New Labour, New Life For Britain

New Labour, New Life For Britain was a hugely significant political manifesto published in 1996 by the UK's Labour Party, which had recently restyled itself as New Labour under Tony Blair. The manifesto set out the party's new "third way" centre-left approach to policy, with subsequent success at the 1997 general election.

The 1997 election produced the biggest Labour majority in the history of the party. They won 418 seats, with a majority of 179. The Conservatives under the leadership of John Major suffered their worst defeat in the party's history, losing 178 seats and becoming the official opposition with 165 seats. This election was the start of a Labour government after 18 years in opposition and continued with another landslide victory in 2001 and a victory in 2005. In 2010, they became the official opposition with 258 seats. The new leader of the Labour party, Ed Miliband, dropped the New Labour brand in 2010 when elected as party leader.

Pledge card

During the 1997 campaign, a pledge card with five specific pledges was issued and detailed in the manifesto too. The pledges were:

• cut class sizes to 30 or under for 5-, 6- and 7-year-olds by using money from the assisted places scheme
• fast-track punishment for persistent young offenders by halving the time from arrest to sentencing
• cut NHS waiting lists by treating an extra 100,000 patients as a first step by releasing £100 million saved from NHS red tape
• get 250,000 under-25-year-olds off benefit and into work by using money from a windfall levy on the privatised utilities
• no rise in income tax rates, cut VAT on heating to 5 per cent and inflation and interest rates as low as possible

The text of the 1997 election manifesto can be read here: http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/man/lab97.htm.

Articles relating to policies announced in the manifesto

• Individual Learning Accounts
• Freedom of Information Act 2000
• Human Rights Act 1998
• National Minimum Wage Act 1998
• Regional Development Agencies
• Devolution
• UK Trident programme (retaining)
• Windfall Tax (United Kingdom)
• Landmines (total ban)