Editing Neil Kinnock (section)

===Second period (1987–1992)===
[[File:Neil Kinnock (1989).jpg|thumb|upright|left|Kinnock in 1989]]

A few months after the general election, Kinnock gained brief attention in the [[United States]] in August 1987 when it was discovered that then-US Senator [[Joe Biden]] of [[Delaware]] (and future 46th [[President of the United States|President]]) plagiarised one of Kinnock's speeches during [[Joe Biden 1988 presidential campaign|his 1988 presidential campaign]] in a speech at a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] debate in [[Iowa]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE1DD1531F931A2575AC0A961948260 | title=Biden's Debate Finale: An Echo From Abroad | last=Dowd | first=Maureen | work=The New York Times | date=12 September 1987 | author-link=Maureen Dowd | access-date=17 February 2017 | archive-date=24 February 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090224123659/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE1DD1531F931A2575AC0A961948260 | url-status=live }}</ref> This led to Biden's withdrawal of his presidential campaign.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE0DF173AF937A1575AC0A961948260 | title=Biden Withdraws Bid for President in Wake of Furor | last=Dionne Jr. | first=E. J. | work=The New York Times | date=24 September 1987 | author-link=E. J. Dionne | access-date=17 February 2017 | archive-date=7 February 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207234156/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE0DF173AF937A1575AC0A961948260 | url-status=live }}</ref> The two men met after the incident, forming a lasting friendship.<ref name="ic wales 1">{{cite web|title=He borrowed Kinnock's speech, but Neil's backing Joe all the way |url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/08/25/he-borrowed-kinnock-s-speech-but-neil-s-backing-joe-all-theway-91466-21597987/ |access-date=12 October 2008 |publisher=Media Wales Ltd |date=25 August 2008 |work=WalesOnline website |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100121145731/http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/08/25/he-borrowed-kinnock-s-speech-but-neil-s-backing-joe-all-theway-91466-21597987/ |archive-date=21 January 2010 }}</ref>

The second period of Kinnock's leadership was dominated by his drive to reform the party's policies to gain office. This began with an exercise dubbed the [[Policy Review (Labour Party)|policy review]], the most high-profile aspect of which was a series of consultations with the public known as "[[Labour Listens]]" in the autumn of 1987.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Mark |last=Bevir |url=http://osb.revues.org/861 |title=The Remaking of Labour, 1987–1997 |journal=Observatoire de la Société Britannique |issue=7 |pages=351–366 |date=1 March 2009 |access-date=6 April 2012 |doi=10.4000/osb.861 |s2cid=154452227 |archive-date=30 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330235650/http://osb.revues.org/861 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Following Labour Listens, the party went on, in 1988, to produce a new statement of aims and values—meant to supplement and supplant the formulation of [[Clause IV]] of the party's constitution (though, crucially, this was not actually replaced until 1995 under the leadership of [[Tony Blair]]) and was closely modelled on [[Anthony Crosland]]'s social-democratic thinking—emphasising equality rather than [[public ownership]]. At the same time, the Labour Party's commitment to unilateral nuclear disarmament was dropped, and reforms of Party Conference and the National Executive meant that local parties lost much of their ability to influence policy.

In 1988, [[1988 Labour Party leadership election (UK)|Kinnock was challenged]] by [[Tony Benn]] for the party leadership. Later some{{Who|date=March 2025}} identified this as a particularly low period in Kinnock's leadership — as he appeared mired in internal battles after five years of leadership with the Conservatives still dominating the scene, and being ahead in the opinion polls. In the end, though, Kinnock won a decisive victory over Benn and would soon enjoy a substantial rise in support.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/briefings/snpc-03938.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090618163059/http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/briefings/snpc-03938.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 June 2009|title=Leadership Elections: Labour Party|work=House of Commons Library|last1=Durkin|first1=Mary|last2=Lester|first2=Paul|access-date=3 May 2010}}</ref>

The policy review — reporting in 1989 —coincided with Labour's move ahead in the polls as the [[Poll tax (Great Britain)|poll tax]] row was destroying Conservative support, and Labour won big victories in local council elections as well as several parliamentary by-elections during 1989 and 1990. Labour overtook the Conservatives at the [[1989 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom|1989 European elections]], winning 40% of the vote; the first time Labour had finished in first place at a national election in fifteen years.

In December 1989, Kinnock abandoned the Labour policy on [[closed shop]]s—a decision seen by some{{Who|date=March 2025}} as a move away from traditional [[socialist]] policies to a more European-wide agenda, and also a move to rid the party of its image of being run by [[trade union]]s.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/18/newsid_2538000/2538439.stm | work=BBC News | title=1989: Labour's union U-turn | date=18 December 1989 | access-date=14 January 2012 | archive-date=25 January 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125003519/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/18/newsid_2538000/2538439.stm | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=18 December 2020|title=Labour abandons the closed shop – archive, 18 December 1989|url=http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/dec/18/labour-abandons-the-closed-shop-archive-1989|access-date=30 April 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en|archive-date=2 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210502021732/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/dec/18/labour-abandons-the-closed-shop-archive-1989|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Michael Heseltine]] challenged Thatcher's leadership and she resigned on 28 November 1990 to be succeeded by then-[[Chancellor of the Exchequer]], [[John Major]]. Kinnock greeted Thatcher's resignation by describing it as "very good news" and demanded an immediate general election.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GgAkMeB-_c  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/-GgAkMeB-_c| archive-date=11 December 2021 |url-status=live|title=Mrs Thatcher Resigns&nbsp;– BBC 1 O'Clock News |publisher=YouTube |date=7 September 2008 |access-date=6 April 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Public reaction to Major's elevation was highly positive. A new [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] and the fact that Kinnock was now the longest-serving current leader of a major party reduced the impact of calls for "Time for a Change". Neil Kinnock's showing in the opinion polls dipped; before Thatcher's resignation, Labour had been up to 10 points ahead of the Conservatives in the opinion polls (an [[Ipsos MORI]] poll in April 1990 had actually shown Labour as being more than 20 points ahead of the Conservatives), but multiple opinion polls were actually showing the Conservatives with a higher amount of support than Labour, in spite of the [[Early 1990s recession|deepening recession]].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8280050.stm | work=BBC News | title=Poll tracker: Interactive guide to the opinion polls | date=29 September 2009 | access-date=12 April 2011 | archive-date=29 July 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729111322/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8280050.stm | url-status=live }}</ref>

By now Militant had finally been routed in the party, and their two MPs were expelled at the end of 1991, in addition to a number of supporters. The majority in the group were now disenchanted with entryism, and chose to function outside Labour's ranks, forming the [[Socialist Party (England and Wales)|Socialist Party]].{{Citation needed|date=June 2017}}