LABOUR HISTORY
Series One: British Labour Party Research Department Memoranda and Information Papers, 1941-1979

Part 2: Memoranda: January 1962 - May 1970, with Information Papers, 1969-1970

Publisher's Note

Part 2 of this project covers the British Labour Party Research Department Memoranda for the period January 1962 up to May 1970 along with the Information Papers for 1960-1970. These documents are an invaluable source for understanding the factual analysis lying behind the party’s policies, whether in Opposition or in Government. They reveal the synthesis of ideas and attitudes and their process through to agreed statements of party policy.

It is now proposed to cover the period June 1970 to May 1979 in the two final parts to this microfiche series.

Part 2 begins with the Research Department Memoranda for 1962 and follows immediately on from the last volume covered in Part 1. At the end of Part 2, the final 26 microfiche feature the Information Papers, 1960-1970.

Gaitskell consolidated his position within the Party in 1961 and 1962. However, the principal beneficiary of Gaitskell’s successful fight against the left wing was Harold Wilson, who was elected as the new leader of the party in 1963. This was a period of recovery for Labour climaxing in their return to power in October 1964, although with a very small majority.

Further electoral success in March 1966 provided a more substantial parliamentary majority and increased Wilson’s authority as Prime Minister.

On policy issues there was the greatest variety of opinion on foreign affairs, in particular, on the question of joining the Common Market, increasing difficulties on economic policy, pressure on the pound and the threat of devaluation, culminating in the November 1967 decision to devalue sterling from $2.80 to the pound to $2.40. Roy Jenkins took over as Chancellor of the Exchequer. By the time of his 1969 budget the effects of devaluation were at last apparent and the balance of trade was moving into surplus. The Government’s proposals on a new framework for industrial relations, going well beyond the ideas of the Donovan Report, were defeated by a specially summoned Trades Union Congress. The Labour Party in Parliament found itself confronted by a revolt including not only most of the usual left-wing rebels but also a great many MPs customarily loyal to the party whip. The Prime Minister and Barbara Castle, the Secretary for Employment and Productivity, had to give way.

In spite of increasing troubles in the sphere of economics and industry, the Government gradually recovered some semblance of popularity in the later months of 1969 and early 1970. The 1970 budget further helped Labour to regain ground in the opinion polls. Wilson decided to hold another General Election in June 1970.

The election manifesto, with a photograph of Harold Wilson on the cover, was entitled Now Britain’s Strong Let’s Make it Great to Live In. The electoral campaign started well and positive signs continued right up until polling day itself. However, it was not to be. The constituencies swung to the Conservatives by an average of 4.7 per cent which was enough to give Edward Heath a majority of 31 in the new Parliament.

It was a surprise result. Observers had great difficulty deciding why the opinion polls had been so misleading.

Nevertheless, Harold Wilson was re-elected unopposed to the Leadership. There was little or no recrimination within the party ranks and this must be tribute to Wilson’s authority and prestige. Interest centered on the Deputy Leadership. George Brown had lost his seat and had accepted a peerage. Roy Jenkins, after his successful period at the Treasury, easily defeated his rivals Michael Foot and Fred Peart. The elections for the Shadow Cabinet also turned out well for the right wing and for those who supported Britain’s entry into the Common Market. However, the Trade Union leadership remained predominantly left wing.

During this decade of two electoral triumphs the Research Department continued to play a major role providing information to all Committees, organising new research work, briefing the Parliamentary Party, Local Government, Ministers and other party officials, as well as preparing an immense raft of documentation for the discussion of policy issues.

Memoranda for 1962 include the following subjects: Economic Planning; Labour’s Social Security Scheme; Social Security Provision in Germany and Sweden; Housing; Export failure; the Common Market; Immigration; Advertising; Land Ownership; Education; Industrial Relations; Non-Manual Workers; Scottish Affairs; The British Film Industry; Local Government Finance; the Railways; Pensions; Agriculture; Welsh Policy; Incomes Policy and Training Skilled Workers for Industry.

RD 349 sets out the Programme of Work for 1963. “Work this year must have firmly in view the prospect of a General Election. It should aim, therefore, both to convince the Party and the public that we have the answers to our present national problems, and to assist the incoming Labour Ministers.”

