The first Labour Government took office on 22nd January 1924. It was a minority administration that fell in November 1924. Its Manifesto was that of the General Election held in December 1923. Below is the section on war and peace.
Only 5 years after the end of the First World War and only 15 before the start of the second these are important issues, as now. The Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald had not supported the war and lost his seat at the 1918 Election (returning to Parliament in 1922)
The policy is hardly a resounding example of anti-imperialism but its willingness to have normal relations with then socialist Russia and the call for multilateral disarmanent is a world way from Labour in 2024
Peace among the nations
Labour’s vision of an ordered world embraces the nations now torn with enmity and strife. It stands, therefore, for a policy of International Co-operation through a strengthened and enlarged League of Nations; the settlement of disputes by conciliation and judicial arbitration; the immediate calling by the British Government of an International Conference (including Germany on terms of equality) to deal with the Revision of the Versailles Treaty, especially Reparations and Debts; and the resumption of free economic and diplomatic relations with Russia. This will pave the way for Disarmament, the only security for the nations.
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