Labour Governments of Wilson and Callaghan

How many seats did Labour win in October 1974?

319

How many seats did the Conservatives win in October 1974?

277

What was the deficit in balance of payments in 1974?

£3bn.

With whom did Wilson negotiate the Social Contract while in opposition?

Trade Union Congress

Who was made Secretary of State for Industry?

Tony Benn

Who was appointed Secretary of State for Employment tasked with carrying the Social Contract to fruition?

Michael Foot

Who was made Chancellor?

Denis Healey

What was the inflation rate in 1974?

15%

When was the National Enterprise Board set up to questionable success?

1975

When was a more formal pay restraint policy introduced following the failure of the Social Contract?

1975

When did Wilson suddenly resign as leader of the Labour party?

1976

When was a speech made to prepare the party for the government applying for an IMF emergency loan?

(December) 1976

How much money did the government loan from the IMF?

£3bn.

How much of the IMF loan did the government actually take?

Half

When had the government repaid the IMF loan?

1979

How many oilfields were in production by 1978?

9

What did inflation decrease to?

10%

When did Callaghan make the Lib-Lab pact?

1977

How many Liberal MPs voted with Labour?

12

When were devolution acts for Scotland and Wales passed?

1978

What was the result of the Scottish devolution referendum?

51.6% voted for devolution

When was the winter of discontent?

1978-9

Workers that went on strike during the winter of discontent

• lorry drivers

• train drivers' union (ASLEF)

• dustmen

• gravediggers

• etc.

When were union disputes brought to an end?

1979

How many seats did the Conservatives win in 1979?

339

How many seats did Labour win in 1979?

269

When was the government forced to resign?

1979

What issue did the government lose the vote of no confidence over?

Scottish devolution

What quote was used to describe Callaghan as PM?

"safe pair of hands"

When did the government receive a loan from the IMF?

1976

What percentage of the electorate had to approve devolution for it to pass (according to devolution-opposing MPs' inserted clause)?

more than 40%

What was the result of the Welsh devolution referendum?

80% (79.7%) voted against devolution

What was the average pay increase from the winter of discontent?

10%

What Conservative legislature did Labour repeal as soon as they came into power?

Industrial Relations Act

What left-wing policies did the Wilson government introduce (3)?

• new social security benefits

• improvements in tenants’ rights

• increase in old-age pension

When did Labour introduce subsidies on food and housing?

1974

Rent was frozen for what type of housing?

council estates

Which two candidates did Callaghan defeat in the 1976 leadership contest?

• Denis Healey

• Michael Foot

How much had union membership increased by 1979?

~10,000,000 → 13,000,000

What percentage of the workforce was a member of a trade union by 1979?

~½