evaluate the view that current labour party policy is closer to old labour than it is to new labour

For: The current economic policy of the Labour Party under Keir starmer is closer to old Labour than new labour

Explanation:
Since coming to power in 2024, Labour has moved towards renationalisation and policies aimed at improving workers' rights, marking a shift from the privatisation-friendly New Labour era. Old Labour’s economic ideology included strong state ownership and greater support for the working class.

Evidence:

• The Labour Party passed The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act to renationalise the rail services.
  
  

• The Great British Energy Bill aims to create a state-owned energy company that reinvests profits into public services.
  
  

• Labour has pledged significant pay rises, such as a 22% pay rise for junior doctors and a 5.5% pay rise for teachers.
  
  

• The Employment Rights Bill was introduced to end zero-hour contracts and strengthen sick pay, further supporting workers' rights.
  
  

Link:
These policies align more closely with Old Labour's values of nationalisation, worker support, and reducing economic inequality, in contrast to the privatisation and free-market approach of New Labour.

Against: the Labour Party under Keith starmer is closer to new Labour than to old labohr

Explanation:
Since Starmer’s leadership, Labour has shifted its image towards greater support for capitalism and business, aligning more with New Labour principles. This marks a departure from Corbyn’s more left-wing, anti-business stance and mirrors Blair's more business-friendly approach.

Evidence:

• Labour Investment Summit (2024): Attracted 300+ industry leaders, resulting in £63 billion in private investment.
  
  

• Starmer's emphasis on reducing bureaucracy and reassuring business owners that Labour’s workers’ rights agenda wouldn't hinder growth.
  
  

• Starmer scrapped most of the nationalisation plans Corbyn supported, keeping only rail and energy services.
  
  

• Starmer plans to reform the NHS using private providers, echoing New Labour's Private Finance Initiatives (PFIs) in the NHS.
  
  

• Labour's 2024 manifesto promised not to raise taxes on businesses or individuals, similar to New Labour's 1997 pledge.
  
  

• Starmer discouraged Labour MPs from attending picket lines, in contrast to Old Labour’s support for industrial action.
  
  

Link:
This shift towards private sector engagement, reduced taxes, and a more cautious economic policy reflects a closer alignment with New Labour’s business-friendly, moderate approach than with Old Labour's commitment to nationalisation and high public spending.

Against: labours current law and order and welfare policies are closer to new Labour than old Labour, focusing on tough stances on crime and work incentives

Explanation:
New Labour under Blair took a firm stance on law and order, emphasising both punishment and addressing the root causes of crime. Similarly, Starmer's Labour has embraced strong law enforcement measures and a focus on getting people into work, aligning with Blair's policies.

Evidence:

• 2024 Labour Manifesto: Pledged to recruit 13,000 extra neighbourhood police and PCSOs, and increase monitoring of the 1,000 most dangerous sexual predators using measures like covert operations and electronic tagging.
  
  

• Anti-social behaviour stance: Labour opposes the legalisation of cannabis, with Starmer stating that cannabis use "ruins lives". He has also supported rehabilitation through collaboration with youth workers, schools, and drug rehabilitation centres.
  
  

• Welfare Policy (2025): Labour's £6 billion in benefits cuts, aiming to reduce welfare dependency and encourage people to work. Liz Kendal, the Work and Pensions Secretary, emphasised reducing abuse of the welfare system by individuals "taking the mickey".
  
  

• Changes to Personal Independence Payment (PIP): Tougher eligibility tests for PIP and changes to Universal Credit to reduce payments for those deemed unfit to work. These policies echo New Labour's welfare-to-work approach, designed to incentivise work and reduce dependency on benefits.
  
  

Link:
These policies highlight a continuation of New Labour’s approach, with Labour under Starmer focusing on maintaining a tough stance on crime and welfare reform, instead of the more egalitarian and lenient approach favoured by Old Labour.

For: the current Labour party’s law and order policies and stance on immigration align more closely with old Labour principles, particularly in terms of rehabilitation and cautious police cuts

Explanation:

• Old Labour wasn’t centrally focused on crime, but it advocated for a rehabilitative approach to law enforcement.
  
