116-596: The Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention ( NICC ) was an elected body set up in 1975 by the United Kingdom Labour government of Harold Wilson as an attempt to deal with constitutional issues surrounding the status of Northern Ireland . The idea for a constitutional convention was first mooted by the Northern Ireland Office in its white paper The Northern Ireland Constitution , published on 4 July 1974. The paper laid out plans for elections to
232-605: 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
348-513: 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
464-518: 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 the banks became unable to loan the government enough to cover
580-679: 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 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
696-583: A 'Unionist' in Belfast in 1973, announced two days after the election in the local press that he would sit as a VUPP councillor although he stood in 1977 as a UUUP candidate. Finally, Randall Crawford, elected in Coleraine in 1973 and 1977 as a non-party candidate, stood for Londonderry in the 1975 Constitutional convention election as a VUPP candidate. A further councillor, Mrs M. Corrie, elected in Castlereagh as
812-558: A body which would seek agreement on a political settlement for Northern Ireland. The proposals became law with the enactment of the Northern Ireland Act 1974 later that month. With Lord Chief Justice Robert Lowry appointed to chair the new body, elections were announced for 1 May 1975. The elections were held for the 78-member body using the single transferable vote system of proportional representation in each of Northern Ireland's twelve Westminster constituencies. Initially
928-520: A booklet published in late 1972 entitled 'Community of the British Isles', it even flirted with the idea of full independence for Northern Ireland, albeit within a structure which would also include Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland. In late 1973 it rejected the idea of compulsory power-sharing with Irish Nationalists and consequently refused invitations to take part in the conferences which led to
1044-653: 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
1160-524: A cut in wages. The miners were totally opposed and planned a strike. The TUC coalition of unions decided it would support 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
1276-490: 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
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#17328520311131392-656: 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
1508-554: A meeting of the UUUC with 37 votes against and only Craig voting in favour. Consequently, Craig and the rump of VUPP were expelled from the UUUC. The 1977 local elections were overshadowed by the abortive United Unionist Action Council (UUAC) Strike, which was mainly supported by the DUP and the UUUM. In contrast to 1974, when they had played a prominent role in the previous strike Vanguard criticised
1624-636: A meeting of the right wing Conservative Monday Club during which he claimed he could mobilise 80,000 men "who are prepared to come out and shoot and kill." The party contested a succession of elections: to the brief Sunningdale Assembly, the February 1974 General Election , the October 1974 General Election and the 1975 elections to the Constitutional Convention. The 1973 Sunningdale and local council elections were fought in an informal alliance with
1740-460: 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 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
1856-531: 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
1972-522: 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
2088-578: A result, Rees announced the dissolution of the body on 4 March 1976 effective two days later, and Northern Ireland remained under direct rule . The relevant parts of the Northern Ireland Act 1974 governing the creation and operation of the Convention were subsequently repealed by the Northern Ireland Act 1982. On the face of it, the NICC was a total failure as it did not achieve its aims of agreement between
2204-522: A return to majority rule as had previously existed under the old Parliament of Northern Ireland government. As such a solution was completely unacceptable to the nationalist parties, the NICC was placed on hiatus. The NICC report in its conclusion said of mandatory power-sharing with a role for the SDLP in a devolved government: ...no country ought to be forced to have in its Cabinet any person whose political philosophy and attitudes have revealed his opposition to
2320-517: 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 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
2436-586: 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
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#17328520311132552-462: 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
2668-522: A year or two." But any idea of power sharing was anathema to many Unionist in the post-Sunningdale climate of 1975. Indeed, in January 1976, Deputy leader Ernest Baird warned that "If Westminster does not accept the Protestants' rejection of power-sharing, it must face the inevitable consequences of a final conflict." As a result, the party was split with only David Trimble and Glenn Barr backing Craig and
2784-439: 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
2900-422: 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
3016-466: 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
3132-411: 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
3248-624: 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
3364-528: The 2019 general election Corbyn announced that he would stand down as leader. Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party The Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party ( VUPP ), informally known as Ulster Vanguard , was a unionist political party which existed in Northern Ireland between 1972 and 1978. Led by William Craig , the party emerged from a split in the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and
3480-509: 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
3596-585: The 2024 general election , and is currently the largest political party by number of votes cast and number of seats in the House of Commons , followed in seat share by the Conservative Party and 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
