Clause IV
Clause IV is part of the Labour Party Rule Book, which sets out the aims and values of the British Labour Party. The original clause, adopted in 1918, called for common ownership of industry, and proved controversial in later years; Hugh Gaitskell attempted to remove the clause following Labour's loss in the 1959 general election.
For the group in Labour student politics, see Clause Four Group.In 1995, under the leadership of Tony Blair, a new Clause IV was adopted. This was seen as a significant moment in Blair's redefinition of the party as New Labour, but has in the years since survived beyond the New Labour branding.
Hugh Gaitskell's fight[edit]
After losing the 1959 general election, Labour Party leader Hugh Gaitskell came to believe that public opposition to nationalisation had led to the party's poor performance and proposed to amend Clause IV.[8] The left wing of the party fought back and managed to defeat any change: symbolically, it was then agreed to include Clause IV, part 4, on Labour Party membership cards.[1][9]
The economic crisis of the 1970s, and the defeats suffered by the trade union movement, as well as the decline in influence of the Communist Party of Great Britain, led to a strengthening of the position of Labour Party members who were opposed to Marxism.[1]