Hall of Fame - UK Manifesto Retrospective

Individuals, policies, and parties ranked by their retrospective grades across all analyses (Top 50 in each category). Grades reflect long-term outcomes and impact, not intentions or popularity at the time.
A = Prescient/effective B = Generally successful C = Mixed results D = Failed to deliver F = Harmful/abandoned

Individuals

#1 A

Jennie Lee

1970

#2 A-

Aneurin Bevan

#3 A-

Keir Hardie

1900 1906 1910 Jan

#4 A-

John Wheatley

1923 1924

#5 A-

Clement Attlee

1935 1945 1950 1951 1955

#6 A-

Anthony Crosland

1970

#7 A-

Margaret Thatcher

1974 Oct 1979 1983 1987

#8 A-

R. A. Butler

1945 1950

#9 B+

Gordon Brown

1992 1997 2001 2005 2010

#10 B+

Austen Chamberlain

1922

#11 B+

Iain Macleod

1959

#12 B+

Geoffrey Howe

1979

#13 B+

William Hague

2001

#14 B+

Labour leadership cohort

1910 Dec

#15 B+

John Clynes

1922

#16 B+

Barbara Castle

1966

#17 B+

Alistair Darling

2010

#18 B+

Andy Burnham

2015

#19 B+

Rachel Reeves

2024

#20 B+

Harold Macmillan

1951 1955 1959

#21 B+

Hugh Gaitskell

1951 1955 1959

#22 B+

Stafford Cripps

1945 1950

#23 B

Arthur Henderson

1910 Jan 1918 1929 1931

#24 B

Lord Salisbury

1900

#25 B

Keith Joseph

1979

#26 B

Nigel Lawson

1983 1987

#27 B

Oliver Letwin

2001

#28 B

Richard Bell

1900

#29 B

George Barnes

1910 Dec

#30 B

William Adamson

1918

#31 B

Denis Healey

1979

#32 B

Neil Kinnock

1987 1992

#33 B

John Smith

1987 1992

#34 B

Ed Miliband

2015

#35 B

Keir Starmer

2019 2024

#36 B

John McDonnell

2017 2019

#37 B-

Tony Blair

1997 2001 2005

#38 B-

Winston Churchill

1945 1950 1951

#39 B-

Harold Wilson

1959 1964 1966 1970 1974 Feb 1974 Oct

#40 B-

Lord Roberts

1900

#41 B-

Rab Butler

1959

#42 B-

Alec Douglas-Home

1964

#43 B-

Willie Whitelaw

1974 Feb

#44 B-

Michael Heseltine

1992

#45 B-

Peter Lilley

1997

#46 B-

Michael Howard

2005

#47 B-

Philip Hammond

2017

#48 B-

Ed Balls

2015

#49 B-

Wes Streeting

2024

#50 B-

Andrew Bonar Law

1910 Dec 1918 1922

Policies

#1 A

Widows’, Orphans’ and Old Age contributory pensions scheme

1924

#2 A

Closer association with Western Europe and the United States against Communism

1950

#3 A

300,000 houses a year and promotion of home ownership

1951

#4 A

Raising school-leaving age to 16 and expansion of higher and technical education

1964

#5 A

Keep the pound and reject euro membership

2001

#6 A

Opposition to euro membership

2005

#7 A

Adequate maintenance from national funds for the aged poor

1900

#8 A

Graduated income tax

1900

#9 A

Adult suffrage and registration reform

1900

#10 A

Payment of Members

1900

#11 A

Independent Labour representation in Parliament

1906 1910 Jan

#12 A

State old age support for the poor

1906

#13 A

State responsibility for underfed schoolchildren

1906

#14 A

Payment of Members of Parliament

1910 Dec

#15 A

Sweeping franchise reform including women’s suffrage

1910 Jan

#16 A

Freedom and self-determination for Ireland, India, and subject peoples

1918

#17 A

Equal adult suffrage and political rights irrespective of sex

1918

#18 A

State-led housing and public works to fight unemployment

1922

#19 A

National system of electrical power supply and wider infrastructure development

1923

#20 A

National system of electricity generation and transmission

1924

#21 A

Opposition to deflation and to restoring pre-war gold parity

1931

#22 A

Protection and expansion of unemployment benefits and social services

1931

#23 A

Development of health services and focus on maternal mortality

1935

#24 A

Creation of the National Health Service (universal, free at point of use)