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3712-552: 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
3828-663: The DUP as "the loyalist coalition" while the latter three were fought as part of the United Ulster Unionist Council , a more formal arrangement, with the Democratic Unionist Party and the Ulster Unionists, where the anti-Sunningdale wing of the party was now in control. Source : During the 1973–75 period VUPP was able to match or even beat the DUP in several elections. However, their prospect of replacing
3944-483: 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
4060-603: The Good Friday Agreement and the Northern Ireland Assembly . Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party 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
4176-534: 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 a strong pacifist element made it slow to support
4292-474: 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
4408-478: 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 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
4524-600: 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 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
4640-529: The Sunningdale Agreement . In their 1974 Westminster manifesto, they called for the more mainstream Unionist option of either devolved government with full security responsibilities or full integration into the UK. However, there were occasions when it did not follow the same course as other right-wing or unionist parties. For example, in the 1975 referendum on the United Kingdom's membership of the-then European Economic Community , it campaigned for
4756-688: The Vanguard Service Corps (USC), whose main function seemed to be to provide escorts for Vanguard speakers attending rallies. Vanguard strongly criticised the imposition of direct rule and in its booklet 'Ulster – A Nation', published in April 1972, it pledged "resistance to an undemocratic and un-British regime" and suggested the possibility of a federal British Isles. At the Darlington Conference in September 1972, held to discuss various constitutional options for Northern Ireland, they proposed
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4872-484: 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
4988-496: 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
5104-423: 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
5220-569: The Conservatives return to power, benefiting from the Zinoviev letter and the continuing collapse of the Liberal vote. The Labour share of 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
5336-417: The DUP as the second party of Unionism ended as a result of events during the Constitutional Convention. The Constitutional Convention was intended to serve as a forum to allow the politicians of Northern Ireland to draw up their own proposals for the political future of the province, though this proved unsuccessful. However, it led to William Craig proposing a voluntary coalition with the nationalist SDLP in
5452-456: 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 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
5568-414: The House of Commons with 287 seats, but fell short of a majority, forming another minority government. In 1931, in response to 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
5684-476: 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
5800-622: 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
5916-416: 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 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
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#17328520311136032-527: 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
6148-586: The NICC, increasing hope that the body might achieve some of its aims. Also elected were some younger figures who went on to become leading figures in the future of Northern Ireland politics. These included: The elections left the body fundamentally weakened from its inception as an overall majority had been obtained by those Unionists who opposed power sharing as a concept. As a result, the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention Report published on 20 November 1975 recommended only
6264-600: 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 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
6380-610: The Stormont unionist MP William McConnell claiming that Vanguard rallies involved "a certain Hitlerian-type figure ... walking up and down the lines, inspecting his so-called storm-troopers." Craig however denied that the party was either neo-nazi or paramilitary. Ulster Vanguard was intended to provide an umbrella organisation for various loyalist groups. It had close links with, and strong support from loyalist paramilitary groups. Vanguard had its own paramilitary grouping called
6496-1115: The UUP Rev. Martin Smyth , later a UUP MP and Grand Master of the Orange Order , was deputy leader of the Vanguard movement but declined to join the party. However, in addition to the eleven above, a further thirteen councillors elected in 1973 (usually under a 'loyalist' label) contested the 1977 local elections either for Vanguard or for their splinter party, the United Ulster Unionist Party . This includes seven councillors elected as loyalists in 1973 who ran as VUPP candidates in 1977, namely Seymour, Armstrong, Semple and Stewart ( Larne ); Green and Mary O'Fee ( North Down ); and Glenn Barr ( Londonderry ). A further four sitting councillors elected as Loyalists stood as UUUP candidates in 1977, namely McKeever (Larne), Ritchie ( Carrickfergus ), Scott ( Castlereagh ) and Parke ( Cookstown ). Ben Horan, elected as
6612-425: The UUUP. Craig then applied to rejoin the UUP in February 1978 and subsequently merged the remainder of Vanguard back into the Ulster Unionist Party, where it returned to its origins as a pressure group within the UUP as the Vanguard movement, although this too seems to have quickly faded away. The Democratic Unionist Party subsequently became the main Unionist party offering a more right wing alternative position to
