Labour activists from across Moray assembled in Lossiemouth this weekend to mark the centenary of the UK’s first Labour government, led by Ramsay MacDonald. James Ramsay MacDonald was born in Lossiemouth in 1866, and despite a political career that took him to 10 Downing Street, he always regarded Lossiemouth as his home.

Ramsay MacDonald was first elected to parliament in 1906, as one of just 29 Labour MPs. MacDonald led the Labour Party into the general election in December 1923, depriving the Conservative government of their majority. On 22 January 1924, Ramsay MacDonald entered Downing Street as the country’s first ever Labour Prime Minister.

Among the achievements of the first Labour Government was the Housing (Financial Provisions) Act 1924, known as the “Wheatley Housing Act” which dramatically increased funding for council house building. More than 500,000 houses were built under Wheatley Housing Act, despite challenging economic headwinds.

In this election year, Labour in Moray is keen to celebrate the centenary of the first government led by a Labour Prime Minister, believing that 2024 could see the election of a Labour government for the first time in almost 20 years.

The assembled gathering at Prospect Terrace in Lossiemouth was addressed by Cllr Sandy Keith, Chair of the Moray Labour Party, and Iona Kielhorn, granddaughter of Ramsay MacDonald, who still lives in the house MacDonald built in Lossiemouth.

Also present at the event was Kevin Maguire, editor of the Daily Mirror newspaper, who commended the event on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Cllr Keith’s remarks to the gathering:

“Ramsay was a Lossie loon and the only Moravian to be Prime Minister – the first Labour Prime Minister, 100 years ago on Monday.

Coming from poverty almost unimaginable today, he rose to lead this country which, at the time, governed a quarter of the globe, and was toiling from the efforts of the first world war.

We in the Moray Labour Party are proud of our links with Ramsay MacDonald and the first Labour Government.

We will be doing all we can to elect a Labour Government whenever the Tories decide to call an election this year.

Remember how we all felt in the days after the 2015 election, and again in 2019. My own response was to visit the graveside of Ramsay MacDonald in Spynie Kirkyard, between here and Elgin, to reflect.

As a Moray Labour Party, our response was to treble the number of Labour councillors on the Moray Council and achieve the highest swing to Labour in Scotland at those elections. We are, again, credible contenders in this seat.

The most significant achievement of Ramsay MacDonald’s first government was the Wheatley Housing Act, to begin building 500,000 council houses for low paid workers.

I was brought up in a council house – and I’m proud of it. Many here today were also brought up in council houses – thanks to a vision given birth 100 years ago by Ramsay MacDonald’s government in 1924.

We all believe in transformational change of society, and that is why we are Labour Party members.

This year the SNP Government’s recent budget cut 25% – 200 MILLION pounds – from the housing budget in Scotland. That is shameful, and we must redouble our efforts to provide decent, affordable housing for those in need. We need a commitment to a new Wheatley Act.

In 2024, it would be a fitting tribute to Ramsay MacDonald to complete the work started by our forebears.

Thank you everyone for coming today to remember a Lossie loon who became Prime Minister; the first Labour Prime Minister.”