Labour in United Kingdom

Labour Meaning in Politics

Description of Labour published by Mona Chalabi: The British Labour Party can trace its origins to 1893, when a Scottish miner who was also an MP set up a socialist society known as the Independent Labour Party. Its logo was red right from the start — influenced perhaps by the red flag used by republicans and socialists in the 1848 French revolution. By 1900, the Trade Union Congress had set up the Labour Representation Committee with the goal of supporting working-class candidates in elections. Although the party has continued its strong ties with trade unions (15 unions are currently affiliated), written manifestos haven’t contained the term “socialism” since 1992. After 18 years out of power, Labour won a landslide victory in 1997, having reinvented themselves as “New Labour” under the leadership of Tony Blair, who shifted the party toward the center. In 2010, Labour lost 94 seats and along with them control of government. The party, currently led by Ed Miliband, is now forecast to win around a third of the vote and about 280 seats.