Why Clement Attlee Was Britain's Greatest Prime Minister
24/09/25
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A PORTRAIT OF ATTLEE, IMAGE: GEORGE HARCOURT
After hundreds of thousands of British lives were lost during World War II and the economy was left in a state of crisis, with crumbling infrastructure and a debt-to-GDP ratio of 249%, many thought the ‘war hero’ Winston Churchill would maintain power and win the 1945 General Election, to secure victory against Imperial Japan. Instead, a radical adjustment took place, surprising even Labour leader Clement Attlee, as he was elected Prime Minister with a landslide majority of 146 seats. What followed was the most remarkable premiership of the 20th century, with Attlee leaving an outstanding domestic policy record, as well as aiding decolonisation efforts. This established a new consensus which remained in place until the 1970s, long after Attlee’s six-year tenure.
Despite his wealthy upbringing, Attlee’s commitment to social reform stems from his experiences as a young man. In 1906, he began volunteering at Haileybury House, a charity in East London, where Attlee witnessed the destitution his fellow Londoners faced, such as barefoot children walking the streets. This inspired him to join the Independent Labour Party in 1908, spearheaded by his view that government intervention was needed to eliminate poverty. Attlee maintained these values throughout his political career, becoming the Mayor of Stepney in 1919, where he focused his efforts on tackling exploitative landlords who charged exorbitant rents for appalling housing conditions.
Attlee became a Member of Parliament in 1922. Here, he supported India’s struggle for self-determination whilst rising the ranks of the Labour Party, becoming its leader in 1935 and serving in Churchill’s wartime coalition as Deputy Prime Minister. During this time, the Beveridge Report (1942) was published, which identified major reforms needed to tackle the scourges of poverty and disease, whilst providing opportunities for self-improvement. This widely popular report became the backbone of Labour’s 1945 Election manifesto, ‘Let Us Face the Future’, as Attlee committed to full employment, investment in education and housing, and the implementation of the modern welfare state, including the NHS and a system of national insurance. Attlee, therefore, had a profound vision for social change upon becoming Prime Minister in July 1945.
The domestic policy achievements of Attlee’s Labour Government were substantial. Most famously, the founding of the National Health Service, under Aneurin Bevan in 1948, guaranteed universal healthcare, which strengthened medical outcomes through reduced infant mortality, increased life expectancy, and an uptake in prescriptions, from 7 million per month to 13.5 million per month by September 1948, as people no longer had to face fee payments or insurance premiums. This became a particularly important development for veterans and survivors of the Blitz who
faced long-term injuries.
A FLOWER DISPLAY FOR THE NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE, IMAGE: AMIR AZIMI
Additionally, the National Insurance Act 1946 was a key component of the newly established welfare state, providing a wide range of benefits, including a financial safety net for the sick and unemployed, pensions, and both maternity and widows' benefits. With 1000 new schools built, free school meals introduced, 25,000 more teachers, one million new homes, a duty for local authorities to provide care for orphaned children, and compensation payments for industrial injury, Labour made significant advances in achieving Beveridge’s goal of a welfare state “from the cradle to the grave”.
Moreover, the government understood the benefits of conserving the British countryside; hence, legislation was passed to ensure wildlife and cultural heritage could be enjoyed for future generations. These provisions included public access to open land, as well as the formation of national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty in England and Wales. These policies display Attlee’s vision to not only rebuild post-war Britain but to drastically improve the social fabric of the country by ensuring a decent standard of living for all.
Further economic successes consolidated the Attlee period of 1945-51, as the manifesto's aim of full employment was maintained, with unemployment falling from 2.04% in 1946 to 1.57% in 1951. Labour’s industrial policy was marked by the strategic nationalisation of 20% of the UK economy (coal, railways, electricity, and steel) by 1951, which improved working conditions, particularly in coal mining, and aided post-war reconstruction as railways were built with regard to social benefits rather than only profit-maximisation, meaning rural areas became better connected.
Throughout the same period of recovery, the debt-to-GDP ratio fell sharply from 249% in 1946-47 to 168% in 1951-52. However, it should be noted that the UK received significant support for reconstruction in the form of American loans and funding from the Marshall Plan, whereby the US gave billions to European countries to ensure stability and stop the spread of communism. Strict rationing, the 1949 currency devaluation, and Bevan’s resignation over prescription fees in the National Health Service in April 1951 meant the government was by no means infallible. Nevertheless, Attlee’s priorities led to a significant new chapter in Britain, placing egalitarianism at the heart of his reforms.
ATTLEE ENJOYS A PIPE, IMAGE: PUBLIC DOMAIN via WIKICOMMONS
These values extended into the foreign policy realm as Attlee strongly believed in Indian independence, which occurred in 1947, alongside broader decolonisation in Myanmar and Sri Lanka in 1948. This marked the shift from empire to the Commonwealth, despite pushback from uncompromising imperialists like Churchill. Attlee also encouraged President Truman against the use of nuclear weapons during the Korean War (1950-53) and supported the United Nations, affirming his humanist values.
Attlee’s premiership was remarkable. Whether it be because of the NHS, the welfare state, childcare provision, national parks, improved working conditions, or pensions, it is no surprise that historians commonly rank Attlee as one of Britain’s greatest prime ministers. Attlee’s legacy, also referred to as the post-war consensus, extends beyond his six-year tenure, as successive governments maintained the mixed economy, full employment, and Keynesian economic policies up until the 1970s, bringing about the so-called “Golden Age of Capitalism”. 74 years later, Attlee’s accomplishments should provide inspiration to us all that true patriotism is about empathy, community and solidarity, not the faux-patriotism of scapegoating and marginalisation we observe today from Reform UK’s deceptions.
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