This article is part of a series about Tony Blair
Electoral history MP for Sedgefield Beaconsfield by-election Leader of the Opposition Leadership election Brown Deal Shadow Cabinet Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Premiership Policies Blairism New Labour Third Way Appointments "Tony's Cronies" "Blair Babes" First ministry and term Ministry 1997 election 1997 budget Good Friday Agreement peace process Handover of Hong Kong Death of Diana, Princess of Wales People's princess Post Office scandal Military intervention in Sierra Leone Second ministry and term Ministry 2001 re-election 9/11 War on terror War in Afghanistan Death and funeral of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother 2003 invasion of Iraq Iraq and weapons of mass destruction Saddam–al-Qaeda conspiracy theory Bush memo Downing Street memo February Dossier September Dossier Ultimatum to Iraq Iraq War Third ministry and term Ministry 2005 re-election Cabinet reshuffle Cash for Honours Leadership succession London bombings Respect agenda Post–Prime Minister A Journey Associates Faith Foundation Iraq Inquiry Quartet on the Middle East Sports Foundation Institute for Global Change
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New Labour, New Life for Britain was a political manifesto published in 1996 by the British Labour Party. The party had recently rebranded itself as New Labour under the leadership of Tony Blair. The manifesto set out the party's new "Third Way" centrist approach to policy, with subsequent success at the 1997 general election.^[1]

The 1997 general election produced the biggest Labour majority, in seat terms, in the history of the party's existence. They won majority government with 418 out of 659 seats in the House of Commons, with a majority of 179, and Blair became the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.^[2] During its time in office, Labour introduced policies that achieved the main aims of the manifesto including introducing a minimum wage, increasing National Health Service (NHS) spending, and reducing class sizes in schools.

The Conservatives left government after about eighteen years, following victories in 1979, 1983, 1987, and 1992; the first three under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher and the last under John Major. In 1997, they suffered their worst defeat since 1906, losing 178 seats, including the unseating of seven Conservative Cabinet Ministers and the loss of all their representation in Wales and Scotland. With 165 seats, the Tories became the Official Opposition. This election began a Labour government following an 18-year spell in opposition and continued with another landslide victory in 2001 and a third consecutive victory in 2005, despite losing a great deal of popular support. In 2010, with Blair having retired as prime minister, in which capacity Gordon Brown succeeded him, Labour became the official opposition with 258 seats, having fallen to 29% in the popular vote.

Following the general election defeat of 2010, Brown resigned as leader of the Labour Party. His successor, Ed Miliband, completely abandoned the New Labour branding in 2010 after being elected, moving the party's political stance slightly to the left.^[3]

Pledge card

During the 1997 general election campaign, a pledge card with five specific pledges was issued and detailed in the manifesto too. The pledges were:^[1]

• Cut class sizes to 30 or under for 5, 6 and 7-year-olds by using money from the assisted places scheme.
• Fast-track punishment for persistent young offenders by halving the time from arrest to sentencing.
• Cut NHS waiting lists by treating an extra 100,000 patients as a first step by releasing £100,000,000 saved from NHS red tape.
• Get 250,000 under-25s off benefits and into work by using money from a windfall levy on the privatised utilities.
• No rise in income tax rates, cut VAT on heating to 5% and inflation and interest rates as low as possible.