# Canonical recap data for First Labour Prime Minister Elected (1924)
# Source: https://recap.at/1924/macdonald-labour-election
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: macdonald-labour-election
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1924/macdonald-labour-election"
title: First Labour Prime Minister Elected
aliases:
- MacDonald's First Government
- First Labour Government
- 1924 Labour Ministry
subtitle: Ramsay MacDonald's election as UK Prime Minister marked the Labour Party's first ascent to power and shifted British politics left.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1924-01-22
endDate: 1924-11-04
datePrecision: day
year: 1924
decade: 1920
country:
name: United Kingdom
slug: united-kingdom
summaryShort: The first Labour government of the United Kingdom was formed by Ramsay MacDonald. A minority government, it lasted from January to November 1924, when they lost a vote of no confidence and were defeated by the Conservatives in the subsequent election.
summaryLong: The first Labour government of the United Kingdom was formed by Ramsay MacDonald. A minority government, it lasted from January to November 1924, when they lost a vote of no confidence and were defeated by the Conservatives in the subsequent election.
lede: Ramsay MacDonald became Britain's first Labour Prime Minister in January 1924, leading a minority government that lasted less than a year. His administration signaled a dramatic shift in British politics, replacing the Liberal Party as the primary opposition to the Conservatives and proving the Labour Party could govern at the national level.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/F%C3%B8rste_Labour-regering.jpg/1280px-F%C3%B8rste_Labour-regering.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "First MacDonald ministry"
importance: 85
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Prime Minister
  value: Ramsay MacDonald
- label: Duration
  value: January 22 to November 4, 1924
- label: Government Type
  value: Minority government
- label: Labour Seats
  value: 191 (out of 615)
- label: How It Ended
  value: Lost vote of no confidence; defeated in general election
- label: Conservative Victory Margin
  value: 208 seats in November 1924 election
- label: Years in Power
  value: Less than 10 months
timeline:
- date: 1924-01-22
  title: MacDonald Becomes Prime Minister
  description: Ramsay MacDonald forms the first Labour government in British history. With 191 seats, Labour relied on Liberal support to form a minority government.
- date: 1924-02-01
  title: Government Takes Office
  description: The Labour ministry is formally established. MacDonald serves as both Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary.
- date: 1924-08-16
  title: Campbell Case
  description: The government's decision to drop charges against J.R. Campbell, a communist newspaper editor, triggers the first major parliamentary crisis. Opposition parties view it as weakness on communism.
- date: 1924-10-08
  title: Vote of No Confidence
  description: Parliament votes on a motion of no confidence in the government over the Campbell case. MacDonald loses the vote and calls a general election.
- date: 1924-10-29
  title: General Election Held
  description: British voters go to the polls. The Conservatives win decisively with 208 seats, while Labour retains 151 seats but loses overall support.
- date: 1924-11-04
  title: Government Falls
  description: The MacDonald government formally dissolves. Stanley Baldwin forms a Conservative government, ending Labour's brief tenure in power.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_MacDonald_ministry"
  title: First Labour Government
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: MacDonald's election shattered the three-party system that had dominated British politics since the 1880s. Labour's arrival as a governing force permanently reshaped the country's political landscape, relegating the Liberals to third-party status and establishing the Conservative-Labour binary that persists today.
categories:
- election
taxonomy:
domain: political
eventTypes:
- election
- parliamentary_crisis
- government_collapse
canonicalClasses:
- governance
- transformation
- conflict
impactRadius: national
velocity: sudden
predictability: forecastable
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: single_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
metaDescription: Ramsay MacDonald becomes Britain's first Labour Prime Minister in 1924, reshaping UK politics.
wikidataQid: Q5453246
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The Times
  publisherSlug: the-times
  headline: Labour Forms Government - MacDonald Becomes Prime Minister
  publishedAt: 1924-01-22
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Ramsay MacDonald has been invited by the King to form the first Labour government in British history. The minority administration will depend on Liberal support to pass legislation in the Commons.
  significance: 90
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: The Daily Mail
  publisherSlug: the-daily-mail
  headline: Red Terror or Steady Hand? Labour Takes the Helm
  publishedAt: 1924-01-23
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - The tabloid expressed concern over Labour's radical elements while acknowledging MacDonald's moderate credentials. Business circles await clarity on the new government's economic and industrial policies.
  significance: 85
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: The Manchester Guardian
  publisherSlug: the-manchester-guardian
  headline: Historic Victory for Working Class as Labour Takes Office
  publishedAt: 1924-01-24
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: The formation of a Labour government marks a watershed moment in British politics. MacDonald's measured approach offers hope for progressive reform without revolutionary upheaval.
  significance: 88
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: Le Figaro
  publisherSlug: le-figaro
  headline: "FR: 'Un Gouvernement Travailliste en Grande-Bretagne' / EN: 'A Labour Government in Great Britain'"
  publishedAt: 1924-01-25
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: "FR: 'Un Gouvernement Travailliste en Grande-Bretagne' / EN: 'A Labour Government in Great Britain' - Paris observers view the British Labour triumph with mixed concern and cautious optimism about continental stability."
  significance: 72
  type: newspaper
  region: France
- publisher: The New York Times
  publisherSlug: the-new-york-times
  headline: British Labour Forms First Majority-Free Government
  publishedAt: 1924-01-22
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - American financial markets noted the formation of Britain's first Labour government with cautious attention. MacDonald's pragmatism and reliance on Liberal MPs suggest moderation over radical change.
  significance: 68
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260308002703/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_MacDonald_ministry"
  capturedAt: 2026-03-08
  label: First Labour Government
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_MacDonald_ministry"
