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Our Historical Association Gloucestershire talk Who killed Cock Robin? The Rise and Fall of the First Labour Government in Britain, 1924 this November is given by Keith Laybourn, Diamond Jubilee Professor Emeritus, University of Huddersfield.

The first Labour Government was a minority Labour Government which gained power as a result of the unstable state of British politics in 1923 and 1924. It was a moderate government which was unable to implement many of the socialist policies it offered. It was a minority government, supported by the Liberal Party, and its fate was sealed when the issue of the Soviet Treaties and the bungled arrest and release of J.R. Campbell, editor of the Communist Workers' Weekly drove Asquith and Lloyd George to abandon it. The publication of the Zinoviev Letter, the Red Letter Scare, suggesting that the Communists were using the Labour Party/ Government to get power was, perhaps, a contributory factor in its fall. Nevertheless, its very existence proved to have a vital impact upon the future of British politics.

The Historical Association Gloucestershire look forward to welcoming you at the Oxstalls campus or on Zoom (use link https://bit.ly/3UaoIj1) for this talk.

Guests £4