Acceso usuarios
Labour won three general elections and governed for 13 years between 1997 and 2010, the longest period of government in its history. How far Labour succeeded in changing British politics permanently in this period has been much debated. Different approaches to this question are considered, as well as different contexts that are useful in forming an assessment. The impact of new Labour on electoral strategy, new politics and policy agendas, principally domestic, are explored. The impact on electoral strategy is shown to be significant and the Labours constitutional reforms are a lasting legacy. Labours attempts to reshape the state and build a strong recovery had a strong impact at the time, but the financial crash and the recession have changed the parameters of the debate, and the initiative on responding to the cuts has been passed to the Coalition.
