Key Elections: 1997 (AQA A-Level Politics): Revision Notes

Key Elections: 1997

Context, background and final result

The 1997 general election delivered a landslide victory for Tony Blair's Labour Party, ending 18 years of Conservative rule. This result marked a dramatic change in British politics, bringing Labour back to power after modernising its policies and image.

Labour's political comeback

Labour completed a remarkable political transformation after successive defeats in 1979, 1983, 1987 and 1992. Under the leadership of Neil Kinnock, John Smith and then Tony Blair (from 1994), the party abandoned many traditional socialist policies. Key changes included:

• Dropping the commitment to unilateral nuclear disarmament
• Abandoning plans for wholesale renationalisation
• Rewriting Clause IV (the party's commitment to public ownership)
• Accepting Thatcher's trade union reforms
• Reducing trade union power within the party

Blair repositioned Labour as a "Third Way" party, combining left-wing values like social justice with right-wing principles like free-market economic liberalism. This pragmatic approach broadened Labour's appeal beyond its traditional working-class base.

Conservative decline

John Major had replaced Margaret Thatcher as Conservative leader and prime minister in 1990. While he achieved an unexpected victory in 1992, his majority was just 21 seats. By 1997, several problems had undermined Conservative support:

Deep divisions over Europe - The party was bitterly split on European policy, with Major struggling to maintain unity. In 1995, he was forced to call a leadership election to consolidate control, issuing a "put up or shut up" challenge to his MPs.

Economic difficulties - The economy suffered recession and rising unemployment in the early 1990s. Although the economy recovered by 1997, the Conservatives had lost their reputation for financial competence.

Scandals and sleaze - Numerous MPs and ministers became embroiled in scandals, undermining Major's "back to basics" campaign that emphasised traditional values and honesty.

Electoral weakness - By 1997, Major led a minority government after losing several by-elections. He had no option to call an early election and had to serve the full parliamentary term.

Exhaustion after 18 years - There was a sense of inevitability that voters would choose change and fresh faces after nearly two decades of Conservative government.

Labour maintained a consistent double-digit lead in opinion polls from 1992 onwards. The question was not who would win, but the size of Labour's majority.

The final result

Labour achieved a crushing victory:

Party	Votes	Seats	Change	UK vote share	Vote share compared with 1992
Labour	13,518,167	418	+145	43.2%	+8.8%
Conservative	9,600,943	165	-171	30.7%	-11.2%
Liberal Democrats	5,242,947	46	+26	16.8%	-1%
Others	1,420,938	30	+4	9.3%	+4%

The Conservatives lost over half their seats, suffering particularly badly in:

• London - vote share fell by 14.1%
• Southeast - vote share fell by 13.1% in their traditional heartland
• Southwest - Liberal Democrats won 8 Conservative seats
• Scotland - all 11 Tory seats were lost

Notable aspects of the result

The Portillo moment - Defence minister Michael Portillo, tipped as a future Conservative leader, lost his Enfield Southgate seat on a massive 17.4% swing to Labour. His defeat became symbolic of the Conservative collapse.

Record representation - A record 120 women were elected as MPs, with 101 representing Labour. However, there was only a small increase of three minority ethnic MPs.

Class dealignment - For the first time, Labour won the same percentage of votes as the Conservatives among the C1 social class (lower-middle classes). This provided further evidence of class dealignment - the weakening of the traditional relationship between social class and voting behaviour.

Age demographics - Labour defeated the Conservatives in every age group, though its lead was smaller among older voters (3% in the 64+ category) compared to younger voters (21% among 18-34 year olds).

Tactical voting - In several constituencies, anti-Conservative voters supported whichever opposition party was best placed to win. For example, in Sheffield Hallam, the Labour vote fell as voters switched to the Liberal Democrats.

Role of the media

The Sun's switch

The most significant media development was The Sun's decision to switch support from the Conservatives to Labour. This tabloid newspaper, with its large circulation, had backed John Major in 1992 and attacked Labour leader Neil Kinnock. By 1997, it decided to back Blair.

This change reflected both The Sun's preference for backing winners and Blair's deliberate strategy to court media support. In 1995, Blair flew to Australia to meet the newspaper's owner, Rupert Murdoch, at a News Corporation conference. Murdoch joked about their "flirtation", saying: "If that flirtation is ever consummated, Tony, I suspect we will end up making love like two porcupines – very carefully."

The contrast between The Sun's headlines was stark:

• 1992: "If Kinnock wins today, will the last person to leave Britain please turn out the lights"
• 1997: "It Must Be You" (supporting Blair)

Overall media support

Although traditionally pro-Conservative newspapers like the Daily Mail, Express and Telegraph remained loyal to Major, their support was more muted than it had been for Thatcher. Some ran critical stories on the Conservatives.

