The party was founded by three lawyers, namely Tan Chye Cheng, John Laycock and Nazir Ahmad Mallal.

The Progressive Party was heavily backed by and made up of English-speaking upper class professionals.

Its campaign ideology was to advocate progressive and gradual reforms, rather than sudden, quick, radical ones, which fell in line with British policy at the time, to slowly let Singapore gain full self-government.

This approach was criticised vehemently by David Saul Marshall, leader of the Labour Front who instead wanted rapid reform.

In 1951, PP drafted a law for the setting up of a Central Provident Fund,[1] and it was approved by the British government in 1954, this CPF scheme provides financial security for workers in their retirement or for workers who were unable to work, this scheme came into effect in 1955, when David Marshall took office, and even after so many years, the CPF scheme despite having a few revisions and changes, remains in Singapore.