Divisions within the Labour party

who were the key figures in the split of the Labour party?

• Aneurin (Nye) Bevan

• Hugh Gaitskell

who was Aneurin (Nye) Bevan?

• minister of health in the Attlee government

• resigned from the government in 1951 to protest against the introduction of prescription charges

• as a result of this he gained support from many Labour MPs and trade unionists

who was Hugh Gaitskell?

• he was the Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1950 to 1951 who introduced prescription charges

• he was on the right of the Labour Party and became the leader in 1955 defeating Bevan in the election.

• he attempted to reform the Labour Party but was unsuccessful

what did the left wingers of the Labour Party want?

• they wanted the Labour Party to be socialist

what did Bevan personally oppose?

• Bevan announced his opposition to the unilateral nuclear disarmament in 1957

• however many Labour left wingers joined the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) which resulted in the Labour left losing more votes

• Bevan did not want nuclear weapons in Britain

what was the Transport and General Workers union movement?

• A left winger, Frank Cousins, became leader of one of the most powerful unions, the TGWU (Transport and General Workers union

• Cousins then led a fierce union opposition to Gaitskell (the right) over Britain’s nuclear weapons

• (Gaitskell rejected the unilateral nuclear disarmament), he wanted nuclear weapons

what was the Scarborough conference of 1960?

• Hugh Gaitskell gives an emotional speech when trying to convince the party to reject unilateral nuclear disarmament

• although he lost the vote in 1960 he succeeded in overturning that result a year later