The significance of party policies and manifestos

Unlike some elections where parties offer polarised choices, the 1997 election featured relatively moderate manifestos from both main parties. Personalities and wider party perceptions mattered more than specific policies.

Labour manifesto

Labour emphasised its modernisation and pragmatic approach. The election message stated: "Our case is simple: that Britain can and must be better" and "New Labour is a party of ideas and ideals but not of outdated ideology. What counts is what works."

Key Labour pledges included:

Welfare - Emphasis on personal responsibility alongside state support. Rights to benefits came with responsibilities.

Law and order - Promise to be "tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime" with zero tolerance for anti-social behaviour and petty crime.

Reform and rights - Active commitment to constitutional reform including:

• Reform of the House of Lords
• Devolution to Scotland, Wales and English regions
• Incorporating the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law

Education - A "middle way" approach rejecting both the 11-plus and traditional comprehensive schools. The pledge was to "favour all-in schooling, which identifies the distinct abilities of individual pupils and organises them in classes to maximise their progress."

Healthcare - Pledges to cut NHS waiting lists and reduce bureaucracy.

The economy - Commitment to balanced government spending without raising income tax. Introduction of a national minimum wage to help low-paid workers. Labour worked to shed its "tax and spend" image.

Conservative manifesto

The Conservative slogan "You can only be sure with the Conservatives" emphasised continuity and security. However, after 18 years in power, it was difficult to appear fresh and innovative.

Key Conservative pledges included:

• Education - Publishing school exam results and encouraging more academic selection at secondary level
• Privatisation - Continuing the programme, extending it to Royal Mail
• Reform - No major constitutional changes, opposing devolution
• Law and order - "Get tough" policies including greater use of CCTV cameras
• The economy - Reducing income tax to 20% and lowering business taxes. Highlighting the economic track record including rising home and share ownership
• Welfare - Crackdown on benefit fraud

Impact of leadership and election campaign

Blair's advantages

The election was Labour's to lose. The party stayed united, on message and avoided complacency despite strong poll leads. As Lord Adonis noted, "Tony successfully carried the precious vase of electoral success across the slippery floor."

Blair's campaign was tightly managed by trusted aides Alistair Campbell and Peter Mandelson, both media-savvy and committed to New Labour. Blair himself proved an excellent campaigner:

• Young and charismatic
• Energetic and appealing to younger and middle-class voters
• Educated at public school and Oxford, trained as a lawyer
• The campaign even had a theme tune: D
  's "Things Can Only Get Better"

Deputy leader John Prescott provided balance, appealing to Labour's traditional working-class base with his background as someone who failed the 11-plus and worked as a ship's steward.

Major's weaknesses

Major suffered from an image problem. He was often mocked in cartoons and satirical TV shows as grey and uncharismatic. His party had spent five years deeply divided, particularly over Europe.

Blair highlighted Major's weakness during Prime Minister's Questions in 1995: "I lead my party; he follows his."

Conservative campaign failures

The Conservative campaign became negative, attacking Blair in highly personal terms. The most infamous example was the "demon eyes" poster, which showed Blair's face with red devil eyes and the slogan "New Labour New Danger."

How the election affected policy-making

Labour's policy delivery

Labour's landslide majority allowed the party to deliver most of its manifesto pledges, including:

• Constitutional reforms (devolution, House of Lords reform, Human Rights Act)
• National minimum wage
• Increased spending on public services without major tax rises

The huge majority set the scene for subsequent Labour victories in 2001 and 2005, though on a smaller scale. However, a strong personal mandate can lead prime ministers to feel invincible. Blair later alienated many in his own party with controversial policies like university tuition fees (1997) and the Iraq War (2003). The official inquiry into Iraq concluded Blair had not been "straight with the nation" over evidence of weapons of mass destruction.

Conservative modernisation

The 1997 defeat marked the start of a prolonged period in opposition for the Conservatives. Like Labour after 1983, the party underwent modernisation and image-updating, though not immediately.

The party worked to lose its "nasty party" image. By 2010 under David Cameron, it adopted a more "One-Nation" approach with the "Big Society" slogan. The party:

• Quietly dropped opposition to devolution and the minimum wage
• Adopted more liberal stances on the environment and gay rights
• Moved away from Thatcherite zealotry while retaining some principles
• Presented Cameron as a "change candidate"

Like Blair, Cameron was educated at public school and Oxford, offering youth and strong communication skills.

The significance of the electoral system

The first-past-the-post electoral system significantly distorted the election result, over-rewarding the winning party and under-rewarding smaller parties:

Party	Vote share	Share of MPs	Discrepancy
Labour	43.2%	63.4%	+20.2%
Conservative	30.7%	25%	-5.7%
Liberal Democrats	16.8%	7%	-9.8%
Others	9.3%	4.6%	-4.7%

Labour received a 20.2% bonus in parliamentary representation compared to its vote share, while the Liberal Democrats were severely punished with nearly 10% less representation than their votes warranted.