The modernisation of the Labour Party, 1979-1997

This book recasts the Labour Party's modernisation and sheds new light on Labour's period in opposition between 1979 and 1997. Labour's modernisation fundamentally changed the party's structure, ideology and electoral appeal, establishing a settlement which remained largely unaltered until the Corbyn era. This book uniquely traces Labour's modernisation from the fight-back against the hard-left's ascendancy in the 1980s, through the Kinnock era, to Blair's constitutional and organisational reforms. Using previously untapped source material, alongside primary interviews, this monograph provides an original insight into contemporary British politics and theLabour Party by investigating Labour's major organisational changes across their eighteen years of opposition: the Policy Review, One Member One Vote, Clause IV, and Partnership in Power. Through a re-examination of Labour's modernisation, this research contributes significantly to the understanding of the rise of New Labour.