Britain’s first Labour government took office on 22 January 1924. Its centenary provides an opportunity to reassess the party’s performance over the last 100 years, and with an election pending, the character and purpose of the modern party.

Labour defined the dominant political settlement of much of the Twentieth Century: the welfare state. It has achieved much in pursuit of material change, social reform and equality. It has challenged patriarchy, racism and the legacy of imperialism, promoted human rights and delivered democratic and constitutional renewal. Yet any honest assessment must acknowledge a century littered with failures and missed opportunities.

In this compelling book, Jon Cruddas, one of the country’s foremost experts on Labour politics, details the vivid personalities and epic factional battles, the immense achievements and profound disappointments that define a century of Labour. Uniquely framed around competing visions of socialist justice within the Party, he provides a way to rethink Labour history, the divisions and factions on the left and to reassess key figures at the helm of the movement from Keir Hardie through to Keir Starmer.

Jon Cruddas has worked for and represented the Labour Party for 35 years and is the Member of Parliament for Dagenham and Rainham. He is a visiting fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford, a visiting professor at the University of Leicester and Honorary Professor at the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues at the University of Birmingham. He has been head of the office of the party General Secretary, Deputy Political Secretary to Prime Minister Tony Blair, a candidate for Deputy Leader of the Labour Party and a member of the Shadow Cabinet. His 2021 book The Dignity of Labour explored the economics and future of work.

Reviews:

‘This dense history of ideas is not a breezy read – but it adds up to a heartfelt plea for pluralism from a Labour thinker whose parliamentary career is drawing to a close just as his party enters a new chapter.’
The Guardian

‘If the Labour Party is to win office and govern effectively, it should study A Century of Labour, and embrace the deep lessons it offers about success built on tolerance, respect and pluralism.’
Neal Lawson, Director of Compass

‘Cruddas’ clear-eyed analysis gets to the very heart of the ideas and the personalities that have united and divided the Labour Party. A must-read from one of Labour’s most insightful and original thinkers.’
Lisa Nandy MP

‘A brilliantly bold and bracing journey through Labour’s rich yet troubled history.’
Adrian Pabst, author of Postliberal Politics

‘An outstanding dissection and celebration of the modern Labour movement. Jon Cruddas is that rarest of breeds, a genuine scholar-politician.’
Jesse Norman MP, author of Adam Smith: What He Thought, and Why it Matters

‘Quite simply the best history of the Labour Party I have read. Cruddas’ retrieval of the ethical tradition will serve as a guide to the Labour Party’s future.’
Lord Glasman, Labour Peer

‘An incisive, original, and thought-provoking account of the different political strands that have defined the Labour party’s outlook over the decades. This book will be required reading, not only for those engrossed in the party’s past, but for those concerned about its future under Keir Starmer.’
Mark Wickham-Jones, University of Bristol

‘In this absorbing new history of the Labour party Jon Cruddas analyses the party’s successes and failures…An important contribution to the debate on Labour’s future.’
Andrew Gamble, University of Sheffield