Published: 18 January 2024 at 17:22
Anglia Ruskin event marks 100 years since party formed its first government
This month marks the 100th anniversary of the Labour Party forming its first government, and politicians and leading political academics will gather in Cambridge on Saturday, 27 January to discuss Labour’s record in power.
The “How Labour Governs” conference is organised by the Labour History Research Unit at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), and will feature speakers including former Home Secretary Charles Clarke and political historian David Edgerton.
The conference will consider the problems the Labour Party has previously faced when governing, how it has dealt with economic challenges, and how it has changed Britain’s relationship with the rest of the world.
Speakers will explore the statecraft of Labour in power, looking at how Labour has adjusted to taking over the levers of the British state, to what extent Labour governments controlled their own destinies and implemented their own programmes, and how they were able to rethink policy and take account of the changing electorate.
Rohan McWilliam, Professor of Modern British History and the co-director of the Labour History Research Unit at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said:
In the keynote speeches, political historian David Edgerton will cover Harold Wilson’s attempts at modernisation, while former Home Secretary Charles Clarke will talk about the challenges facing Labour in returning to government after a long period out of power.
Other speakers include writer and historian David Torrance, Richard Johnson (Queen Mary, University of London), Charlotte Lydia Riley (University of Southampton), Jonathan Portes (Kings, London), Richard Toye (University of Exeter), and Pamela Cox (University of Essex), who will be standing as Labour's candidate in Colchester at the next election.
The conference, at Anglia Ruskin’s Cambridge campus, will run from 9.30am to 6pm on Saturday, 27 January, and is aimed at anyone interested in the future of progressive politics. The conference costs £16 to attend and bookings close on 22 January. More information is available here https://www.aru.ac.uk/arts-humanities-education-and-social-sciences/humanities-and-social-sciences/research/labour-history-research-unit/how-labour-governs-conference