Party grass roots and the trade unions , which along with several government ministers, refused to support any such measures. Several senior ministers such as Arthur Henderson and J. R. Clynes threatened to resign rather than agree to the cuts. MacDonald, and Philip Snowden however, insisted that
18600-518: The unsuccessful. New Labour accepted the economic efficiency of markets and believed that they could be detached from capitalism to achieve the aims of socialism while maintaining the efficiency of capitalism. Markets were also useful for giving power to consumers and allowing citizens to make their own decisions and act responsibly. New Labour embraced market economics because they believed they could be used for their social aims as well as economic efficiency. The party did not believe that public ownership
18750-411: The urging of the king agreed to form a National Government , with the Conservatives and the small group of Liberals. On 24 August 1931 MacDonald submitted the resignation of his ministers and led a small number of his senior colleagues, most notably Snowden and Dominions Secretary J. H. Thomas , in forming the National Government with the other parties. MacDonald and his supporters were then expelled from
18900-407: The various government departments. In 1998, he resigned as a cabinet minister after being accused of financial impropriety. In 2021, The Times reported that Mandelson had been advising Labour leader Keir Starmer on moving the party beyond Jeremy Corbyn 's leadership and broadening its electoral appeal. Alastair Campbell was the Labour Party's Press Secretary and led a strategy to neutralise
19050-515: The view that New Labour's welfare reforms were workfarist and argued that in this context it must refer to social policy being put in line with market economic growth. Gower proposed that under New Labour this position was consolidated through schemes to encourage work. Parts of New Labour's political philosophy linked crime with social exclusion and pursued policies to encourage partnerships between social and police authorities to lower crime rates whereas other areas of New Labour's policy maintained
19200-652: The war. During the course of the First World War, while serving both inside and outside of government, the Labour Party was able to influence a number of progressive developments in social policy. At a time when 90% of housing was privately rented, landlords sought to increase rents in the face of rising wartime prices (and in some cases as a means of profiteering). This resulted in a range of largely spontaneous protests in 1915 which were then often co-ordinated by local Labour movements, such as that in Glasgow, where
19350-548: The world economy" and that "global commitment to free trade depends upon effective regulation rather than dispenses with the need for it". In 2002, Giddens listed problems facing the New Labour government, naming spin as the biggest failure because its damage to the party's image was difficult to rebound from. He also challenged the failure of the Millennium Dome project and Labour's inability to deal with irresponsible businesses. Giddens saw Labour's ability to marginalise
19500-445: Was active pressure in support of municipal housing and slum clearance schemes, while there was also continued agitation (in relation to the Board of guardians) for improved treatment both of the unemployed and other classes of paupers, particularly the disabled and the aged. House-building, midway between a public health service and a trading enterprise, became one of the main planks in the Labour municipal platform. World War I marked
19650-732: Was also a supporter of reforming the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 , and attempted to improve the quality of the food given to the children in the Bradford Workhouse after being elected as a Poor Law Guardian . In 1898, West Ham borough became the first ever Labour council. The new administration embarked on a programme involving the enlargement of the municipal workforce and bringing it directly under public control in order to improve job security, conditions, and pay for workers. A minimum wage and an eight-hour workday were introduced for council employees, together with
19800-413: Was appointed to promote schemes of unification. Minimum wages and subsistence allowances were fixed for one year, while measures for miner's safety were increased and improved. The Pensions Act 1929 granted pensions to over 500,000 children, old people, and widows who had previously been excluded from the pensions system . The Wall Street Crash of 1929 and eventual Great Depression occurred soon after
19950-409: Was attended by a broad spectrum of working-class and left-wing organisations — trades unions represented about one third of the membership of the TUC delegates. After a debate, the 129 delegates passed Hardie's motion to establish "a distinct Labour group in Parliament, who shall have their own whips, and agree upon their policy, which must embrace a readiness to cooperate with any party which for
20100-511: Was badly divided in the 1930s. The pacifist faction opposing all warfare and British rearmament fought a faction that was willing to support a war provided it was done so under the auspices of the League of Nations to resist aggression. Public disagreements between the pacifists led by Lansbury and most Party members were focused on Lansbury's opposition to applying sanctions against Italy for its aggression against Ethiopia (called Abyssinia at
20250-459: Was efficient or desirable, ensuring that they were not seen to be ideologically pursuing centralised public ownership was important to the party. In government, the party relied on public-private partnerships and private finance initiatives to raise funds and mitigate fears of a tax and spend policy or excessive borrowing. New Labour maintained Conservative spending plans in their first two years in office and, during this time, Gordon Brown earned
20400-646: Was improved, roads were widened and paved, and the Blackwall Tunnel , linking the Isle of Dogs with Greenwich , was opened in 1897. The Women's Labour League , which was active in the field of social policy, set up a child welfare clinic in Kensington before the outbreak of World War I . In 1892, Fred Jowett (a member of the Independent Labour Party ) became the first socialist to be elected to Bradford City Council . A few months later, Jowett founded
