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| leader3_name = [[Ellie Reeves]]
| leader4_title = [[General Secretary of the Labour Party|General Secretary]]
| leader4_name =
| leader5_title = [[Leader of the Labour Party in the House of Lords|Lords Leader]]
| leader5_name = [[Angela Smith, Baroness Smith of Basildon|The Baroness Smith of Basildon]]
| founded = {{start date and age|1900|02|27|df=yes|br=yes}}{{sfn|Brivati|Heffernan|2000|ps=: "On 27 February 1900, the Labour Representation Committee was formed to campaign for the election of working class representatives to parliament."}}{{sfn|Thorpe|2008|p=8}}<br>(as the [[Labour Representation Committee (1900)|Labour Representation Committee]])
| headquarters = {{plainlist|
*Southside, 105 Victoria Street, [[London]] SW1E 6QT<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.costar.co.uk/en/assets/news/2015/December/Victoria-calls-for-Labour-HQ/ |title=Corbyn's Labour party set for swanky HQ move |last1=O'Shea |first1=Stephen |last2=Buckley |first2=James |date=8 December 2015 |access-date=8 October 2017 |work=CoStar |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009042326/http://www.costar.co.uk/en/assets/news/2015/December/Victoria-calls-for-Labour-HQ/ |archive-date=9 October 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
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|[[Social democracy]]
}}
| position = [[Centre-left politics|Centre-left]]{{refn|<ref name="auto1">{{cite web |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/07/04/europe/uk-election-europe-populist-surge-intl/index.html |title=As Europe turns right, why has a center-left party won by a landslide in the UK? |publisher=[[CNN]] |first=Luke |last=McGee |date=5 July 2024 |access-date=8 July 2024 |archive-date=5 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240705023128/https://edition.cnn.com/2024/07/04/europe/uk-election-europe-populist-surge-intl/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="auto2">{{cite web |title=Europe's Center-Left Can Learn a Lot From Scholz, Sanchez and Starmer |date=20 September 2023 |url=https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/spain-sanchez-scholz-germany/ |publisher=[[World Politics Review]] |access-date=8 July 2024 |archive-date=8 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240708184116/https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/spain-sanchez-scholz-germany/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="auto4"/><ref name="auto3"/>{{sfn|Budge|2008|pp=26–27|}}}}
| european = [[Party of European Socialists]]
| international = [[Progressive Alliance]]<br />[[Socialist International]] (observer)
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===The failed general strike (1926–1929) ===
In
=== Second Labour Ministry in 1929 and failures in 1930s ===
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Spending was cut again and again but MacDonald and his [[Chancellor of the Exchequer]] [[Philip Snowden, 1st Viscount Snowden|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 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)|National Government, 1931–1935]] kept Macdonald and Snowden and two others, replacing the rest of the Laborites with Conservatives. The [[1931 United Kingdom general election|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 the [[London County Council]] for the first time ever.<ref>Pelling, ''A Short History of the Labour Party,'' pp.63–79.</ref><ref>R. Bassett, ''Nineteen thirty-one political crisis'' (1958) pp. 127–182. [https://archive.org/details/nineteenthirtyon0000bass/page/n5/mode/2up online]</ref>
In the [[1935 United Kingdom general election|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.<ref>Andrew Thorpe, ''Britain in the 1930s'' (1992) pp. 41–49.</ref> In foreign policy a strong pacifist element made it slow to support the government's rearmament program. As the threat from [[Nazi Germany]] escalated, the Party gradually abandoned its pacifist stance and came to support re-armament, largely due to the efforts of Bevin and [[Hugh Dalton]]. By 1937 they had persuaded the Party to oppose [[Neville Chamberlain]]'s policy of [[European foreign policy of the Chamberlain ministry|appeasement of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy]].<ref>Pelling, ''A Short History of the Labour Party,'' pp.79–87.</ref><ref>L. C. B. Seaman, ''Post-Victorian Britain: 1902-1951'' (1966) pp. 205–246.</ref> However, as late as April 1939 the Party strongly opposed conscription for the Army.<ref>Kenneth Harris, ''Attlee'' (1982) pp.161–162.</ref>
