Victory at the Ballot Box

The History of How Labour Built Britain

Douglas Beattie

• Publisher: Elliott & Thompson
• Year: 2024
• Print ISBN:
  9781783968343
• eBook ISBN:
  9781783968350
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: European Politics
• Index: Politics & International Relations

'Labour's record in government shows that Attlee and Blair were in the top rank of change-making Prime Ministers, and Wilson not far behind. An inspirational history.' ALASTAIR CAMPBELL

A fascinating history of how the unfolding drama of each election from 1900 to 2024 has shaped the Labour Party and modern Britain.

This is an essential guide to how left-wing politics succeeds or fails through an accessible, highly readable and timely history of Labour's performance in the 33 British General Elections since 1900. There have been 8 hung parliaments resulting in coalitions. Labour has won power 12 times; the Conservatives outright on 14 occasions. The final chapter of the book analyses the landslide result of the General Election on 4th July 2024.

VICTORY AT THE BALLOT BOX is a book about the pursuit of power for working people. In assessing the fortunes of the Labour Party at the ballot box, it asks a simple overarching question – how and why does Labour win and lose?

When Rishi Sunak announced the 4 July 2024 General Election, the Labour Party had been out of power for almost fifteen years and lost four consecutive elections since 2010. These were turbulent times defined by austerity, a Scottish independence referendum, Brexit, and the rise and fall of Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson. Now, under Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the Labour Party is back in government. How do the lessons of the past show us how Starmer can maximise his victory and deliver the change promised in Labour's manifesto?

With exclusive insights from former leaders and Prime Ministers - including Gordon Brown and Neil Kinnock - Victory at the Ballot Box delves deep into the secrets of long-forgotten campaigns, traces the Party's roots, examines the strategies, leaders, transformative moments and missteps which have defined Labour's success at the ballot box and shaped modern Britain.

Each chapter assesses the state of the nation going into a general election, the issues that shaped that election agenda and the dominant leaders and personalities of the day. This includes analysis of the election result statistics from landslides to hung parliaments, starting with the Labour Party's first election with only 15 candidates in 1900, Labour first calling for the abolition of the House of Lords in 1910 and the first Labour Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald. It includes party manifestos, such as 'The nation wants food, work and homes' (Labour, 1945), party political broadcasts (first televised in 1951) and the historical context for all the major political movements of 20th and 21st century Britain. At the end of every chapter there is an election recap such as the following example:

1923 General Election Result

Date of Election: 6 December 1923

Turnout: 71.1%

Labour candidates: 427

MPs: 191

Votes: 4,439,780

Labour % share of vote: 30.5%

Result: Labour minority

Highlight: James Ramsay MacDonald becomes the first Labour Prime Minister

'If Labour is to flourish in power, it needs to know much more about its history. Reading this book would be an excellent starting point for its leaders and followers.' Anthony Seldon

'A timely and brilliantly illuminating book that offers much needed context to the 2024 general election. A must read.' Steve Richards, BBC Radio 4 Week in Westminster and host of Rock and Roll Politics

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Contents
• Introduction
• Vote Notes: Key Facts on Labour’s History
• Chapter 1: 1893 – A Distinct Labour Group
• Chapter 2: 1900 – The Khaki Two
• Chapter 3: 1906 – A New Party in Parliament
• Chapter 4: 1910 (January) – Does Labour Count?
• Chapter 5: 1910 (December) – Labour Clears the Way
• Chapter 6: 1918 – Everything Changes
• Chapter 7: 1922 – Unrest and Development
• Chapter 8: 1923 – ‘Fail or Succeed’ – Labour in Government
• Chapter 9: 1924 – Red October
• Chapter 10: 1929 – Striking Back
• Chapter 11: 1931 – Depression and Betrayal
• Chapter 12: 1935 – The Rising Tide
• Chapter 13: 1945 – Winning the Peace
• Chapter 14: 1950 – A Sharp Kick in the Pants
• Chapter 15: 1951 – Forward or Backwards
• Chapter 16: 1955 – Fighting Snow White
• Chapter 17: 1959 – The Struggle Continues
• Chapter 18: 1964 – The New Britain
• Chapter 19: 1966 – Time for Decision
• Chapter 20: 1970 – Now Britain’s Strong
• Chapter 21: 1974 (February) – Yesterday’s Men?
• Chapter 22: 1974 (October) – A Bumpy Ride
• Chapter 23: 1979 – Sea Change
• Chapter 24: 1983 – The New Hope
• Chapter 25: 1987 – The Dream Ticket
• Chapter 26: 1992 – Well All Right!
• Chapter 27: 1997 – A New Dawn
• Chapter 28: 2001 – The Quiet Landslide
• Chapter 29: 2005 – We Can Unite Again
• Chapter 30: 2010 – A Privilege to Serve
• Chapter 31: 2015 – On the Brink
• Chapter 32: 2017 – The Many Not the Few
• Chapter 33: 2019 – Cutting the Flowers
• Chapter 34: 2024 – All Change
• Acknowledgements
• Endnotes
• Labour Leaders and their Constituencies
• Index
• Copyright