Why did the Labour Party Win the 1964 general election?

Question 1

Stats of Labour’s 1964 general election win

Answer 1

Seats

Con - 304

Lab - 317

Lib - 9

Votes

Con - 12m

Lab - 12.2m

Lib - 3m

Question 2

4 factors influencing the Labour win of 1964

Answer 2

• harold wilson as pm
• how the electorate viewed the conservatives
• changes to br society in the 1950s
• revival of the liberal party

Question 3

3 factors of why the Result was so close?

Answer 3

• Alec Douglas-Home’s leadership
• Conservative tax cuts
• Attitudes to the Labour party

Question 4

Why the result was so close - explained

Answer 4

• if mere 900 voters in 8 crucial constintuences hadd voted tory or not voted at all, con would have won
• labour secured less votes than did in 1959 - shows more of con decline than endorsement of lab
• opinion poll labour lead 20% at heigh of june 1963 profumo scandal gradually whittled away in 1964

DH Leadership

• for all his apparent bumbling he appeared modest, decency, and trust-worthing relative to wilson’s rep for political cunning

Con tax cuts

• chancellor of exechequer reginald maudling cut taxs - 800 mill trade deficit - higher earnings narrowed gap between parties - unemployment fell from 1963 june from 900,000, to 300,000 in 1964 july
• some opinion polls showed small tory lead in summer

Attitudes to the Labour Party

• many voters distrusted lab due to their links to trade unions so strikes against gov pay policies reduced its support
• party had internal divisions - middle class voters disliked commitment to nationalisation
• leaders not in office for long - may not deal well with international relations
• fared less well in some woking class areas in midlands where immigration was a sensetive issue e.g. smethwick constuency near birms where con candidate led an overtly racist camaign succedded in turning lab majority of 3500 to tory victory by 1700 votes