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|[[Social democracy]]
}}
| position = [[Centre-left politics|Centre-left]]<ref name="auto1"/>
| position = [[Centre-left politics|Centre-left]]<ref>{{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}}</ref>
| european = [[Party of European Socialists]]
| international = [[Progressive Alliance]]<br />[[Socialist International]] (observer)
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{{Main|Second MacDonald ministry}}
[[File:J. Ramsay MacDonald LCCN2014715885 (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Ramsay MacDonald]], first Labour prime minister (1924 and 1929–1931).]]
With Liberal help again MacDonald became prime following the successful [[1929 United Kingdom general election|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.<ref>Paul W. Doerr, ''British Foreign Policy, 1919–1939'' (1998) pp.106–107, 119–120.</ref> Some minor legislation was passed, notably a [[Housing Act 1930|noncontroversial expansion of new public housing]]. Overnight in October 1929 the world economy plunged into the [[Great Depression in the United Kingdom|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 the growing deficit. In an era before Keynesian economics, the strong consensus among experts was for the government to balance its budget. <ref>Hugh Dalton, ''Principles of public finance'' (1954) p. 213–220 [https://archive.org/details/principlesofpubl0000dalt/page/213/mode/1up online]. </ref>
 
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--theyopposed—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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With victory in Europe the coalition broke up in May 1945. The [[1945 United Kingdom general election|1945 general election]] gave Labour a landslide victory, as they won 12 million votes (50% of the total) and 393 seats.<ref>William Harrington, and Peter Young. ''The 1945 revolution'' (1978) pp. 186-206 ''[https://archive.org/details/1945revolution0000harr/page/n6/mode/1up online]''</ref> The Labour government proved the most radical in British history. It presided over a policy of nationalising major industries and utilities including 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.<ref>John Bew, ''Clement Attlee: The Man Who Made Modern Britain''(Oxford UP, 2017) pp. 397–409. [https://archive.org/details/citizenclembiogr0000bewj online]</ref>
 
Nationalisation primarily affected weak and poorly managed industries, opening the hope that centralized planning would reverse the decline. Iron and steel, however, were already well-run and nationalization was denounced and later reversed by the Conservatives.<ref>John Singleton, "Labour, the Conservatives and nationalisation." in ''The political economy of nationalisation in Britain, 1920–1950'' (1995): 13-33. </ref>
 
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.<ref> David Kynaston, ''Austerity Britain, 1945–1951'' (2008)</ref> The Treasury depended heavily on American money, especially [[Anglo-American loan|the 1946 loan of $3.75 billion]] at a low 2% interest rate, and the gift of $2.694 billion in [[Marshall Plan#United Kingdom|Marshall Plan]] funds. Canada also provided gifts and $1.25 billion in loans.<ref>Derek H. Aldcroft, ''The British Economy: Volume 1 The Years of Turmoil, 1920-1951'' (1986) pp.206, 209. [https://archive.org/details/isbn_0710801149 online].</ref> <ref>Michael J. Hogan, ''The Marshall Plan: America, Britain and the Reconstruction of Western Europe, 1947-1952'' (Cambridge Up, 1987), pp. 29, 31, 48, 82–84.</ref><ref>Kenneth O. Morgan, ''Labour in Power, 1945-1951'' (1984) pp.270–272, 366.</ref><ref>Norman Moss, ''Picking up the Reins: America, Britain and the Postwar World''(Duckworth, 2008) pp.131–151.</ref>
 
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 [[Mandatory Palestine|relinquished its control over Palestine]] to the United Nations in 1948.<ref>Bew, ''Clement Attlee'' (2017) pp. 426–443.</ref> Elsewhere independence movements were much weaker and London's policy was to keep the Empire in business.<ref>John Darwin. "The Crisis of Empire, 1945–48." in ''Britain and Decolonisation: The retreat from empire in the post-war world'' (1988): 69-125.</ref>
 
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>
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=== Internal feuds (1951–1964) ===
[[File:Hugh Gaitskell MP.PNG|thumb|[[Hugh Gaitskell]], Leader of the Opposition (1955–1963).|219x219px]]
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. 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.<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:Harold Wilson.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 under the leadership of [[Home Secretary]] [[Roy Jenkins]] such as the abolishment of the [[death penalty]] in 1965; the legalisation of [[Abortion in the United Kingdom|abortion]]; loosening restrictions on [[homosexuality]]; and the abolition of theatre censorship in 1968.<ref>Peter Dorey, "Social and Sexual Liberalisation," in Andrew S. Crines and Kevin Hickson, eds., ''Harold Wilson: The Unprincipled Prime Minister?: A Reappraisal of Harold Wilson'' (Biteback Publishing, 2016) pp.165–203. </ref>
 