1945

#25 A

Consolidation and defence of the NHS and comprehensive social security

1950

#26 A

Development aid and focus on under-developed regions

1951

#27 A

Defence and entrenchment of the NHS and social security system

1951

#28 A

Empire to Commonwealth and accelerated self-government

1955

#29 A

Support for UN, opposition to Suez, nuclear test bans, and controlled disarmament within NATO

1959

#30 A

Race Relations legislation and anti-discrimination laws

1964

#31 A

Open University (University of the Air)

1966

#32 A

Creation and expansion of the Open University

1970

#33 A

Introduction of universal Child Cash Allowances (Child Benefit)

1974 Feb

#34 A

Women's rights and Sex Discrimination framework

1974 Oct

#35 A

Equality and positive action agenda for women and ethnic minorities

1983

#36 A

Statutory National Minimum Wage

1987

#37 A

Devolution: Scottish Assembly, Welsh Institutions, and London Strategic Authority

1987

#38 A

Statutory Minimum Wage (£3.40 proposal)

1992

#39 A

Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly (devolution package)

1992

#40 A

Bank of England independence and inflation-targeting

1997

#41 A

National minimum wage with Low Pay Commission

1997

#42 A

National Minimum Wage increases

2001

#43 A

Abolition of non-dom tax status

2015

#44 A

Expansion of higher and technical education

1959 1959

#45 A-

Emphasis on strong naval and military forces as basis for foreign policy

1906

#46 A-

Women and children legal reforms (guardianship, legitimacy, adoption, sexual offences, women police)

1924

#47 A-

National electricity reorganisation and grid build-out

1929

#48 A-

Cheap money policy and public works to boost employment

1935

#49 A-

Raising school-leaving age to 15 and aiding non-provided schools

1935

#50 A-

Comprehensive National Insurance scheme

1945

Parties

#1 A-

Conservative Party 1979

1979

#2 A-

Labour 1900

1900

#3 A-

Labour 1906

1906

#4 A-

Labour Party 1918

1918

#5 A-

Labour 1922

1922

#6 A-

Labour 1945

1945

#7 A-

Labour 1997

1997

#8 B+

Conservative Party 1950

1950

#9 B+

Conservative Party 1983

1983

#10 B+

Labour 1910 (Dec)

1910 Dec

#11 B+

Labour Party 1910 (January manifesto)

1910 Jan

#12 B+

Labour Party 1923

1923

#13 B+

Labour 1924

1924

#14 B+

Labour Party 1935

1935

#15 B+

Labour 1950

1950

#16 B+

Labour 1951

1951

#17 B+

Labour 1959

1959

#18 B+

Labour 1970

1970

#19 B+

Labour 1992

1992

#20 B

Conservative Party 1951

1951

#21 B

Conservative 1959

1959

#22 B

Conservative Party 2005

2005

#23 B

Labour 1931

1931

#24 B

Labour 1955

1955

#25 B

Labour 1987

1987

#26 B

Labour 2001

2001

#27 B

Labour 2005

2005

#28 B

Labour 2024

2024

#29 B-

Conservative (Coalition) 1918

1918

#30 B-

Conservative Party 1922

1922

#31 B-

Conservative Party 1945

1945

#32 B-

Conservative Party 1955

1955

#33 B-

Conservative Party 1964

1964

#34 B-

Conservative Party 1966

1966

#35 B-

Conservative Party 1974 (October)

1974 Oct

#36 B-

Conservative Party 1987

1987

#37 B-

Conservative Party 2001

2001

#38 B-

Labour 1964

1964

#39 B-

Labour 1966

1966

#40 B-

Labour 1974 (February)

1974 Feb

#41 B-

Labour 1974 (October)

1974 Oct

#42 B-

Labour 1979

1979

#43 B-

Labour 2010

2010

#44 B-

Labour 2015

2015

#45 B-

Labour 2017

2017

#46 C+

Conservative and Unionist Party 1900

1900

#47 C+

Conservative Party 1906

1906

#48 C+

Conservative Party 1910 (December manifesto)

1910 Dec

#49 C+

Conservative Party 1924

1924

#50 C+

Conservative Party 1929

1929