This Day In History

On this day in 1924 Ramsay MacDonald became the first ever Labour Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. MacDonald came to power in 1924, having earned public respect for his opposition to the First World War. His first government had a minority in the Houses of Parliament and thus relied on support of the other left-wing party: the Liberals. His government lasted nine months, but was defeated in the 1924 General Election. MacDonald returned to power in 1929, and thus faced the challenges of the Great Depression. His party was divided over the issue, and in 1931 MacDonald formed a National Government, with a majority of Conservative MPs. Therefore MacDonald was expelled from the Labour Party for his ‘betrayal’.

MacDonald stepped down in 1935, thus ending the first period of Labour governance, and died in 1937. Since MacDonald, the Labour Party have established themselves as a major party in the UK. Its Prime Ministers have included Clement Attlee, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.