=== Wartime coalition (1940–1945) ===
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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.<ref>Robert Frazier, "Did Britain Start the Cold War? Bevin and the Truman Doctrine" ''The Historical Journal'' (1984) 27#3:715-727. doi:10.1017/S0018246X00018045</ref> Furthermore, independent of Washington London committed large sums to developing a secret [[Nuclear weapons and the United Kingdom|nuclear weapons programme]].<ref>Richard Gott, “The Evolution of the Independent British Deterrent.” ''International Affairs'' 39#2 (1963), pp. 238–52. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2611300.</ref>
In the [[1951 United Kingdom general election|1951 general election]], Labour narrowly lost to Churchill's Conservatives, despite receiving 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.<ref>Brian Harrison, “The Rise, Fall and Rise of Political Consensus in Britain since 1940.” ''History'' 84#274 (1999), pp. 301–24. [http://www.jstor.org/stable/24424417 online]</ref>
=== Internal feuds (1951–1964) ===
[[File:
Labour spent 13 years in opposition. It suffered an ideological split, between the left-wing followers of [[Aneurin Bevan]] (known as [[Bevanites]]) and the right-wing following [[Hugh Gaitskell]] (known as [[Gaitskellites]]). The economy recovered as Conservatives hung together and chanted, "You Never Had It So Good.".<ref>Jeremy Black, '' A history of Britain: 1945 to Brexit'' ( Indiana University Press, 2017) p. 130.</ref><ref>Peter Hennessy, ''Having it so good: Britain in the fifties'' (Penguin UK, 2007).</ref> The ageing Attlee contested the [[1955 United Kingdom general election|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 the Labour Party Constitution, with its commitment to nationalisation. Gaitskell led Labour to a third consecutive defeat at the [[1959 United Kingdom general election|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 the way for [[Harold Wilson]] to lead the party.<ref>Alastair J. Reid and Henry Pelling, ''A Short History of the Labour Party'' (12th ed. 2005) pp.94–103 [https://archive.org/details/shorthistoryofla0000reid/mode/2up online].</ref>
=== Wilson as leader (1964–1974) ===
{{main|Labour government, 1964–1970}}
[[File:President Gerald Ford and British Prime Minister Harold Wilson (crop).jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Harold Wilson]], Prime Minister (1964–1970 and 1974–1976)]]
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 United Kingdom general election|1964 general election]] but a landslide increased its majority to 96 in the [[1966 United Kingdom general election|1966 general election]].<ref>Ben Pimlott, ''Harold Wilson'' (HarperCollins, 1992) pp.282–309, 395–404. [https://archive.org/details/haroldwilson0000piml online]</ref><ref>David E. Butler, and Anthony King, ''The British General Election of 1966'' (1966) pp.1-22 [https://archive.org/details/britishelectiono0000butl online].</ref>
Labour was responsible for a number of sweeping social and cultural reforms mostly under the leadership of [[Home Secretary]] [[Roy Jenkins]] such as the
The government put heavy emphasis on expanding opportunities through education
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 the pound. Labour went on to unexpectedly lose the [[1970 United Kingdom general election|1970 general election]] to the Conservatives under [[Edward Heath]].<ref>Philip Ziegler, ''Harold Wilson: The Authorized Biography Life of Lord Wilson of Rievaulx'' (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1993) PP.346–354 [https://archive.org/details/wilsonauthorised0000zieg online].</ref> 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 the [[February 1974 United Kingdom general election|February 1974 general election]], forming a minority government with the support of the [[Ulster Unionist]]s.<ref>David Butler, ''The British general election of February 1974'' (1974) pp.10–26, 270–273. [https://archive.org/details/britishgeneralel0000butl_m7o7 online]</ref> In a bid to gain a majority, Prime Minister Wilson soon called an election for [[October 1974 United Kingdom general election|October 1974]]. Labour won a slim majority of three, gaining 18 seats taking its total to 319.<ref>Ziegler, ''Harold Wilson'' pp Death.400–421 [https://archive.org/details/wilsonauthorised0000zieg online].</ref>
=== Majority to minority (1974–1979) ===
[[File:James Callaghan (1975).jpg|thumb|