6728-524: The Ulster Unionist Party who were opposed to the policies of the party's leader, and last Prime Minister of Northern Ireland , Brian Faulkner . The Ulster Vanguard movement was originally a political pressure group within the UUP. It was formed on 9 February 1972 and was led by William Craig (former Minister of Home Affairs at Stormont ) with its deputy leaders Rev Martin Smyth and the former Stormont MP for Carrick , Captain Austin Ardill . At its first meeting in Lisburn , on 13 February 1972, Craig made
6844-517: The Ulster Unionists. In the 1982 elections for the new Northern Ireland Assembly, Craig, who had once more left the Ulster Unionists after losing his seat at Westminster, revived the name Vanguard for his candidacy in East Belfast . However he failed to get elected. Craig's revived Vanguard was reportedly still in existence at the time of signing of the 1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement . Several prominent current Ulster Unionist politicians were members of Vanguard, including future UUP MP David Burnside (who
6960-472: The United Kingdom to remain a member whilst the other Unionist parties campaigned for withdrawal. Vanguard was firmly supportive of extra-parliamentary activity in the form of direct action to achieve its goals. On 26 January 1972, Craig announced plans to hold large rallies in major centres in Northern Ireland. The culmination was a large rally on 18 March 1972 in Belfast's Ormeau Park, attended by up to 60,000 people, at which Craig said, "We must build up
7076-445: The affairs in the province, especially over security policy" The strike resulted in high levels of violence with five people, including a fireman, being killed, seven people wounded, several explosions and numerous malicious fires. The strike proved to be a forerunner of the Ulster Workers Council Strike the following year, in which VUPP again played a prominent role, making their headquarters in Hawthornden Road, Belfast, available to
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#17328520311137192-556: The body was intended to be purely consultative, although it was hoped that executive and legislative functions could be devolved to the NICC once a cross-community agreement had been reached. Unionists opposed to the NICC once again banded together under the umbrella of the United Ulster Unionist Council (UUUC) and this coalition proved the most successful, taking 46 seats. Brian Faulkner None Source: Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention Elections 1975 A number of leading Northern Ireland politicians were elected to
7308-538: 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 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
7424-482: 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 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
7540-485: 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
7656-410: 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
7772-521: The dossiers on the men and women who are a menace to this country, because one day, ladies and gentlemen, if the politicians fail, it will be our duty to liquidate the enemy." Following the suspension of Stormont and the imposition of direct rule in March 1972, Vanguard organised a general strike which lasted from 27 to 29 March. It affected power supplies, caused businesses to close and halted public transport. About 190,000 people participated and Vanguard members barricaded and took effective control of
7888-442: 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
8004-434: 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
8120-426: The event of there being a state of emergency. The move was a considerable surprise, with a confidential government memo commenting: "Mr. Craig appears to some as a knight in shining armour. The fact is that his aims were – and still are – simple: to get a devolved government which would control security policy as quickly as possible, on the basis of a gentleman's agreement that the SDLP would participate in government for
8236-427: The first of a number of bellicose pronouncements, declaring, "God help those who get in our way for we mean business." After the suspension of the Stormont Parliament , Faulkner moved towards a policy of power-sharing with nationalist and non-sectarian politicians under the Sunningdale Agreement . In opposition to this many in the Ulster Unionists broke away and founded a separate Vanguard Party, with William Craig as
8352-447: 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
8468-491: 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 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
8584-426: 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 the Party strongly opposed conscription for
8700-513: 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 was down 15% and overall prices were down 10%. But in
8816-403: 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
8932-558: 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 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
9048-505: 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
9164-448: 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
9280-413: 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
9396-419: The leader. Vanguard is usually considered to have been a right-wing party. The presence of features such as an honour guard and a common salute led opponents to accuse it of being fascist . In its earliest days, it adopted the style associated with falangist parties with an honour guard, a common salute and a habit of wearing sashes. This led to it being characterised as Mosleyite or even neo-Nazi with
9512-409: 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
9628-514: 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
9744-494: 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
9860-410: 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
9976-467: The new electorate with considerable success among working men, but far less success among women. As the Liberal Party collapsed, Labour became 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
10092-413: The other eleven convention members challenging Craig's leadership. Craig however claimed that he had the backing of the party's rank and file and this was confirmed when sixty percent of party members backed him at a specially convened meeting. The dissidents then broke away to form what would later become the United Ulster Unionist Party . On 8 September 1975, Craig's proposals were decisively rejected at
