SPECIAL SSLH MEMBERS’ OFFER: GET 40% OFF WHEN YOU BOOK ONLINE: GET THE DISCOUNT CODE HERE.

The People’s History Museum is holding a unique open day to mark the centenary of the 1923 General Election, offering an opportunity to discover how the labour movement developed, and the impact of the election which led to Britain’s first Labour government taking office in January 1924.

There will also be a separate labour movement tour offering an opportunity to see key artefacts from the museum’s collection. More.

The open day event takes place on Saturday 2 December 2023, from 11am to 4pm at the People’s History Museum, Manchester.

• 11.00am – 11.45am & 2.00pm – 2.45pm:
  Guided tours of PHM galleries exploring key artefacts from the museum’s collection including the first minutes of the Parliamentary Labour Party from 1906 and an oil lamp belonging to Keir Hardie.
• 11.00am – 4.00pm:
  Archive open day meet PHM’s archive team and get hands-on with the museum’s extensive collection of materials relating to the 1923 General Election.
• 12.00pm – 1.30pm:
  In conversation exploring the roots of the labour movement, the formation of the Labour Party, and the significance of the 1923 General Election, drawing on the museum’s collection.  Bringing contemporary and historical issues together, special guest speakers include Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Angela Rayner and labour historian Professor Keith Laybourn.  More speakers to be announced.

Places on the tours are limited; please pre-book your slot to guarantee your place. Suitable for 16+ (under 18s must have an accompanying adult). Book your place now

• Early bird price £18 (until 15 October 2023) | Full price £20
• Not suitable for groups of more than five people 
• If you require British Sign Language interpretation for the guided tours of PHM galleries please contact access@phm.org.uk or 0161 838 9190 
• BSL interpretation, live captions, and hearing loop provided for the in conversation

Speaker biographies
Angela Rayner is Labour MP for Ashton-under-Lyne.  At 16 she left her local comprehensive with no qualifications and a baby on the way, after being told she would ‘never amount to anything’.  She began working life as a care worker for Stockport Council, where she became a UNISON rep and would go on to be UNISON’s most senior elected official in the North West of England.  When she was elected to parliament in 2015 she was the first woman MP in her consistency’s 180 year history.  Following a promotion to the shadow whip’s office she was appointed as Shadow Pensions Minister, before becoming a member of the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Education.  In 2020, Angela was elected as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party.  She is also Shadow Deputy Prime Minister, Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and Shadow Secretary of State for the Future of Work.

Professor Keith Laybourn is Diamond Jubilee Professor Emeritus of the University of Huddersfield and Visiting Professor at York St John University.  He has taught at Huddersfield for over 50 years and published over 50 books, and more than 100 articles on British labour history, gambling, and cultural history.  He jointly wrote a book with author John Shepherd, Britain’s First Labour Government (2006), and is President of the Society for the Study of Labour History (SSLH).  He is currently also Associate Editor of the International Journal Labor History.

PLUS: Labour movement tour
Wed 6 December, 11.00am – 11.45am & 2.00pm – 2.45pm
Full price £10 | Concession £6 | FREE

Join Dr Bob Dinn for a tour of the main galleries on the centenary of the 1923 General Election. Discover how the labour movement developed, taking in key artefacts from the museum’s collection including the first minutes of the Parliamentary Labour Party from 1906 and an oil lamp belonging to Keir Hardie.

Suitable for 16+ (under 18s must have an accompanying adult).

• Book your place now
• Not suitable for groups of more than five people
• If you require British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation please contact access@phm.org.uk or 0161 838 9190