In March 1974 Wilson was appointed prime minister [[Labour government, 1974–1979|for a second time]]; he called a [[October 1974 United Kingdom general election|snap election]] in October 1974, which gave Labour a small majority. During his second term as prime minister, Wilson oversaw the [[1975 United Kingdom European Communities membership referendum|referendum]] that confirmed the UK's membership of the [[European Communities]].<ref>Ziegler, ''Wilson'' (1995) pp. 400–491.</ref>
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=== Thatcherism and Labour's civil war (1979–1992) ===
{{see also|Shadow Cabinet of Michael Foot|Shadow Cabinet of Neil Kinnock|Social Democratic Party (UK)}}
[[File:Michael_Foot_(1981).jpg|thumb|[[Michael Foot]], Leader of the Opposition (1980–1983)|
[[File:Labour Party logo, 1966.svg|thumb|The Red Flag symbol used by the party during the [[1966 United Kingdom general election|1966 general election]] and as the official logotype from 1980 to 1987, more specifically under Foot's leadership.|left
Following 1979 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 a smashing victory and national elation, guaranteeing Conservatives a massive landslide victory in the [[1983 United Kingdom general election|1983 general election]]. Thatcher's successful [[1984–1985 United Kingdom miners' strike|attacks on labour unions in 1984-1985]] further weakened the Labour base. It took a decade for Labour to recover.<ref>Kenneth O. Morgan, ''The People's Peace'' (2001) pp 456–478, 490–491, 500–501.[https://archive.org/details/britainsince19450000morg/page/n4/mode/1up online]</ref>
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 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.<ref>The 1983 manifesto entitled "The New Hope for Britain" [http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/man/lab83.htm is online here] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924123945/http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/man/lab83.htm |date=24 September 2015 }}</ref> It demanded unilateral nuclear disarmament and withdrawal from the European Community. Labour's manifesto was a repudiation of the [[Post-war consensus]] from the left. It
=== Modernisers take charge
[[File:Old Logo Labour Party.svg|thumb|Kenneth Morgan states, "In 1992, the party presented itself as a modern social democratic party; its communication's officer, [[Peter Mandelson]], ensured that the red flag image would disappear, with the party's new symbol being the gentle emblem of the red rose.<ref>Kenneth Morgan, ''Britain since 1945: The People's Peace'' (2001) p.510.</ref> This was the party's logo from 1987 to 2007.|
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 the highly unpopular [[poll tax]], combined with the fact that the economy was [[Early 1990s recession|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.<ref>Dennis Kavanaugh, "Opposition" in Dennis Kavanaugh and Anthony Selden, eds ''The Major Effect'' (1994) pp. 145-153.</ref> The [[1992 United Kingdom general election|1992 general election]] gave Conservatives a victory with a much-reduced majority of 21. It was a deeply disappointing result for Labour. For 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 (Labour Party leader)|John Smith]].<ref>David Butler, and Dennis Kavanagh, eds ''The British General Election of 1992'' (1992) pp.247–275. [https://archive.org/details/britishgeneralel0000butl_j1h9 online]</ref>
[[File:Neil Kinnock (
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 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, 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 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.<ref>David Butler and Dennis Kavanagh, eds., ''The British general election of 1997'' (1997), pp 46–67.</ref> Calling on the slogan, "[[One Member, One Vote]]" Blair defeated the union element and ended [[voting bloc|block voting]] by leaders of labour unions.{{sfn|Rentoul|2001|pp=206–218}} Blair and 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.{{sfn|Rentoul|2001|pp=249–266}}
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{{main|New Labour}}
{{see also|Premiership of Tony Blair|Premiership of Gordon Brown}}
{{further|Shadow Cabinet of Tony Blair|First Blair ministry|Second Blair ministry|Third Blair ministry|Brown ministry}}[[File:New Labour new Britain logo.svg|thumb|New Labour logo
[[File:Tony Blair
[[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 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".
