The Montserrat Labour Party (MLP) was a political party in Montserrat.

History

The party was established in 1951, and was linked with the Montserrat Trades and Labour Union. In the 1952 elections, the first held under

universal suffrage Universal suffrage (also called universal franchise, general suffrage, and common suffrage of the common man) gives the right to vote to all adult citizens, regardless of wealth, income, gender, social status, race, ethnicity, or political stan ...

, the party won all five seats in the Legislative Council. It lost two seat in the 1955 elections, but won four seats in

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...

. Constitutional changes in 1960 created the post of

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...

, with MLP leader

William Henry Bramble William Henry Bramble (October 8, 1901 – October 17, 1988), also known as Willy B, was a union leader and a political-party leader from Montserrat; from his Montserrat Labour Party, he was the first Chief Minister of the territory, serving ...

becoming the first person to hold the post. The party won five of the seven seats in the

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...

and 1966 elections. The 1970 elections were the first occasion on which the MLP had faced serious opposition.Robert J Alexander & Eldon M Parker (2004) ''A History of Organized Labor in the English-speaking West Indies'', Greenwood Publishing Group, p144

Percival Austin Bramble Percival Austin Bramble (born January 24, 1931) is a politician from Montserrat Montserrat ( ) is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward Islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West ...

, son of William, had previously been a member of the MLP and was elected to the Legislative Council as an MLP candidate in the 1966 elections. However, he subsequently broke away to form the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) as a result of controversy over the number of holiday and

retirement home A retirement home – sometimes called an old people's home or old age home, although ''old people's home'' can also refer to a nursing home – is a multi-residence housing facility intended for the elderly. Typically, each person or couple in ...

s being built on the island. The PDP won all seven seats in the elections, leaving the MLP without parliamentary representation. The party remained dormant until being resurrected to contest the

2009 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2009. * Electoral calendar 2009 * 2009 United Nations Security Council election Caribbean * 2009 Antiguan general election * 2009 Aruban general election * 2009 Caymanian constitutional referendu ...

. Re-established by Idabelle Meade, Chedmond Browne and

Margaret Dyer-Howe Margaret (Annie) Dyer-Howe (18 November 1941 - 6 April 2019) was a Montserratian politician and businesswoman, who was the second woman to be appointed as a government minister in the Legislative Assembly of Montserrat. She held a number of mini ...

and led by Meade, it nominated three candidates. Despite finishing second in the popular vote, it failed to win a seat.

References

{{Montserratian political parties Defunct political parties in Montserrat Political parties established in 1951 1951 establishments in Montserrat Labour parties