British Labour Party Papers, 1906-1969 - Key Data

The Labour Party was founded in 1900 to represent the interests of trade unions and working-class voters. In political terms, it has often been characterised as a “broad church”, encompassing a range of left and centre-left viewpoints. 

This collection contains minutes and related records compiled by the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) during the period 1906–1969. These records cover the party’s formative years, from its creation and early successes through the governments of Ramsay MacDonald and the wartime coalition, to the Attlee administration and Harold Wilson’s first premiership. 

The records provide an insight into the PLP’s often divided outlook on several important domestic and international political issues, including the campaign for women’s suffrage; the Great Depression; the First and Second World Wars; the Beveridge Report and the emergence of the post-war welfare state; Britain’s nuclear weapons programme; imperialism and decolonisation; and Britain’s potential membership of the European Economic Community (EEC).