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{{see also|Labour Party leadership of Ed Miliband|Labour Party leadership of Jeremy Corbyn}}
{{further|Shadow Cabinet of Ed Miliband|Shadow Cabinet of Jeremy Corbyn}}
[[File:Ed Miliband election infobox.jpg|left|thumb|
[[Ed Miliband]] won the subsequent [[2010 Labour Party leadership election (UK)|leadership election]].<ref name="Harman made acting Labour leader">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8676333.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |title=Harman made acting Labour leader |date=11 May 2010 |access-date=11 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902190645/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8676333.stm |archive-date=2 September 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> Miliband emphasised "responsible capitalism" and greater [[state intervention]] to rebalance the economy away from [[financial services]].<ref name="Miliband">{{cite web |last=Miliband |first=Ed |author-link=Ed Miliband |title=Building a responsible capitalism |work=Juncture (IPPR) |date=25 May 2012 |url=http://www.ippr.org/junctures/166/9200/building-a-responsible-capitalism |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120526093233/http://www.ippr.org/junctures/166/9200/building-a-responsible-capitalism |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 May 2012 |access-date=5 June 2012}}</ref> He advocated for more regulation of banks and energy companies<ref name="New Statesman">{{Cite news |title=Ed Miliband's Banking Reform Speech: The Full Details |url=http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2014/01/ed-milibands-banking-reform-speech-full-details |work=[[New Statesman]] |access-date=5 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721052136/http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2014/01/ed-milibands-banking-reform-speech-full-details |archive-date=21 July 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> and often addressed the need to challenge vested interests<ref>{{cite news |title=Ed Miliband: Surcharge culture is fleecing customers |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-16624805 |access-date=5 June 2012 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=19 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120122003700/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-16624805 |archive-date=22 January 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> and increase inclusivity in British society.<ref name="The Labour Party">{{cite web |title=Ed Miliband speech on Social Mobility to the Sutton Trust|url=http://www.labour.org.uk/ed-miliband-speech-on-social-mobility-to-the-sutton-trust,2012-05-21 |publisher=The Labour Party |access-date=5 June 2012 |date=21 May 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120524060329/http://www.labour.org.uk/ed-miliband-speech-on-social-mobility-to-the-sutton-trust,2012-05-21 |archive-date=24 May 2012}}</ref> He adopted the "[[One Nation Labour]]" branding in 2012. The [[Parliamentary Labour Party]] voted to abolish [[2010 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election|Shadow Cabinet elections]] in 2011,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2011/jul/06/labour-abolish-shadow-cabinet-elections |title=Labour MPs vote to abolish shadow cabinet elections |date=6 July 2011 |access-date=26 July 2011 |work=[[The Guardian]] |last=Neild |first=Barry |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003224028/http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2011/jul/06/labour-abolish-shadow-cabinet-elections |archive-date=3 October 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> ratified by the National Executive Committee and Party Conference. Henceforth the leader of the party chose the [[Shadow Cabinet]] members.<ref name="bbc-20110926">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-15056108 |title=John Prescott calls for Labour shadow cabinet reshuffle |work=[[BBC News]] |date=26 September 2011 |access-date=31 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906190641/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-15056108 |archive-date=6 September 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>
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In April 2017, Prime Minister Theresa May called a [[2017 United Kingdom general election|snap election]] for June 2017.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-39628713 |title=Theresa May seeks general election |date=18 April 2017 |work=[[BBC News]] |access-date=18 April 2017 |language=en-GB |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815231711/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-39628713 |archive-date=15 August 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref name="nyt230918">{{cite news |last=Castle |first=Stephen |date=23 September 2018 |title=Jeremy Corbyn, at Labour Party Conference, Faces Pressure on New Brexit Vote |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/23/world/europe/uk-labour-party.