Andrew Gwynne MP,
Labour’s National Campaigns and Elections Chair, on the 20th anniversary
of Labour’s 1997 election victory, said:
“Twenty years on
from 1997, the lesson of that election is that it takes a Labour government to
bring about transformative change for the many not just the few.
"In 1997, after 18
years of the Tories running down the country, Britain needed a Labour
government to change working people’s lives for the better. That’s exactly what
the Labour government did between 1997 and 2010.
"The achievements
of that government were many. From the New Deal which helped millions in
to work, to the National Minimum Wage which made that work pay. From
peace in Northern Ireland to Sure Start which made a difference to millions of
children and their families. In education, school spending per pupil was
doubled, thousands of schools rebuilt and 42,000 more teachers helped deliver
some of the best ever school results. And for the NHS a Labour government was
transformative, with the largest hospital building programme in history
and 44,000 more doctors and 89,000 more nurses driving up standards and driving
down waiting times.
"Now, in 2017, we
again need a Labour government to rebuild and transform a country that is
suffering from Tory neglect and deepening inequality. The message of 1997
is as relevant today as it was then: we need people to vote for change, to vote
for Labour and for a country for the many not the few.”
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