ABSTRACT
British sovereignty has been the focus of much attention in recent years, and therefore a study of Labour’s attitude towards sovereignty is timely. At first glance, it might seem that the issue of sovereignty within the Labour Party entails neither the ideological importance nor the political problems as it does within the Conservative Party. The Conservatives have suffered at times from deep and politically damaging splits over sovereignty, particularly in the 1990s concerning British membership of the European Union (EU). On the other hand, Labour has come to accept that sovereignty is divisible within the British state, can be ‘pooled’ at a supranational level to further British interests, and has reduced importance in a globalised economy in which national governments must come together to tackle global issues.