It continues: “Most of the work now going on in the sub-committees (eg on economic planning; on social security; on higher education, etc) is geared to these ends, while the two new working parties on Scotland and Wales have been set up for the precise purpose of producing policies, within the framework of ‘Signposts for the Sixties’ for these two countries.”

It identifies three important gaps in Labour policy studies
(i) Training and Retraining in Industry
(ii) Transport
(iii) Building and Contracting (including house building) and suggests greater effort on these three areas. The document then goes on to review sub-committee work as well as progress made by study groups and special working parties.

RD 363 is devoted to the Research Department Budget for 1963. There is a brief comment on the increased expenditure required to meet the salaries of research assistants and library staff. A more detailed treatment appears in RES 4, dated December 1964, with comparisons between 1959 and 1964 staff levels in the Department:

It notes as follows:-

“Since the General Election four Research Assistants have left – two to take academic posts and two to join the Civil Service. They are:- Geoffrey Gibson, Stuart Greenstreet, John Scholefield Allen, Richard Pryke.

Geoffrey Gibson had secured a post in an American University some months before but stayed on until after the General Election. Richard Pryke also secured a University post before the General Election, and when it came he was given leave of absence to fight Portsmouth South and did not return to the Department.

Stuart Greenstreet with six years service in the Department, John Allen with nearly six years, and Richard Pryke with five years unbroken service, had served during the 1959 General Election. Geoffrey Gibson joined the Department in September 1960.

The point is that each of these members had over four years experience by October this year.

The present position of the Department’s staff can best be seen by comparison with the position in December 1959.

31 December 1959
P Shore, Acting Head of Dept
Mrs P Crane, 5 ½ yrs., Grade I
T Bishop, *2 yrs., Grade II
Miss J Bourne, 10 yrs., Grade II
R Pryke, 1 ¾ yrs., Grade II
Miss V Hassid, 30 yrs., Grade III
J Allen, 1 yr., Grade III
H Glennister, 5 mths., Grade III
S Greenstreet, 1 yr., Grade III
S Hatch, #1 yr., Grade III
J Millwood, 8 mths., Grade III

* left February 1960
# left April 1960

16 December 1964
J Northcott, 4 ¼ yrs., Grade I
M Ward, 3 ¾ yrs., Grade I
Miss J Bourne, 15 yrs., Grade II
A Murray, 2 ¼ yrs., Grade II
T Pitt, 2 ¼ yrs., Grade II
Miss J Bernstein, 1 yr., Grade III
Mrs L Syson, 11 mths., Grade III
J Thane, 4 mths., Grade III

As can be seen, in spite of some anticipatory recruitment during the past year, the Department has now been reduced from its normal composition of eleven Research Assistants to eight.

At 31 December 1959 there were ten Research Assistants but two left shortly afterwards, reducing the number to eight – which is the same number as at 16 December 1964.

In 1960 there were no new appointments until after the Head of Department was appointed in June of that year.

The Committee will no doubt wish to strengthen the Department at the earliest opportunity; the post of Research Secretary has already been advertised.

While vacancies should be filled as quickly as possible it is suggested that, if possible, the bunching of new appointments be avoided. The influx of new members does present to the Research Secretary a considerable problem of training and supervision and in any case it may be thought to be a good idea to give the new Research Secretary a voice in the selection of his new staff.”

As always the Labour Research Department was extremely stretched to meet all its functions. Its pivotal role in the synthesis of ideals and attitudes, the provision of information, and the shaping of documentation through to agreed statements of party policy will be borne out by any study of the wealth of Research Memoranda and Information Papers it contributed.

As Dr Kevin Theakston, Department of Politics, University of Leeds, and author of The Labour Party and Whitehall (London 1992) points out:

“This project constitutes an invaluable resource for anyone wanting to understand the development of Labour thinking and the evolution of party policy. Here is the backroom work behind the more public activities of the party leadership, NEC and Conference, available for the first time in an accessible form.”

The first two fiche of Part 2 (fiche 190 and 191) provide a detailed listing of all Research Department memoranda included in Part 2 of this microfiche edition. Fiche 315 has a detailed listing of the Information Papers 1960-1970 along with a useful Subject Index.

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