20550-531: Was in a stronger parliamentary position than his first, and in 1930 he was able to pass a revised Old Age Pensions Act, a more generous Unemployment Insurance Act, and an act to improve wages and conditions in the coal industry (i.e. the issues behind the General Strike). Under the Coal Mines Act 1930 , for instance, marketing schemes for output and price regulation were set up, while a commission
20700-422: Was influenced by the party's development of Anthony Giddens ' Third Way which attempted to provide a synthesis between capitalism and socialism . The party emphasised the importance of social justice , rather than equality, emphasising the need for equal opportunity and believed in the use of markets to deliver economic efficiency and social justice. The New Labour brand was developed to regain trust from
20850-550: Was initially regarded as a weak caretaker leader. However his pragmatism, command of information, and brokering abilities made him highly effective in backstage negotiations and manoeuvres. Attlee became the longest serving party leader, and one of its most successful. In 1936 the far left rallied to the support of the Soviet-supported Republican forces during the Spanish Civil War and against
21000-400: Was much lower than in the previous two elections which David Rubinstein has attributed to anger at the war in Iraq and towards Blair himself. Professors Geoffrey Evans, John Curtice and Pippa Norris of Strathclyde University published a paper considering the incidence of tactical voting in the 1997 general election. Their studies showed that tactical voting increased in 1997—there was
21150-486: Was personally involved in these negotiations. The Fabian Society was a forum for New Labour ideas and for critical approaches from across the party. The most significant Fabian contribution to Labour's policy agenda in government was Ed Balls 's 1992 pamphlet advocating Bank of England independence . In 1998, Blair and his New Labour government introduced the Human Rights Act . This was made to give UK law what
21300-479: Was presented as the brand of a newly reformed party that had altered the old Clause IV (which stressed nationalisation) and instead endorsed market economics . The branding was extensively used while the party was in government between 1997 and 2010. New Labour was influenced by the political thinking of Anthony Crosland and the leadership of Blair and Brown as well as Peter Mandelson and Alastair Campbell 's media campaigning. The political philosophy of New Labour
21450-425: Was promoted to the inner war cabinet, while George Barnes of the engineers became Minister of Pensions and John Hodge of the steel workers became Minister of Labour. William Bruce, G. H. Roberts, and James Parker (another Labour MP) took minor posts. Despite mainstream Labour Party's support for the war effort, the Independent Labour Party was instrumental in opposing conscription through organisations such as
21600-540: Was promoted to the role of Shadow Home Secretary on the election of John Smith as Leader of the Labour Party. Gordon Brown , who went on to hold senior positions in Blair's Labour government before succeeding him as Prime Minister in June 2007, was not a candidate in the 1994 leadership election because of an agreement between the two made in 1994 in which Brown promised not to run for election. The media has since speculated that Blair agreed to stand down and allow Brown
21750-416: Was running up against skills shortages. [...] Somehow this has become distorted by excitable Right-wing newspaper columnists into being a "plot" to make Britain multicultural. There was no plot". In February 2011, the then Prime Minister David Cameron stated that the "doctrine of state multiculturalism" (promoted by the previous Labour government) had failed and will no longer be state policy. He stated that
21900-407: Was seen by many as a foregone conclusion. The 2001 election resulted in significant drops in turnout in Labour heartland seats which has been attributed to voters regarding the re-election of Labour incumbents as a foregone conclusion, coupled with discontent surrounding Labour's perceived inability to deliver significant improvements in public services during their first term. In 2005, Labour's support
22050-405: Was succeeded by his Chancellor of the Exchequer , Gordon Brown . Labour lost the 2010 general election which resulted in the first hung parliament in thirty-six years and led to the creation of a Conservative – Liberal Democrat coalition government . Brown resigned as Prime Minister and as Labour Party leader shortly thereafter. He was succeeded as party leader by Ed Miliband , who abandoned
22200-425: Was the way that the government was going to make the UK truly multicultural". Neather went on to say that "the policy was intended—even if this wasn't its main purpose—to rub the right's nose in diversity and render their arguments out of date". Neather later stated that his words had been twisted, saying: "The main goal was to allow in more migrant workers at a point when—hard as it is to imagine now—the booming economy
22350-596: Was to introduce a wage for Members of Parliament to remove the need to involve the Trade Unions. By 1913, faced with the opposition of the largest Trades Unions, the Liberal government passed the Trade Disputes Act to allow Trade Unions to fund Labour MPs once more. By 1914, there were about 420 Labour representatives sitting on municipal Councils of various kinds, not including a few County councilors in
22500-405: Was vehemently denounced by the Labour Party as a "traitor" and a "rat" for what they saw as his betrayal. Arthur Henderson , who had been elected in 1931 as Labour leader to succeed MacDonald, lost his seat in the 1931 General Election. The only former Labour cabinet member who survived the landslide was the pacifist George Lansbury , who accordingly became party leader. The party experienced
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