Labour at a glance

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Labour Party

Labour
The Labour Party is a social democratic party in the United Kingdom, founded in 1900 to give a political voice to the interests of the labor movement. It positions itself in the center-left spectrum and advocates for social justice, equal opportunities, and the expansion of public services. After 14 years in opposition, Labour, under the leadership of Keir Starmer, won the parliamentary elections in 2024 by a significant majority and has since formed the government.
History and Origins of the Labour Party
The Labour Party was founded in 1900 to provide political representation for workers in the United Kingdom. It emerged from the trade union movement and socialist groups advocating for better working conditions and social reforms. In the 1920s, Labour established itself as one of the two leading parties in the country and formed a government for the first time. Since then, the party has provided several prime ministers and implemented significant social reforms, including the introduction of the National Health Service (NHS) in 1948.
Political Orientation and Goals
The Labour Party positions itself in the center-left spectrum of British politics. It advocates for social justice, equal opportunities, and the expansion of public services. Its core concerns include supporting the NHS, promoting education for all, and measures to reduce social inequalities. Labour emphasizes the importance of workers' rights and strives for a fairer distribution of wealth and opportunities in society.
Political orientation
Conservative
Social
Market
Progressive
Position on the EU
Anti-EU
Pro-EU

Positions and stances

Position 2024
Position 2019
Economy & state
Should income and wealth be redistributed?
Pro redistribution
Against redistribution
How should the state use a budget surplus?
Invest
Reduce debt and cut taxes
Should the local economy be protected?
Free global trade
Protect the local economy
Society & values
What matters more: freedom or security?
Maximum freedom
Security
Should gender equality for women be actively promoted?
Support
Oppose
Should equality for LGBTQ+ people be actively promoted?
Support
Oppose
Should same-sex marriage be legal?
In favour
Against
What role should religion play in politics?
Separation of church and state
Close link between church and state
Should policy focus on cities or rural areas?
Focus on cities
Focus on rural areas
Environment & globalization
What matters more: the environment or the economy?
Environmental protection matters more than economic growth
Economic growth matters more than environmental protection
What matters more: climate action or the economy?
Climate action matters more than economic growth
Economic growth matters more than climate action
Migration & integration
How should immigration policy be regulated?
Open
Strict
How should immigrant integration work?
Multicultural society
Homogeneous society
Should ethnic minorities have more rights?
More rights
Fewer rights
What role should nation-states play?
An open world without borders
Strong nation-states
Democracy & institutions
How should power be distributed?
Distributed power
Strong ruler/leader
How independent should the judiciary be?
Fully independent
Dependent on government
How should the state be organized: federal or centralized?
Federalism
Centralization
Parties in United Kingdom compared
Policy positions of all parties at a glance

Issue priorities

The chart shows which issues matter most to the party. The further out a point is, the higher the importance.

Historical election results

Labour: Historical election results in United Kingdom

Historical participation in government since 1945

Historical participation in government since 1945
Led the government
In government
12

Total cabinets

Total duration: 34 years • 5 months
12

Cabinets led

Total duration: 34 years • 5 months
0

Coalition participation

Total duration: -
39%

Overall share of time in government

The party was part of the government for 39% of the possible time in office.

Sources of data and information

PolitPro

PolitPro brings together scientific data and current poll results to make politics tangible for everyone. We use datasets from leading research projects and complement them with our own research, analyses, and algorithms. This allows us to make complex political contexts accessible and easy to understand. Supported by AI.

Found a mistake?

Political data changes every day. If you notice an error, feel free to send us an email. A short source reference helps us review the information.

ParlGov – Parliamentary Democracy Data

Long-running research data from the University of Bremen. It documents political parties and governments and enables systematic political comparison.
More
Döring, Holger and Philip Manow. 2024. Parliaments and governments database (ParlGov): Information on parties, elections and cabinets in established democracies.

CHES – Chapel Hill Expert Survey

Europe’s most important expert survey on party positions. More than 400 political scientists from different countries assess party positions based on scientific criteria.
More
Rovny, Jan, Ryan Bakker, Liesbet Hooghe, Seth Jolly, Gary Marks, Jonathan Polk, Marco Steenbergen, and Milada Vachudova. “25 Years of Political Party Positions in Europe: The Chapel Hill Expert Survey, 1999-2024,”