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191206134404/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/23/world/europe/uk-labour-party.html |archive-date=6 December 2019 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> Although Labour started the campaign as far as 20 points behind, it defied expectations by gaining 40% of the vote, its greatest share since [[2001 United Kingdom general election|2001]] and the biggest increase in vote share in a single general election since [[1945 United Kingdom general election|1945]].<ref name="londoneconomic">{{cite news |last=Griffin |first=Andrew |date=9 June 2017 |title=Corbyn gives Labour biggest vote share increase since 1945 |publisher=The London Economic |url=http://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/corbyn-gives-labour-biggest-vote-share-increase-since-1945/09/06/ |url-status=live |access-date=10 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170611180523/http://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/corbyn-gives-labour-biggest-vote-share-increase-since-1945/09/06/ |archive-date=11 June 2017}}</ref> The party gained a net 30 seats with the Conservatives losing their overall majority.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jun/11/labour-can-win-majority-if-it-pushes-for-new-general-election-within-two-years |title=Labour can win majority if it pushes for new general election within two years |last=Travis |first=Alan |date=11 June 2017 |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=24 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170724002649/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jun/11/labour-can-win-majority-if-it-pushes-for-new-general-election-within-two-years |archive-date=24 July 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ft.com/content/60d5a46e-3575-11e7-bce4-9023f8c0fd2e |title=The UK Conservative party's deal with DUP is the easy part |first=James |last=Blitz |website=Financial Times |date=26 June 2017 |access-date=21 June 2024 |archive-date=21 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240621142644/https://www.ft.com/content/60d5a46e-3575-11e7-bce4-9023f8c0fd2e |url-status=live }}</ref>
From 2016, the Labour Party faced criticism for failing to deal with [[Antisemitism in the UK Labour Party|antisemitism]]. Criticism was also levelled at Corbyn.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-43523445 |title=Jeremy Corbyn regrets comments about 'anti-Semitic' mural |date=23 March 2018 |work=[[BBC News]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191213073631/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-43523445 |archive-date=13 December 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/political-parties/labour-party/jeremy-corbyn/news/97795/jeremy-corbyn-defends-%E2%80%98zionists-and |title=Jeremy Corbyn defends 'Zionists and English irony' comments |last=Coulter |first=Martin |date=25 August 2019 |website=PoliticsHome |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622232103/https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/political-parties/labour-party/jeremy-corbyn/news/97795/jeremy-corbyn-defends-%E2%80%98zionists-and |archive-date=22 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2019/may/01/jeremy-corbyn-rejects-antisemitism-claim-over-book-foreword |title=Jewish leaders demand explanation over Corbyn book foreword |last1=Stewart |first1=Heather |first2=Sarah |last2=Marsh |date=1 May 2019 |website=[[The Guardian]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018063020/https://www.theguardian.com/news/2019/may/01/jeremy-corbyn-rejects-antisemitism-claim-over-book-foreword |archive-date=18 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-45027582 |title=Jeremy Corbyn apologises over 2010 Holocaust event |date=1 August 2018 |website=[[BBC News]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219121209/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-45027582 |archive-date=19 December 2019}}</ref> The [[Chakrabarti Inquiry]] cleared the party of widespread antisemitism but identified an "occasionally toxic atmosphere".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-36672022 |title=Chakrabarti inquiry: Labour not overrun by anti-Semitism |website=BBC News |date=30 June 2016 |access-date=14 January 2024 |archive-date=30 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630121456/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-36672022 |url-status=live }}</ref> High-profile party members, including [[Ken Livingstone]],<ref>{{Cite news |last=Crerar |first=Pippa |last2= |first2= |date=21 May 2018 |title=Ken Livingstone quits Labour after antisemitism claims |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/may/21/ken-livingstone-quits-labour-after-antisemitism-claims |access-date=29 July 2023 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=30 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230730212322/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/may/21/ken-livingstone-quits-labour-after-antisemitism-claims |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Peter Willsman]]<<ref name="q481">{{