10208-614: 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
10324-470: The possibility of power-sharing with the SDLP, a move that split the UUUC and precipitated the eventual collapse of Vanguard . The idea of electing a consultative body to thrash out a deal for devolution was also retained and in 1996 it was revived when the Northern Ireland Forum was elected on largely the same lines and with the same overall purpose. The Forum formed part of a process that led to
10440-574: The possibility of voluntary power sharing with the nationalist Social Democratic and Labour Party . In consequence the party split, with dissenters forming the United Ulster Unionist Party . Thereafter Vanguard declined and following poor results in the 1977 local government elections , Craig merged the remainder of Vanguard into the UUP in February 1978. It had its roots in the Vanguard or Ulster Vanguard wing of
10556-412: 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
10672-453: 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 was gone. One bright note came in 1934 when Herbert Morrison led Labour to take control of
10788-595: The restoration of the Northern Ireland Parliament as a single-chamber assembly with a committee system to ensure greater participation by all parties. Internal security responsibilities would be restored. However, there would be a bill of rights to safeguard the rights of minorities. It demanded the "extermination" of the Provisional Irish Republican Army and a reversal of the reforms introduced by Brian Faulkner and his predecessor. In
10904-520: 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
11020-615: 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 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
11136-440: The strike and together with the UUP and Orange Order, called for it to be abandoned. The 1977 council elections were seen as a crucial test of Vanguard's ability to survive as a party and ultimately the party failed that test. Although thirteen councillors elected in 1973 stood as VUPP candidates, the party emerged from the election with only five councillors compared to twelve councillors elected in 1977 for their breakaway rival,
11252-515: The strike leaders. with Craig a leading member of the UWC co-ordinating committee In addition to large rallies, Vanguard used other tactics to try to put pressure on the British Government. In July 1972, they called for a rent and rate strike, a proposal which put them at odds with other unionist parties and which was criticised by the DUP . Several months later, on 19 October 1972, Craig addressed
11368-455: The town of Portadown . Later 100,000 unionists converged on the drive leading to Stormont, where Craig addressed the crowds, but deferred to the outgoing Prime Minister Brian Faulkner, who managed to disperse the crowds. On 3 June 1972, VUPP organised a march in Derry against the creation of no-go areas in nationalist districts, which ended in violence on the city's Craigavon Bridge . Despite
11484-457: The two sides or of introducing 'rolling devolution' (gradual introduction of devolution as and when the parties involved saw fit to accept it). Nevertheless, coming as it did not long after the Conservative -sponsored Sunningdale Agreement , the NICC indicated that no British government would be prepared to re-introduce majority rule in Northern Ireland. During the debates William Craig accepted
11600-433: The very existence of that State. Hoping to gain something from the exercise, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Merlyn Rees announced that the NICC would be reconvened on 3 February 1976. However, a series of meetings held between the UUUC and the SDLP failed to reach any agreement about SDLP participation in government, and so the reconvened NICC once again failed to achieve a solution with cross-community support. As
11716-470: The violence, Craig pledged to continue the marches stating: "We are no longer protesting – we are demanding action." In February 1973 it was one of the only parties to support the two-day general strike organised by the Loyalist Association of Workers in protest at the internment of Protestants. The strike had the further stated goal to "re-establish some kind of Protestant or loyalist control over
11832-575: 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
11948-567: 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
12064-446: 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
12180-482: Was Vanguard's press officer from 1974 to 1977 ) while those elected for VUPP in 1975 included future UUP leaders David Trimble (who briefly served as Vanguard Deputy Leader) and Reg Empey , who served as Vanguard chairman from 1974 to 1975. Former deputy speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, Jim Wilson , served as a Vanguard councillor on Newtownabbey Borough Council from 1975 to 1976 before joining
12296-450: 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
12412-410: 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
12528-421: Was closely affiliated with several loyalist paramilitary groups. The party was set up in opposition to compulsory power sharing with Irish nationalist parties. It opposed the Sunningdale Agreement and was involved in extra-parliamentary activity against the agreement. However, in 1975, during discussions on the constitutional status of Northern Ireland in the constitutional convention , William Craig suggested
12644-457: 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
12760-403: 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,
12876-662: 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 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
12992-472: Was founded in 1900, having emerged from the trade union movement and socialist parties of 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
13108-428: 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
13224-560: 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 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
13340-481: 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 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
13456-656: 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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