In 1996 the British Labour Party abandoned its commitment to a state-led training policy funded through a levy on business. It adopted a new scheme based on individual plans with minimal public intervention and no levy. Drawing on archival sources, this article examines the development of Labour's policy towards training over the last 15 yr. The authors argue that the new proposals mark the failure of the Party's attempt to locate itself within the mainstream of European social democracy. three factors explain this outcome: the changing nature of Labour's relationship with trade unions; an acceptance by the Party of the UK's uncoordinated market economy; and the decision by Labour to advance an electoral strategy aimed at reassuring business and voters. The Party's effort to meet employers' training policy preferences has decisively shaped the nature of its social democratic commitments.
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