The Labour Party and European Integration
A Biographical Approach
Edited by Matthew Broad and William King
Published
Nov 18, 2025Page count
272 pagesISBN
978-1529243895Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University PressPublished
Nov 18, 2025Page count
272 pagesISBN
978-1529243918Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University Press
The Labour Party and European Integration
This book uses a biographical approach to explore the Labour Party's relationship with European integration, moving beyond simple 'pro' or 'anti' labels to showcase the complexity of views that have existed.
Its positioning within the 'biographical turn' emphasizes the importance of formative experiences in shaping such viewpoints - held by both familiar figures and more underappreciated voices. Taking a broad view of Labour history, the book covers the roots of Labour’s diverse thinking on integration from the 1920s to the recent past. Its significant intervention in the fields of Labour Party history, European integration studies, and history through biography, helps provide essential historical context for understanding Labour's current European policies.
Matthew Broad is Assistant Professor in History and International Studies in the Institute for History, Leiden University, the Netherlands.
William King is a Core Fellow at the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies, University of Helsinki, Finland.
Introduction: Labour and European Integration: A Biographical Approach – Matthew Broad and William King
1.R.W.G. Mackay – Tommaso Milani
2.Fenner Brockway – Edoardo Vaccari
3.Denis Healey – Ettore Costa
4.Hugh Gaitskell – Matthew Broad
5.Harold Wilson – Lindsay Aqui
6.Shirley Williams – Helen Parr
7.Douglas Jay – Larissa Kraft
8.Judith Hart – Richard Johnson
9.Richard Crossman – James Ellison
10.Roy Jenkins – N. Piers Ludlow
11.Barbara Castle – William King
12.Tony Blair – Daniel Furby
13.Diane Abbott – Maxine David
Conclusion – William King and Matthew Broad
