Labour history Articles

This year, 2014, marks the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Welsh Office. The first secretary of state for Wales, appointed by Labour prime minister Harold Wilson in October 1964, was James Griffiths. James (‘Jim’) Griffiths, a deeply committed campaigner for...

Eighty-five years ago this month, on 30 May 1929, the Labour party became the largest single party at a general election for the first time in its history. Labour won 288 seats to the Conservatives’ 260, and the Liberals trailed in with 59. Stanley Baldwin’s...

Fifteen years ago, on 1 April 1999, a national minimum wage was finally implemented. It was set at £3.60 per hour, with a lower rate of £3 for those aged 18 to 22. The 1997 Labour manifesto had set out that: ‘Introduced sensibly, the minimum wage will remove the worst...

Following International Women's Day, there is no better time to remember Labour’s Margaret Bondfield, the first female cabinet minister and privy councillor. Labour won 288 seats in the general election of 30 May 1929, making it the largest party, but short of an...