During the [[2019 United Kingdom general election|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 Group|BT]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/commentisfree/2016/aug/15/the-parallels-between-jeremy-corbyn-and-michael-foot-are-almost-all-false- |title=The parallels between Jeremy Corbyn and Michael Foot are almost all false |last=Mason |first=Paul |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=15 August 2016 |access-date=20 December 2019 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403204612/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/commentisfree/2016/aug/15/the-parallels-between-jeremy-corbyn-and-michael-foot-are-almost-all-false |archive-date=3 April 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> The election saw Labour win its lowest number of seats since 1935.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Collier |first=Ian |date=14 December 2019|title=General election: Jeremy Corbyn to quit as Labour leader after disastrous night |url=https://news.sky.com/story/general-election-jeremy-corbyn-to-stand-down-as-labour-leader-after-disastrous-night-11885159 |access-date=19 December 2020 |work=[[Sky News]] |archive-date=6 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106141000/https://news.sky.com/story/general-election-jeremy-corbyn-to-stand-down-as-labour-leader-after-disastrous-night-11885159 |url-status=live}}</ref> Following Labour's defeat in the [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019 general election]] Corbyn announced that he would stand down as leader.<ref>{{cite news |date=13 December 2019 |title=Jeremy Corbyn: 'I will not lead Labour at next election' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50766114 |access-date=17 September 2023 |publisher=BBC News |archive-date=14 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214155812/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50766114 |url-status=live }}</ref>
=== Return to government (2024–present) ===
{{Main|Premiership of Keir Starmer|Starmer ministry}}[[File:Keir Starmer official portrait.jpg|left|thumb|
On 4 April 2020, [[Keir Starmer]] was elected as Leader of the Labour Party amidst the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom|COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=4 April 2020 |title=Keir Starmer elected as new Labour leader |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-52164589 |url-status=live |access-date=4 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200425080229/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-52164589 |archive-date=25 April 2020}}</ref> During [[Keir Starmer as Leader of the Opposition|his tenure as opposition leader]], Starmer repositioned the party from the [[Labour left|left]] toward the [[Centre-left politics|centre-left]] and [[political centre]], and emphasised the importance of eliminating [[Antisemitism in the British Labour Party|antisemitism within the party]]. Starmer led Labour to victory in the local elections in [[2023 United Kingdom local elections|2023]] and [[2024 United Kingdom local elections|2024]]. In 2023, Starmer set out five missions for [[Starmer ministry|his government]], targeting issues such as economic growth, health, clean energy, crime and education.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Mason |first1=Chris |last2=Whannel |first2=Kate |date=23 February 2023 |title=Keir Starmer unveils Labour's five missions for the country |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-64739371 |access-date=5 July 2024 |work=[[BBC News]] |archive-date=7 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240707072442/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-64739371 |url-status=live }}</ref>
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== Ideology ==
{{Socialism in the UK}}
Labour sits on the [[Centre-left politics|centre-left]] of the political spectrum.{{refn|<ref name="auto1">{{cite web |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/07/04/europe/uk-election-europe-populist-surge-intl/index.html |title=As Europe turns right, why has a center-left party won by a landslide in the UK? |publisher=[[CNN]] |first=Luke |last=McGee |date=5 July 2024 |access-date=8 July 2024 |archive-date=5 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240705023128/https://edition.cnn.com/2024/07/04/europe/uk-election-europe-populist-surge-intl/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="auto2">{{cite web |title=Europe's Center-Left Can Learn a Lot From Scholz, Sanchez and Starmer |date=20 September 2023 |url=https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/spain-sanchez-scholz-germany/ |publisher=[[World Politics Review]] |access-date=8 July 2024 |archive-date=8 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240708184116/https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/spain-sanchez-scholz-germany/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="auto4"/><ref name="auto3"/>{{sfn|Budge|2008|pp=26–27|}}}} It was formed to provide political representation for the [[trade union movement]] at in Parliament. The Labour Party gained a socialist commitment with the party constitution of 1918, [[Clause IV]] of which called for the "common ownership", or [[nationalisation]], of the "means of production, distribution and exchange". Although about a third of British industry was taken into public ownership after the Second World War and remained so until the 1980s, the right of the party were questioning the validity of expanding on this by the late 1950s. Influenced by [[Anthony Crosland]]'s book ''[[The Future of Socialism]]'' (1956), the circle around party leader [[Hugh Gaitskell]] felt that the commitment was no longer necessary. An attempt to remove Clause IV from the party constitution in 1959 failed; Tony Blair and New Labour "modernisers" were successful in removing Clause IV in 1994.