Andrew Gwynne MP, Labour’s National Campaigns and Elections Chair, on the 20th anniversary of Labour’s 1997 election victory, said: 

“Twenty years on from 1997, the lesson of that election is that it takes a Labour government to bring about transformative change for the many not just the few.

"In 1997, after 18 years of the Tories running down the country, Britain needed a Labour government to change working people’s lives for the better. That’s exactly what the Labour government did between 1997 and 2010.

"The achievements of that government were many. From ‎the New Deal which helped millions in to work, to ‎the National Minimum Wage which made that work pay. From peace in Northern Ireland to Sure Start which made a difference to millions of children and their families. In education, school spending per pupil was doubled, thousands of schools rebuilt and 42,000 more teachers helped deliver some of the best ever school results. And for the NHS a Labour government was transformative, with ‎the largest hospital building programme in history and 44,000 more doctors and 89,000 more nurses driving up standards and driving down waiting times.

"Now, ‎in 2017, we again need a Labour government to rebuild and transform a country that is suffering from Tory neglect and deepening inequality. ‎The message of 1997 is as relevant today as it was then: we need people to vote for change, to vote for Labour and for a country for the many not the few.”