The government put heavy emphasis on expanding opportunities through education. [[Comprehensive education]] was expanded at the secondary level and the [[Open University]] created for adults.<ref> Jane Martin, "Education Policy," in Crines and Hickson, eds., ''Harold Wilson'' (2016) pp.131–148. </ref>
 
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>
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=== Majority to minority (1974–1979) ===
[[File:James Callaghan (1975).jpg|thumb|233x233px|[[James Callaghan]], Prime Minister (1976-1979)]]
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>
 
When Wilson suddenly announced his retirement in March 1976, Callaghan [[1976 Labour Party leadership election|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 a [[confidence and supply agreement]] with the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]]. While this initially proved stable, it could not survive in the face of major industrial disputes and widespread strikes in the 1978&ndash;79 "[[Winter of Discontent]]", as well as the defeat of the [[1979 Scottish devolution referendum|referendum on devolution for Scotland]]. Minor parties joined the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservatives]] to pass a [[1979 vote of no confidence in the Callaghan ministry|motion of no-confidence]] in Callaghan on 28 March 1979. Callaghan led Labour to defeat at the [[1979 United Kingdom general election|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 economics|Keynesian spending programmes]], subsidised welfare payments, and labour union power.<ref>Kenneth O. Morgan, ''Britain Since 1945: The People's Peace'' (Oxford UP, 2001). p. 437.</ref>
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=== Modernisers take charge, 1992-1997===
[[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 1987-2007.|left|201x201px]]
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 (1999).jpg|thumb|253x253px|[[Neil Kinnock]], Leader of the Opposition (1983-1992)]]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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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]]}}</ref>
 
During the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024 general election]], Labour maintained a strong poll lead, with [[Change (manifesto)|its manifesto]] focusing on economic growth, planning system reform, infrastructure, clean energy, healthcare, education, childcare, constitutional reform, and strengthening workers' rights.<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 May 2024 |title=Labour manifesto 2024: Find out how Labour will get Britain's future back |url=https://labour.org.uk/updates/stories/labour-manifesto-2024-sign-up/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613141625/https://labour.org.uk/updates/stories/labour-manifesto-2024-sign-up/ |archive-date=13 June 2024 |access-date=12 June 2024 |website=The Labour Party}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |title=Labour Party Manifesto 2024 |url=https://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Labour-Party-manifesto-2024.pdf |journal=Labour Party Manifesto 2024}}</ref> It pledged a new [[Great British Energy|publicly owned energy company]] to achieve [[net zero emissions]] by 2030, a "Green Prosperity Plan", reducing patient waiting times and <nowiki>''rebuilding the NHS''</nowiki>, reforming public services, and public ownership of the [[Great British Railways|railway network]] and local bus services.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reid |first=Jenni |date=13 June 2024 |title=Britain's Labour Party pledges 'wealth creation' as it targets landslide election victory |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/13/uk-general-election-2024-labour-publishes-manifesto-.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613173116/https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/13/uk-general-election-2024-labour-publishes-manifesto-.html |archive-date=13 June 2024 |access-date=13 June 2024 |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=13 June 2024 |title=Starmer launches Labour's pro-business, pro-worker manifesto with £7.35bn of new taxes |url=https://nz.news.yahoo.com/starmer-hopes-labour-pro-business-103304717.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613173115/https://nz.news.yahoo.com/starmer-hopes-labour-pro-business-103304717.html |archive-date=13 June 2024 |access-date=13 June 2024 |website=Yahoo News}}</ref> The manifesto also pledged to give votes to 16 year olds, reform the [[House of Lords]], and to tax private schools, with money generated going into improving state education.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mason |first=Rowena |date=13 June 2024 |title=Change and growth: five key takeaways from the Labour manifesto launch |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jun/13/change-and-growth-five-key-takeaways-from-the-labour-manifesto-launch |access-date=13 June 2024 |work=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Gibbons |first1=Amy |last2=Sigsworth |first2=Tim |date=16 May 2024 |title=Labour Party manifesto 2024: Keir Starmer's election promises |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/0/labour-party-pledges-manifesto-general-election-voters/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240706003421/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/07/05/labour-party-pledges-manifesto-general-election-voters/ |archive-date=6 July 2024 |access-date=13 June 2024 |work=The Telegraph |issn=0307-1235}}</ref>
 