<ref name="historytoday.com">Martin Daunton [http://www.historytoday.com/martin-daunton/labour-party-and-clause-four-1918-1995 "The Labour Party and Clause Four 1918–1995"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721122126/http://www.historytoday.com/martin-daunton/labour-party-and-clause-four-1918-1995 |date=21 July 2015 }}, ''History Review 1995'' (''History Today'' website)</ref><ref>Philip Gould ''The Unfinished Revolution: How New Labour Changed British Politics Forever'', London: Hachette digital edition, 2011, p.30 (originally published by Little, Brown, 1998)</ref><ref name="independent.co.uk">John Rentoul [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/defining-moment-as-blair-wins-backing-for-clause-iv-1611135.html {{"'}}Defining moment' as Blair wins backing for Clause IV"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170908021337/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/defining-moment-as-blair-wins-backing-for-clause-iv-1611135.html |date=8 September 2017 }}, ''[[The Independent]]'', 14 March 1995.</ref>
Historically influenced by [[Keynesian economics]], the party favoured [[government intervention]] in the economy and the [[Income redistribution|redistribution]] of wealth. Taxation was seen as a means to achieve a "major redistribution of wealth and income" in the October 1974 election manifesto.{{sfn|Lund|2006|p=111}} The party also desired increased rights for workers and a [[welfare state]] including publicly funded healthcare. From the late-1980s onwards, the party adopted [[free market]] policies,<ref name="mulholland1">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2011/apr/07/labour-pro-business-ed-miliband |location=London |work=[[The Guardian]] |first=Helene |last=Mulholland |title=Labour will continue to be pro-business, says Ed Miliband |date=7 April 2011 |access-date=15 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170328104934/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2011/apr/07/labour-pro-business-ed-miliband |archive-date=28 March 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> leading many observers to describe the Labour Party as [[social democratic]] or the [[Third Way]], rather than democratic socialist.{{sfnm|1a1=Hay|1y=2002|1pp=114–115|2a1=Hopkin|2a2=Wincott|2y=2006|3a1=Jessop|3y=2004|4a1=McAnulla|4y=2006|4pp=118, 127, 133, 141|5a1=Merkel|5a2=Petring|5a3=Henkes|5a4=Egle|5y=2008|5pp=4, 25–26, 40, 66}} Other commentators go further and argue that traditional social democratic parties across Europe, including the British Labour Party, have been so deeply transformed in recent years that it is no longer possible to describe them ideologically as "social democratic",<ref name="Lavelle 2008">{{cite book |title=The Death of Social Democracy, Political Consequences for the 21st Century |last=Lavelle |first=Ashley |year=2008 |publisher=[[Ashgate Publishing]]}}</ref> and that this ideological shift has put new strains on the Labour Party's traditional relationship with the trade unions.{{sfnm|1a1=Daniels|1a2=McIlroy|1y=2009|2a1=McIlroy|2y=2011|3a1=Smith|3y=2009|4a1=Smith|4a2=Morton|4y=2006}} Within the party, differentiation was made between the social democratic and the [[socialist]] wings of the party, the latter often subscribed to a radical socialist, even [[Marxist]], ideology.{{sfn|Crines|2011|p=161}}<ref name="What's left of the Labour left">{{cite web |title=What's left of the Labour left? |url=http://www.totalpolitics.com/print/161892/whats-left-of-the-labour-left.thtml |publisher=Total Politics |access-date=6 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150821005801/http://www.totalpolitics.com/print/161892/whats-left-of-the-labour-left.thtml |archive-date=21 August 2015}}</ref>
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* Kavanagh, Dennis. ''The Politics of the Labour Party'' (Routledge, 2013).
* Morgan, Kenneth O. ''Labour People: Leaders and Lieutenants, Hardie to Kinnock'' (Oxford UP, 1992), scholarly biographies of 30 key leaders.
* Morgan, Kenneth O. "United Kingdom: A Comparative Case Study of Labour Prime Ministers Attlee, Wilson, Callaghan and Blair" ''The Journal of Legislative Studies'' 10.2-3 (2004):
* Pelling, Henry; and Alastair J. Reid. '' A Short History of the Labour Party'' (12th ed. 2005) [https://archive.org/details/shorthistoryofla0000reid/page/n4/mode/1up online]
* Pimlott, Ben, and Chris Cook, eds. ''Trade unions in British politics: the first 250 years'' (2nd ed. Longman, 1991)
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