Labour party and Conservative party are two of the most significant political parties in Great Britain’s polity. Although the political system in Britain has been a multiparty system, it has been dominated by these two political parties since the 1920s. The Labour Party is situated on the centre-left of the political spectrum with a socialistic ideology, while the Conservative Party occupies the right of the centre with nationalistic sentiments. Recently, there has been much overlap in the policies of the two parties, causing people to question if there is any difference between the Conservative Party and the Labor Party.
Labour
The Labour party was established in 1900 and is one of the oldest political parties in the country. It has leftist leanings and is considered a party of the labour class, although much has changed since its early days. The party has long advocated for socialism, which has taken on democratic overtones in recent years. The Labour party is known for supporting a welfare state with more rights for working classes and a more equitable distribution of assets. However, since the 1980s, the party’s position on most social and economic issues has shifted towards the centre, embracing neo-liberalism, which has alienated its traditional labour class voter base.
Conservative
Also popularly known as the Tory Party, the Conservative Party is believed to have branched out of the Tory Party in 1834, making it older than the Labour Party. Before the 1920s, the Liberal party was more popular and considered the alternative to the Labour party, but the Conservative party soon emerged as the main contender among political parties. The Conservative party is seen as having right leanings while occupying a central position on the political spectrum. While the party’s members were initially called Tories, George Canning coined the term Conservatives for the members of the party, and it was officially renamed the Conservative Party in 1834. The Conservative party has had strong links with trade unions across the country.
Key Takeaways
- Conservative party is a centre-right party, while Labour Party is a centre-left party.
- Labour Party has traditionally been seen as a party of the labour class, while conservatives have been considered nationalistic.
- The main differences between the Conservative Party and Labour Party pertain to measures of tackling poverty and inequality and their stance on taxation and state intervention in the country’s economy.