Starmer led Labour to a landslide victory with a majority of 174, ending fourteen years of Conservative government with Labour becoming the largest party in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4nglegege1o |title=General election 2024 in maps and charts |website=BBC News |date=6 July 2024 |access-date=8 July 2024}}</ref><ref name=":112">{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Faye |date=5 July 2024 |title='Change begins now', Starmer says - as Labour win historic landslide |url=https://news.sky.com/story/the-labour-party-has-won-this-general-election-sunak-concedes-defeat-13162921 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240705091108/https://news.sky.com/story/the-labour-party-has-won-this-general-election-sunak-concedes-defeat-13162921 |archive-date=5 July 2024 |access-date=5 July 2024 |website=[[Sky News]]}}</ref> He succeeded [[Rishi Sunak]] as prime minister on 5 July 2024, becoming the first Labour prime minister since Gordon Brown in 2010 and the first one to win a general election since Tony Blair in [[2005 United Kingdom general election|2005]].<ref name=":12">{{Cite news |last=Mason |first=Rowena |date=5 July 2024 |title=Keir Starmer promises 'stability and moderation' in first speech as PM |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/05/keir-starmer-first-speech-prime-minister-pm-labour-downing-street |access-date=5 July 2024 |work=[[The Guardian]] |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> One of Starmer's first cabinet appointments was [[Rachel Reeves]] as Chancellor, which made her the first woman to hold the office.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-07-05 |title=Rachel Reeves Goes for Growth as UK's First Female Chancellor |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-05/rachel-reeves-goes-for-growth-as-uk-s-first-female-chancellor |access-date=2024-07-05 |work=Bloomberg.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-08 |title=Rachel Reeves: First female chancellor a 'game-changer' says MP |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cnl05pyw8yjo |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> The [[2024 State Opening of Parliament]] outlined 39 pieces of legislation that Labour proposed, including [[Bill (law)|bills]] to [[Renationalisation of British Rail|renationalise the railways]], strengthen the rights of workers, and to give areas of England [[Devolution in the United Kingdom|devolution powers]].<ref name="Growth2">{{Cite web |date=17 July 2024 |title=Starmer pledges growth with building and rail reforms |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c903d09jwk7o |accessdate=17 July 2024 |website=BBC News |publisher=BBC}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-15 |title=Key points in King's Speech at a glance |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c51y7pqy1v3o |access-date=2024-07-25 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>{{clear}}<!--This section is meant to be just a summary. Please do not add too much detail&nbsp;– the "History of the Labour Party (UK)" article is intended for detailed additions-->
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== Ideology ==
{{Socialism in the UK}}
Labour sits on the [[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}}</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]]}}</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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|[[File:Harold Wilson.jpg|65px]]
|England
|[[1964 United Kingdom general election|1964]]–[[1966 United Kingdom general election|1966]]; [[1966 United Kingdom general election|1966]]–[[1970 United Kingdom general election|1970]]; [[February 1974 United Kingdom general election|1974]]; [[October 1974 United Kingdom general election|1974]]–[[1976 Labour Party leadership election|1976]]<br />([[Labour government, 1964–1970|first, second]], [[Labour government, 1974–1979#Wilson ministry |third and fourth]] Wilson ministries)
|-
!scope="row"|[[James Callaghan]]
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* {{cite book |editor1-last=Daniels |editor1-first=Gary |editor2-last=McIlroy |editor2-first=John |year=2009 |title=Trade Unions in a Neoliberal World: British Trade Unions under New Labour |series=Routledge Research in Employment Relations |volume=20 |location=London |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-0-415-42663-3}}
* Garnett, Mark, Gavin Hyman, and Richard Johnson. ''Keeping the Red Flag Flying: The Labour Party in Opposition Since 1922'' (John Wiley & Sons, 2024).
 
* {{cite book |last=Hay |first=Colin |author-link=Colin Hay (political scientist) |year=2002 |title=British Politics Today |location=Cambridge |publisher=[[Polity Press]] |isbn=978-0-7456-2319-1 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/britishpoliticst0000unse}}
* {{cite book |last1=Heath |first1=Anthony F. |author1-link=Anthony Heath |last2=Jowell |first2=Roger M. |author2-link=Roger Jowell |last3=Curtice |first3=John K. |author3-link=John Curtice |year=2001 |title=The Rise of New Labour: Party Policies and Voter Choices: Party Policies and Voter Choices |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-152964-1}}
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* 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): 38-52. https://doi.org/10.1080/135723304200032220
 
* 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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