Evaluate the view that current Labour Party policy is closer to Old Labour than New Labour. Flashcards
intro
You can use Corbyn’s policies to illustrate what “Old Labour” principles look like in modern times.
themes
- economic policy
- law and order
- foreign policy
loa
Labour under Starmer is closer to New Labour than Old Labour. Old Labour’s radicalism is largely absent.
– Starmer is adopting a centrist strategy to appeal to middle-class voters, mirroring Blair’s electoral approach.
- econ policy - YES
✅ For: Labour is Closer to Old Labour
P: Return to nationalisation & state-led economic intervention.
E: Passenger Railway Services Act (2024) = public rail & Great British Energy Bill = state-owned energy firm.
A: Old Labour → believed key industries should serve public good, not private profit.
E: Above-inflation pay rises for public sector (22% junior doctors, 5.5% teachers).
A: Policies reflect Old Labour’s commitment to equality, collective welfare, and worker rights.
- econ policy - NO
❌ Against: Labour is Closer to New Labour
P: Pro-business stance mirrors Blair’s shift.
E: Starmer scrapped 4/6 of Corbyn’s planned nationalisations.
E: NHS reform includes more private provision, like Private Finance Initatives for hospitals (PFI’s) under New Labour.
E: Tax pledges: freeze income tax, VAT, NI, corp. tax—like Blair’s 1997 pledges.
A: Fiscal caution, business links, and reduced nationalisation reflect New Labour’s ideology.
IJ: Despite 2 nationalisations, Labour’s wider economic stance (fiscal caution, pro-business) places it closer to New Labour overall.
- law and order - YES
❌ Against: Labour is Closer to New Labour
P: New Labour → “tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime.”
E: 2024 pledge: 13,000 more police and PCSOs.
E: Monitor top 1,000 sex offenders with anti-terror tactics.
A: Tough policing = classic New Labour strategy to win middle England.
- law and order - NO
✅ For: Labour is Closer to Old Labour
P: Old Labour also supported social justice & rehabilitation.
E: Starmer’s approach to crime prevention includes investment in youth workers, mental health services, and school-based interventions to tackle root causes of crime through early intervention.
E: Corbyn (Old Labour-style) also opposed Cons police cuts.
A: Labour’s approach includes rehabilitative elements aligned with Old Labour’s social democratic values.
IJ: Core ‘tough on crime’ rhetoric, emphasis on policing, and punitive measures = much closer to New Labour. Rehabilitative policies are minor overlaps with Old Labour.
- foreign policy - YES
❌ Against: Labour is Closer to New Labour
P: New Labour = Atlanticism, pro-NATO, military interventionism.
E: Starmer pledges 2.5% defence spending by 2027.
E: £2.26bn loan to Ukraine (2025).
A: Strong NATO alignment → consistent with New Labour, not Old Labour.
- foreign policy - NO
✅ For: Labour is Closer to Old Labour
P: Old Labour = sceptical of Western intervention, pro-peace.
E: Jeremy Corbyn consistently opposed the renewal of Trident and criticised UK military aid to Ukraine, reflecting his anti-interventionist stance.
E: 2025 cut to foreign aid (from 0.5% to 0.3%) = opposed by both Old & New Labour.
A: Peace-focused foreign policy is ideologically Old Labour, but not always practised.
IJ: Current foreign policy = firmly interventionist, pro-Western, and aligned with New Labour’s worldview, not Old Labour’s pacifism.
Conc
Labour under Starmer is closer to New Labour than Old Labour:
– Most sig: Law and Order: Strongest alignment with New Labour.
Economy: Some Old Labour traits (nationalisation), but overall pro-business and fiscally cautious.
Foreign Policy: Clear continuation of New Labour’s global role, especially in NATO & US alignment.
= Old Labour’s radicalism is largely absent. Starmer is adopting a centrist strategy to appeal to middle-class voters, mirroring Blair’s electoral approach.
