Tony Blair

• Economy was an important election pledge made by the new Labour
• Labour was a party of devaluation
• Blair and Brown both promised they would not raise income taxes, especially the higher brackets, at least for the first tax year
• Highest tax bracket stayed at 40%, the lowest was reduced from 23% to 22% in 1998
• Labour wanted to drive towards taxes being at the level of 10p per £
• Labour introduced a further reduction in overall taxation in the 1999 budget, but it didn't last for very long
• Labour promised inflation would remain at 2.5% and stuck to it until 2007
• Bank of England was given independence from government policies
• Blair's policies led to a definitive end of significant fluctuations in the British economy since the 1950s
• Brown prevented any significant increases in government spending between 1997-2003
• Corporation tax was further reduced after it was raised by Major
• Blair started a scheme of PFI (Private Finance Initiatives) for building motorways, public buildings, schools, etc.
• Blair aimed to reduce child poverty in Britain by 25% but missed it slightly (21-22% between 2005 and 2006)
• Winter fuel allowance was introduced in 1997 to tackle fuel poverty amongst pensioners
• National Minimum Wage Act 1998 created a minimum wage of £4.85
• Jobseekers Allowance 1998 was a form of u
• Created a minimum wage of £4.85
• Minimum wage was a flagship policy of the Labour Party during its 1997 election campaign and is still pronounced today in Labour Party circulars as an outstanding gain for ‘at least 1.5 million people’
• Minimum wage took effect

  1st of April 1999
• Jobseekers Allowance 1998 is a form of unemployment benefit paid by the government to people who are unemployed and actively seeking out work
• Forms of Jobseekers Allowance

  • Contribution based
  • Income based
• Eligibility for Jobseekers Allowance

  1. Claimants must state that they are actively seeking work by filling in a jobseekers’ agreement form and attending a jobseeker interview

  2. Claimants must go to a job centre every 2 weeks to sign on to certify that they are actively seeking work
• No indication in Blair and Brown’s policy to tackle the issue of working-aged people who cannot find employment
• Increasingly, there is the question of equal opportunity and education levels in employment
• Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit were introduced in 1998
• Eligibility for Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit


  1. WTC can be claimed by working individuals, childless couples, and working families with children

  2. People may also be entitled to Child Tax Credit if they are responsible for any children

  3. WTC and CTC are assessed jointly, and families remain eligible for CTC even if no adult is working or they have too much income to receive WTC
• Police Reform Act, 2002 created police community support officers (PCSOs) who were not police officers and had limited powers
• Repeal of Section 28 occurred in 2003, banning councils and schools in England and Wales from intentionally promoting homosexuality
• Civil Partnership Act, 2004 allows same-sex couples to register a civil partnership with almost the same legal effects, rights, and obligations as marriage
• Gender Recognition Act, 2004 gives people with gender dysphoria legal recognition as members of the sex aligning to their gender
• Employment Act, 2004 was principally concerned with confirming trade union rights and improving industrial relations by requiring unions to hold a ballot before taking strike action
• Devolution


  Transfer of certain powers from central to regional governments
• In practice, Scotland, Wales, and NI will have their own democratically elected assemblies, which will be able to make certain decisions (generally excluding separate foreign and defence policy)
• Through direct rule

  The British gov is forced to take a side in the conflict, involving them directly in the conflict and using huge amounts of police and soldiers
• By allowing Scotland, Wales, and NI to elect their own body and make decisions from them


  It is rolling back some of the decisions made by Heath, showing more trust in the people of NI’s ability to govern themselves and stop the conflict
• Benefits of devolution


  • Accountability
  • Expertise
  • Democracy
• Parliament reform act targeted the house of lords by culling too many hereditary peers and replacing them with life peer experts
• Freedom of information act allowed people to request specific information from government bodies
• Educational reforms were introduced
• Minimum wage was introduced