  

• Labour’s current policies include opposition to police cuts and a focus on rehabilitation, reflecting Old Labour’s social justice and fairness principles.
  
  

• The Labour Party’s stance on immigration (particularly the move to reduce immigration numbers) contrasts with both Old and New Labour’s traditionally more supportive positions on immigration.
  
  

Evidence:

• Corbyn's stance on police cuts: Corbyn, representing a more Old Labour position, opposed cuts to police numbers, prioritising social justice and rehabilitation over punitive measures.
  
  

• 2025 Immigration Policy: The government’s decision to remove the path to British citizenship for refugees who enter the UK illegally is a departure from Old and New Labour’s typical support for immigration, showcasing a tougher stance not traditionally associated with either.
  
  

Link:

• While Labour’s law and order policies align with Old Labour’s rehabilitative approach, its tougher stance on immigration diverges from the inclusive policies typically seen in both Old and New Labour.

Against: current Labour Party foreign policy, under starmer, aligns more with new labours interventionist approach, particularly regarding NATO, the special relationship with the US and military spending

Explanation:

• New Labour, under Tony Blair, was defined by its interventionist foreign policy and strong ties with the United States, notably through military interventions like the Iraq War.
  
  

• Starmer has continued a similar policy, maintaining strong commitments to NATO and the U.S. and supporting military spending increases in response to global instability.
  
  

• This foreign policy stance contrasts with Old Labour, which was more cautious about military intervention and advocated for nuclear disarmament.
  
  

Evidence:

• Defence spending increase: In February 2025, Starmer announced an increase in defence spending to 2.5% by 2027, highlighting the Labour Party’s commitment to military preparedness in a time of growing global instability.
  
  

• Support for Ukraine: The Labour Party under Starmer continues to support Ukraine by providing substantial funding, including a £2.26 billion loan in March 2025, maintaining a stance in line with New Labour's interventionist foreign policy.
  
  

• Relationship with the U.S.: In February 2025, a meeting between Starmer and Trump reinforced the special relationship, with Starmer offering Trump a second state visit, showcasing Labour’s alignment with Western interests.
  
  

• Corbyn's opposition: In contrast, Jeremy Corbyn (Old Labour figure) has called for the UK to facilitate peace rather than continue strong support for Ukraine, and he advocated for the removal of Trident, the UK’s nuclear weapons, which goes against New Labour's policies.
  
  

Link:

• Starmer’s foreign policy decisions align closely with New Labour's interventionist approach, continuing strong support for NATO and military alliances, contrasting sharply with Old Labour’s more pacifist and anti-interventionist stance

For: the Labour party’s current foreign policy reflects the cautious, non interventionist approach often associated with old labour

Evidence:

• Old Labour traditionally supported peace, nuclear disarmament, and was critical of NATO and foreign military intervention.
  
  

• Jeremy Corbyn, often linked to Old Labour values, personally opposed NATO and Trident, but did not push for withdrawal while leader due to public opinion.
  
  

• In February 2025, the Labour government cut foreign aid spending from 0.5% to 0.3% of GDP.
  
  

Explanation:

• Although symbolic of Old Labour ideals, Corbyn’s decision not to challenge NATO membership in practice shows Old Labour’s tendency to moderate its foreign policy in government.
  
  

• The cut to foreign aid suggests a shift away from both New Labour’s internationalism and Old Labour’s idealism, showing a more realist, pragmatic stance — another Old Labour trait when in power.
  
  

Link:
Labour’s current foreign policy, while not fully aligned with Old Labour’s ideology, mirrors its pragmatic and cautious approach to global affairs rather than New Labour’s interventionism.

Overall argument: current Labour Party is closer to new Labour than it is to old Labour

• particularly in relation to law and order policy, welfare policy and a centrist cautious approach to the economic policy, current new labour is seeking to move to the centre and win middle class voters, in the same way new labour did

• Old labour was far more radical than the policies of the current Labour Party c particularly in relation to nationalisation and taxation