Labour Party, British

One of the two main political parties in Britain. The Labour Party currently forms the government of the United Kingdom (UK). Traditionally the Labour Party supported the idea that, in the long-term, it would work to secure a united Ireland on the basis of the consent of all interested parties. In the mid 1990s however under the leadership of Tony Blair this position was changed. Instead it was announced that in the future Labour would take a more neutral stance and would not necessarily act as a "persuader for unity" or attempt to persuade the people of Northern Ireland "one way or the other". At the British general election in May 1997 Labour was returned to power for the first time in eighteen years and immediately became involved in the ongoing multi-party talks in Northern Ireland. These culminated with the signing of the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) in April 1998 and in the subsequent referendum campaign in May 1998 Blair actively campaigned for a 'Yes' vote. Since then however the problems of implementing the GFA have continued to cause problems and as a result the Labour government has had to devote a considerable amount of its time in efforts to secure a political breakthrough. In the general election of 2001 the party returned to office with an overwhelming parliamentary majority.