Evaluate The View That Current Labour Party Policy Is Closer To Old Labour Than It Is To New Labour.

Introduction

• Old Labour = Key Labour principles embodying nationalisation, redistribution of wealth from rich to poor and the provision of continually improving welfare and state services eg. Jeremy Corbyn was largely a Old Labour leader

• New Labour = Labour shift in emphasis from a heavy focus on the working class to a wider class base, and a less robust alliance with the trade union eg. 2024 manifesto, aim for wealth creation for the working class

• In the years since Kei Starmer has become leader, the Labour Party policy has shifted significantly away from that of Corbyn’s Labour Party

Economic Policy = Weaker Argument: Closer to Old Labour

• E.g. Since coming into power in 2024, the Labour Party has passed The Passenger Railway Services Act to re-nationalise rail service and  has introduced the Great British Energy Bill to establish Great British Energy as a state-owned energy company

• This is a significant difference from New Labour which supported privatisation

• Nationalisation is a key economic principle of Old Labour, which believed that key industries should be run by that in the interest of the whole population

• Eg. similarly, the Labour Government recently introduced that Employment Rights Bill, with the aim of promoting the rights of works in the UK

• This can be seen as being aligned with the principles of Old Labour, which is driven by improving equality in society and representing the working class

Economic Policy = Stronger Argument: Closer to New Labour

• E.g.  in March 2025, the Labour government announced £6 billion in bebenfits cuts with 6 major changes to the welfare system including PIP payment freeze and significant changes to Universal Credit

• This shows that the party is now more aligned with the New Labour position of welfare reform, and have decidedly moved away from Old Labour’s “cradle to grave” welfare

• The economic policy of Starmer’s Labour Party has shifted away from the ‘high taxation, high spending policies of the Corbyn era, instead moving towards a prioritisation of national finances through limited spending

Law and Order = Weaker Argument: Closer to Old Labour

• Eg.  Corbyn, who can be seen as supportive of Old Labour, also opposed cuts to police numbers

• Though being tough on crime wasn’t a central part of Old Labours political messaging, they weren’t lax on crime and also supported a rehabilitative approach.

• The current Labour Partys law and order policies therefore don’t differ markedly from the policies and principles of Old Labour

Law and Order = Stronger Argument: Closer to New Labour

• Eg.  In their 2024 manifesto, Labour pledged to recruit 13,000 extra neighbourhood police, showing a strong approach to tackling crime.

• Furthermore, Labour intends to intensify the monitoring of the 1,000 most dangerous sexual predators, proposing surveillance measures

• One of New Labours key policy shifts was on Law and Order, with the Labour Party shifting to taking a tough stance on crime, which was traditionally a policy stance associated with the Conservative Party.

Foreign Policy = Weaker Argument: Closer to Old Labour

• Eg. When Labour Party leader, for example, Corbyn didn’t support taking the UK out of NATO or getting rid of Trident, even though he may have personally supported these policies, as this would’ve been very unpopular with the electorate.

• Though Old Labour principle supported peace and opposed Western intervention and NATO, Old Labour governments often didn’t pursue these policies strongly

Foreign Policy = Stronger Argument: Closer to New Labour

• Eg. Starmer announced an increase in defence spending to 2.5% by 2027 after Trump indicated a reduced commitment to Ukraine’s defence in February 2025

• This strong commitment to defence and Western support for Ukraine can be seen as different to Old Labour, which opposes Western intervention and supports nuclear non-proliferation.