1983 election

• Majority of 144
• SDP

  • Split labour vote - Gang of Four including Roy Jenkins
  • 28 MP’s followed
  • Believed no point of infighting as labour was extremist left party
  • splits the Labour vote
• Conservative record

  • inflation at 4.6%
  • Interest rates 10%
  • 3 million unemployed
  • Mortgage decrease by 5%
  • Council house sales reach 150k
  • halfway there
• what was wrong with labour?

  • Michael foot is scruffy and faithless leader and pacifits in Falklands
  • CND policy seen as radical During Cold War leaving us defenceless
  • SDP - Crawley stole seat and votes
  • Daily mirror call - communist manifesto and longest suicide note in history
  • Futile radical as the policies were popular
• labours vote falls by 3 million
• thatcher had 49% of vote but more exaggerated victory due to first past the post and labour split
• Falklands created connection with public she lacked before but it was a gamble as factors such as weather and bomb locations
• labours worst performance since 1913