Gang of Four

E237061

Gang of Four was the collective name given to the four senior Labour politicians who broke away to found the UK Social Democratic Party in 1981.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
Gang of Four (UK politics) 2
Gang of Four canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (45)

Predicate Object
instanceOf faction
political group
associatedWith Limehouse Declaration
country United Kingdom
dissolvedAsDistinctGroup mid-1980s
field politics
founded 1981
foundedPoliticalParty Social Democratic Party
surface form: Social Democratic Party (UK, 1981)
goal creation of a centrist alternative to Labour and Conservatives
realignment of British politics
hasContext Labour Party internal conflict in the late 1970s and early 1980s
hasLanguage English
hasMember Bill Rodgers
David Owen
Roy Jenkins
Shirley Williams
hasNotableMemberRole Bill Rodgers was a former Labour Transport Secretary
David Owen
surface form: David Owen was a former Labour Foreign Secretary

Roy Jenkins
surface form: Roy Jenkins was a former Labour Home Secretary

Shirley Williams
surface form: Shirley Williams was a former Labour Education Secretary
ideology social democracy
influenced formation of the SDP–Liberal Alliance
influencedBy post-war European social democracy
issued Limehouse Declaration
legacy contributed to the eventual creation of the Liberal Democrats
locationFounded United Kingdom
mediaLabel Gang of Four
namedAfter Gang of Four (China)
notableFor founding the Social Democratic Party (UK, 1981)
numberOfMembers 4
operatedIn British politics
opposedTo Labour Party 1983 manifesto
surface form: Labour Party leadership under Michael Foot

Labour Party left-wing
parentOrganization Labour Party (UK)
surface form: Labour Party
partOf history of the Labour Party (UK)
history of the Social Democratic Party (UK, 1981)
politicalAlignment centre-left
social democratic
politicalPosition pro-European
reasonForSplit concern over Labour’s European policy
disagreement with Labour Party’s leftward shift
opposition to unilateral nuclear disarmament
separatedFrom Labour Party (UK)
surface form: Labour Party
timePeriod late 20th century
typeOfSeparation party split

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Social Democratic Party foundingMembersCollectiveName Gang of Four
subject surface form: Social Democratic Party (UK, 1981)
SDP founderCollective Gang of Four
subject surface form: Social Democratic Party (UK, 1981)
this entity surface form: Gang of Four (UK politics)
Bill Rodgers partOf Gang of Four
this entity surface form: Gang of Four (UK politics)