Evaluate the View That Current Labour Party Policy is Closer to Old Labour Than It Is To New Labour

Question 1

P1: Agree Economic Policy (nationalisation)

Answer 1

1. Passed The Passenger Railway Services Public Ownership) Act to re-nationalise the rail service and has introduce the Great British
   Energy Bill to establish Great British Energy as a state-owned energy company that would reinvest profits into public services. New Labour, which supported privatisation and didn’t nationalise any industries when in power.
2. OL, key industries should be run by the state in the interest of the whole population, rather than for profit.

Question 2

P1: Agree EP Pay Rises

Answer 2

1. In opposition, criticised Conservatives’ approach to striking workers and pledged to negotiate with public sector trade unions. Summer of 2024 RR announced a 22% pay rise for junior doctors.
2. Aligned with OL, improving equality in society and representing the working class.
3. Labour Government has also recently introduced the
   Employment Rights Bill, ending zero-hours contracts and strengthening statutory sick pay.

Question 3

P1: Disagree Businesses

Answer 3

1. KS wanted to change the image away from being anti-business (similar to TB).
2. Labour Investment Summit in October 2024, which attracted over 300 industry leaders and resulted in £63 billion of private investment commitments. In the speech, reassured business owners that Labour’s worker’s rights agenda would not hinder economic growth.
3. Labour’s 2024 manifesto pledged not to increase tax for businesses or working people. This
   includes income tax,VAT and corporation tax. This was delivered in their first budget in October 2024.

Question 4

P1: Disagree other economic

Answer 4

1. He has scrapped the other four planned nationalisations that Corbyn’s Labour Party supported.
2. Starmer has also pledged to reform the NHS and cut waiting times by making greater use of
   private providers and being ruthless with ‘bureaucratic nonsense’.
   New Labour, introduced Private Finance Initiatives (PFIs), in
   which private contractors were used to help deliver public services, including the NHS.
3. Sam Tarry, a left-wing MP and shadow rail minister, who was dismissed in the summer of
   2022 for participating in a picket line with striking rail workers. OL supported workers using industrial action.

Question 5

P2: Agree Law, Order and Welfare

Answer 5

1. Being tough on crime wasn’t a central part of Old Labour’s political messaging, they weren’t lax on crime.
2. Corbyn, who can be seen as supportive of Old Labour also opposed cuts to police cuts.
3. Do not really differ from the principles of Old Labour.
4. February 2025 decision to remove the path to British
   citizenship for refugees who enter the UK illegally. Neither Old Labour or New Labour as they were supportive of immigration.

Question 6

P2: Disagree Law and Order

Answer 6

1. NL, shifted to take a tough stance on crime, traditionally associated with CP.
2. Blair famously said that Labour must be ‘tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime’, whilst continuing to tackle poor social conditions and punishing criminal behaviour.
3. In their 2024 manifesto, Labour pledged to recruit 13,000 extra neighbourhood police and
   PCSOs. Furthermore, Labour intends to intensify the monitoring of the 1,000 most dangerous sexual predators, like include covert operations, manhunts, and electronic tagging.
4. Strong stance against low-level antisocial behaviour and recreational drug use, opposing the legalisation of cannabis and
   saying that the smell of cannabis is ‘ruining lives’.

Question 7

P2: Disagree Welfare

Answer 7

1. New Labour’s attempt to get people into work through welfare-to-work programmes and increasing means testing of benefits to ensure that the benefits system was a
   “hand-up, not a handout”.
2. March 2025 £6 billion in benefits cuts with the intention of getting people into work and reducing the spiralling costs of welfare spending. Liz Kendall concerned about individuals ‘taking the mickey’ by claiming benefits when they should be working.
3. Tougher eligibility tests for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) - a key disability benefit - and significant changes to Universal Credit calculations to cut
   payments for those unfit to work.

Question 8

P3: Foreign Policy Disagree

Answer 8

1. New Labour and Tony Blair’s time as Prime Minister became largely defined in the eyes of many
   by its interventionist foreign policy and strong relationship with the United States.
2. Blair and the Labour Party supported George Bush’s War on Terror and Western military
   intervention across the world, most famously in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
3. After Trump indicated a reduced commitment to Ukraine’s defence in February 2025,
   Starmer announced an increase in defence spending to 2.5% by 2027
4. Starmer has also continued funding for Ukraine since coming into power, including
   giving Ukraine a £2.26B loan in March 2025.
5. JC, wants a peace deal and to get rid of Trident.

Question 9

P3: FP Agree

Answer 9

1. Though Old Labour principle supported peace and opposed Western intervention and NATO,
   Old Labour governments often didn’t pursue these policies strongly.
2. 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.
3. Further, the Labour government’s cut to foreign aid spending in February 2025, from 0.5% of
   GDP to 0.3% of GDP would’ve been opposed by both New Labour and Old Labour which were
   strongly committed to tackling poverty globally