Topic 6: 2001/2005 elections (1997-2007)

Question 1

5

Describe the reasons why Labour won the 2001 and 2005 elections

Answer 1

• Labour election campaign
• Economic factors
• Social policy factors
• FP successes
• Conservative failures

could integrate top point into other 4

Question 2

3

Describe the results of the 2001 election

Answer 2

• Lab 412 (-6), Con 166 (+1), LD 52 (+6)
• Second landslide a forgone conclusion, so much that Labour called election year early
• Polls reliably predicted results, though Labour popular vote dropped to 40% against poll averages of 48% measured half way through campaign

Question 3

3

Describe the turnout of the 2001 election

Answer 3

• turnout dropped 12 points to 59% (less than 50% in some constituencies)
• Political apathy paramount to campaign and result
• Daily Mail political editor, Edward Heathcoat Amory, declared that election was a victory for the ‘stay at home party’

Question 4

3

Describe the 2001 Labour manifesto

Answer 4

• Promised large increase in public service employment, especially teachers and nurses
• Pledged £300m extra for cancer scanners and treatment machines
• committments overshadowed by refusal of Alastair Darling (Chief Sec of Treasury) to answer question on whether Labour would increase NI contributions

Question 5

2

Describe the 2001 Conservative/LD manifestos

Answer 5

• LD - promised enlargment of public services simialr to Labour but matched it with claim that increase in taxation was needed to fund it
• Conservative - announced tax cut of £8bn but with expansion of public services

Question 6

4

Describe the Labour 2001 campaign

Answer 6

• Capitalised on initial lack of interest in election campaign by announcing mortage rate was at lowest in 40 years
• mid-May, 58 company chief execs pledged their vote for Labour, including Sir Alan Sugar and Sir Terence Conran
• Black Day
• Mandelson held concerns that party was not presenting itself well enough and campaign organisation needed tightening

Question 7

6

Describe Labour’s ‘Black Day’ 2001

Answer 7

• May 16th
• Media frenzy after John Prescott (DPM) punched protestor who had threw egg at him in North Wales
• Foreign press claimed Prescott acted like a ‘bully boy’
• Jack Straw (HS) heckled at Police Federation meeting
• Blair given severely and very publically berated by lady whose partner could not find hospital bed despite having cancer
• Andrew Marr (BBC Political Correspondent) claimed it was Labour’s worst day since era of Michael Foot

Question 8

4

Describe the Tory 2001 campaign

Answer 8

• Early campaign rocked by Ted Heath claim that William Hague had become a ‘laughing stock’ with nonsensical policies
• ICM poll 3 days afterwards showed that middle class support for Tories dropped to 17% against Labour support of 59%
• Oliver Letwin (Shadow Chief Sec to Treasury) claimed Tories would make £20bn tax cuts despite published £8bn figure (later corrected to an eventual ambition) - caused confusion
• divisions over europe - in 3rd week of campaign, 3 candidates announced support for EU withdrawal and declared potential introduction of euro the ‘biggest constitutional change’ since death of Charles I

Question 9

5

Describe the results of the 2005 election

Answer 9

• Lab 355 (-57), Con 198 (+32), LD 62 (+10)
• Lab 35% (-5.5), Con 32% (+0.7), LD 22% (+4)
• Labour percentage of 35% lowest any winning party has ever achieved
• only 22% of electorate backed Labour
• Conservatives unable to capitalise on Blair unpopularity (such sentiment mostly captured by LD)

Question 10

4

Describe the distortion of the 2005 election results

Answer 10

• 60k more English voters backed Conservatives over Labour
• Though Labour won 92 more english seats than Labour
• Labour won 55% seats, 35% votes; LD won 10% seats, 22% votes
• Boosted PR campaign seen in concerns expressed by Electoral Reform Society

Question 11

4

Describe the 2005 election campaign

Answer 11

• Labour increased poll lead from 5% at start of campaign to 7% by end
• Labour claimed Conservatives would cut public spending by £35bn
• Howard’s deselected Tory MP Howard Flight after he was recorded claiming that spending cuts could exceed manifesto committments
• Intellgience failings over Iraq (no WMD) provoked claims Blair could not be trusted

Question 12

Describe the decline in the Labour lead over the Conservatives 1997-2005

Answer 12

12.5% (1997) → 9% (2001) → 3% (2005)