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Labour Party GapFill
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The Labour Party emerged at the start of the twentieth century out of the . In this sense, its initial purpose was to seek to represent workers in Parliament. As the working classes were given the vote from the 1910s onwards, Labour's representation in Parliament quickly grew to overtake the and become the second major political party in the country, after the Conservatives.
A primary purpose of Labour originally was to secure state ownership of productive industries, such that the proceeds could be shared out among the population, rather than accumulated by private owners as profit. In this sense, Labour was committed to the creation and maintenance of a welfare state, favouring active state involvement in the economy and higher taxes and public spending. The first majority Labour government was elected after and created much of the UK's welfare state, including the National Health Service. Nowadays, these Labour principles are sometimes referred to as .
Between 1979 and 1997, Labour remained in opposition, losing four consecutive general elections. This prompted a widespread rethink as to the aims and strategy of the Labour Party, and eventually led to the rise of Tony Blair and the creation of what he called . Blair argued for a between capitalism and socialism, and abandoned Labour's commitment to public ownership. He instead favoured lower taxes and lower public spending, and less state intervention in the economy, moving the Labour Party away from the left wing and towards the centre ground of British politics. This philosophy was electorally successful at the turn of the millennium, but is less so today. In 2015 one of Labour's most left-wing MPs, , was elected leader and has re-emphasised many of the principles associated with , such as public ownership and higher spending. These two philosophies now represent the main tension within the Labour Party.