Cross-Party Co-operation in British Politics, 1945–1977

Abstract

The formation of the Lib-Lab Agreement in 1977 followed over 30 years of unambiguous single-party Government, the longest such period since the Whig supremacy.1 This was a consequence of the bi-polar nature of the two-party system inherent in British politics between 1945 and 1970.2 The eight general elections in this period saw executive power shared (albeit unequally) between the Labour and Conservative parties, both achieving office with working majorities; there was thus no requirement for formal cross-party arrangements through this period. Between 1945 and 1964, the Labour and Conservative parties consistently gained over 85% of the popular vote and over 95% of the seats in the House of Commons. The Liberal Party, greatly diminished since its erstwhile prominent position in British politics, were the next largest block of MPs unaffiliated to either of the two larger parties but they enjoyed neither the parliamentary representation nor the political mandate to form a functioning coalition with either of the larger political parties, even if it had been required.