One hundred years ago today, the first Labour Government took office. Led by James Ramsay MacDonald as prime minister and foreign secretary, the men (though no women) in its ranks included former coal miners and textile workers, a railwayman, an iron founder, and even a labour historian. Many had worked for decades on behalf of the Independent Labour Party or their trade union before entering government; others had crossed the floor from the Conservative and Liberal parliamentary benches.

Labour held just 191 seats in the House of Commons, ahead of the Liberals (on 158)  for the first time but some distance behind the Conservatives (258). The party lasted ten months in office, and was heavily defeated in the November 1924 general election, thanks at least in part to the impact of the forged Zinoviev letter urging British socialists to prepare for revolution. Labour had taken office that January only after some delay. Although the Conservatives under Stanley Baldwin had lost their overall parliamentary majority in the general election of December 1923, they had clung to power before being ousted by a confidence vote in which Labour and Liberal MPs combined forces.

Marking the centenary of that general election, People’s History Museum held an event in Manchester at which a panel consisting of SSLH President Professor Keith Laybourn, Professor Steven Fielding (Emeritus Professor in Political at the University of Nottingham) and Professor Clare Griffiths (Professor of Modern History at Cardiff University) took part in a panel discussion of the roots of the Labour Party, the formation of the Labour Party and the significance of the election. A recording of this discussion can be seen below.

PHM is offering the opportunity to become a Radical Friend of the museum. Costing £3 a month (or more if  you are able), the scheme and donations help to preserve and share the stories of labour history for future generations. Radical Friends receive a quarterly newsletter, and discounts in the PHM shop. As an independent charity, the museum needs more Radical Friends to support its work.

Become a People’s History Museum Radical Friend.

You may also be interested in…

Labour history on show: highlights from the People’s History Museum collection
A selection of items from the museum tracing Labour’s history, from 1900 to the present day.

James Ramsay MacDonald (1866-1937): Labour’s First Prime Minister
Dr Janette Martin discusses the variety of resources at the John Rylands Library on Ramsay MacDonald (link opens on the John Rylands website).

Daily Herald’s front page, 23 January 1924
How Labour’s own newspaper covered the party’s taking office – on a day which coincided with reports of the death of Lenin.

Labour Party League of Youth members’ badge
The year 1924 also saw the setting up of the Labour Party’s first formal youth organisation.

Ten labour history anniversaries in 2024
This year’s centenary is just one of a number of anniversaries taking place in 2024.