1.2.2 – Established UK parties
Peter Mandelson’s role in the inner workings of the Labour Party dates back to the 1980s, although his family links go back even further. Mandelson is the grandson of Herbert Morrison, who served in the wartime coalition government and later as Foreign Secretary under Clement Attlee.
Following electoral defeat in 1979, James Callaghan was replaced as party leader by Michael Foot. Under Foot’s leadership, the party shifted to the left, leading to the SDP breakaway in 1981 and internal battles within the party over its future. By the time of the 1983 General Election, the party was calling for unilateral nuclear disarmament and withdrawal from the European Economic Community (the predecessor to the European Union). The veteran Labour MP, Gerald Kaufman, described the ’83 manifesto as ‘the longest suicide note in history’. Labour lost further ground to the Conservatives in that election, and it was widely felt that Labour was out of touch with the mood of the nation.
Whilst the term ‘New Labour’ was not used until Tony Blair assumed the party leadership in 1994, its roots date back to the leadership of Neil Kinnock, who succeeded Foot as leader in October 1983. He recognised that, following Labour’s defeat at the polls, the party was in urgent need of modernisation, a project which Mandelson was heavily involved in. He was appointed the party’s communications director in 1985, having previously worked as a television producer. It was in this role that Mandelson began helping the slow process of modernising the Labour Party, specifically its image and messaging to the electorate.
In 1987, Labour adopted the red rose as its party logo, in order to present a softer image to the electorate, as opposed to the ‘red flag’ logo, which had more overtly left-wing connotations. Mandelson also commissioned a film about Neil Kinnock to be used as a party political broadcast ahead of that year’s general election to show him in a more favourable light. This helped to improve Kinnock’s personal poll ratings, and contributed to the party gaining some ground on its opponents.
In 1992, Mandelson was elected as MP for Hartlepool. Whilst his role in the party was limited under John Smith, Mandelson remained a close ally of both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. After backing the former in the 1994 leadership contest triggered by the death of Smith, Mandelson came to play a fuller role in the upper echelons of the party once more.
During the Blair years, he was part of the inner team that crafted the ‘New Labour’ brand, which sought to combine ideas from both the left and right, often referred to as the Third Way. The singing of the party anthem, ‘The Red Flag’, was significantly downplayed at this time, in an attempt to attract more centrist voters who were growing disillusioned with John Major’s Conservatives. Changes such as this alienated Mandelson from the more left-wing elements of the Labour Party to the point where he had to adopt a pseudonym during the 1997 election so that his involvement could be downplayed. As campaign director, however, he oversaw Labour’s historic landslide victory, ushering in 13 years in office.
Once Labour achieved office, Mandelson had a number of different ministerial roles, but was forced to resign from government twice due to personal scandals. However, it is his role behind the scenes that is arguably more significant during this period. He helped to steer Labour away from its more left-wing tendencies, offering strategic advice to both Kinnock and Blair on how to do so. He also significantly contributed to the perception that all power was wielded from 10 Downing Street, thereby contributing to the presidential model of power during the Blair years.
Despite his fractured relationship with Gordon Brown, owing to his endorsement of Tony Blair in the 1994 leadership contest, he returned to government in 2008 as business secretary, and was appointed First Secretary of State, effectively deputy prime minister, in 2009. This return to British politics serves as a reminder of the high regard in which Mandelson was held due to his ability to communicate with the media and coordinate the work of government. He sat on 35 of the 43 Cabinet committees and subcommittees, thereby ensuring his reach was felt across Whitehall.
It is the period when Mandelson served in Brown’s government that is the focus of the revelations in the ‘Epstein Files’ over the past week. While his career in British politics is now over, Mandelson’s role in shaping the New Labour brand cannot be overstated.