Clement Attlee's government enacted extensive nationalisation and established the modern welfare state and National Health Service before losing power in 1951.

The fearsome issue for labour was the 1901 Taff Vale legal decision which made most strikes illegal; the urgent goal was to get Parliament to reverse it.

[22] After the war, the party focused on building a strong constituency-based support network and adopted a comprehensive statement of policies titled "Labour and the New Social Order".

[26] 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 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 a second government with Liberal help.

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.

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.

[48] 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.

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.

[55][56] Labour was responsible for a number of sweeping social and cultural reforms mostly under 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[57] 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.

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 general election, forming a minority government with the support of the Ulster Unionists.

[62] 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.

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.

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.

He defeated 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.

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.

[72] Blair and the modernisers called for radical adjustment of Party goals by repealing "Clause IV", the historic commitment to nationalisation of industry.

The political philosophy of New Labour was influenced by the party's development of Anthony Giddens' Third Way which attempted to provide a synthesis between capitalism and socialism.

Combined with a Conservative opposition that had yet to organise effectively under William Hague, and the continuing popularity of Blair, Labour went on to win the 2001 election with a similar majority, dubbed the "quiet landslide" by the media.

[98] He advocated for more regulation of banks and energy companies[99] and often addressed the need to challenge vested interests[100] and increase inclusivity in British society.

[121] 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.

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.

[149][150] 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.

[157][158] The 2024 State Opening of Parliament outlined 39 pieces of legislation that Labour proposed, including bills to renationalise the railways, strengthen the rights of workers, and to give areas of England devolution powers.

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.

In 1924, a brand-conscious Labour leadership had devised a competition, inviting supporters to design a logo to replace the 'polo mint' like motif that had previously appeared in party literature.

The winning entry, emblazoned with the word "Liberty" over a design incorporating a torch, shovel, and quill symbol, was popularised through its sale, in badge form, for a shilling.

In February 2013, the Labour Party NEC decided to downgrade participation to observer membership status, "in view of ethical concerns, and to develop international co-operation through new networks".