Labour, Lancashire and the 1924 Government

The first Labour government led by Ramsay MacDonald was ushered into power by Baldwin's resignation as Conservative Prime Minister and by the acquiescence of the Liberal Party. The Labour government was expected to fail. Wheatley's Housing Act was the government's only significant legislative success. They did little to tackle increasing unemployment. MacDonald came under attack, both personally and for the withdrawal of the Workers' Weekly prosecution. Labour lost a censure vote over the latter and resigned after nine months. In the 1924 general election Labour's credibility was further damaged but their vote increased, replacing the Liberals as the main party of opposition to a revived Conservative party. There are several parallels to today.