A major political party in Britain. Following the third Reform Act (1884), a movement developed for direct representation of labour interests in Parliament. In 1889 a Scottish Labour Party was formed, winning three seats in 1892, including one by Keir Hardie, who in 1893 helped to form the Independent Labour Party, advocating pacifism and socialism. In 1900 a Labour Representative Committee was formed which in 1906 succeeded in winning 29 seats and changed its name to the Labour Party. In 1918 the Party adopted a constitution drawn up by the Fabian Sidney Webb. Its main aims were a national minimum wage, democratic control of industry, a revolution in national finance, and surplus wealth for the common good. By 1920 Party membership was over four million. The Party now became a major force in British municipal politics, as well as gaining office with the Liberals in national elections in 1923 and 1929. The Party strongly supported war in 1939 and through such leaders as Attlee, Bevin, and Morrison played a major role in Winston Churchill’s government (1940–45). In 1945 it gained office with an overall majority and continued the programme of welfare state legislation begun during the war. It was in power under Harold Wilson in 1964–70, when much social legislation was enacted, and 1974–79, when it faced grave financial and economic problems. During the 1970s and early 1980s left‐wing activists pressed for a number of procedural changes, for example in the election of Party leader. From the right wing a group of senior party members split from the party in the 1980s to form the Social Democratic Party (see liberal democrats). After its defeat in 1987 it embarked, under its leader Neil Kinnock (1983–92), on a major policy review which recommended more democratic processes and a less ideological approach to foreign affairs and economic problems. However, the party received only 34% of the vote in the general election of 1992. Tony Blair, who became leader in 1994, supported private enterprise and promoted many reforms in the party, finally abandoning the principles of ‘Old Labour’ for a more popular and pragmatic approach, which gave Labour landslide victories in the 1997 and 2001 general elections. It was returned for a third term in 2005 with its majority much reduced. In 2007 Blair resigned and Gordon Brown became leader. Under his leadership, Labour initially recovered in the polls but as the 2010 election approached Brown’s popularity declined as the impact of the global economic recession continued to be felt. The party had one of its worst general elections, losing 91 seats, and was replaced in government by a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition. Brown resigned as leader and was replaced by Ed Miliband, who defeated his Blairite brother, David, in the leadership contest. In the 2015 general election Labour were initially expected to be the largest party in Parliament, but they ended with 99 seats fewer than the Conservatives, who gained an absolute majority. This was partly owing to the result in Scotland, where the SNP made large gains in the traditional Labour heartlands: Labour lost 40 seats, keeping just one MP north of the border. Miliband resigned as leader and in September, Jeremy Corbyn, a maverick left-winger, won a surprise victory in the contest for party leader. Many centrist MPs declined to serve in his shadow cabinet and his leadership was unsuccessfully challenged in 2016. Although Corbyn remained a hugely divisive figure, he increased the party’s membership and led it to a surprisingly good result in the 2017 general election, in which the Conservatives were deprived of their majority.