This can be seen in the 1997 election, when Blair successfully rebranded the Labour Party. As Labour leader, Blair drove forward the policy of modernisation and abandoned old-fashioned party policies such as nationalisation, tax increases and the strengthening of Trade Union powers, which might put off middle-class voters.
Blair also gave off reassuringly tough signals of law and order (using the slogan 'Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime'), an issue that mattered to voters after rising crime rates in the early 1990s, and emphasised his links to the business community.
As a sign of the party's desire to show how responsible it was, its 1997 platform stressed specific policy details where it promised to make a difference, such as reducing primary school class sizes and cutting hospital waiting lists.
As a consequence, the Labour Party was able to offer a concrete policy platform and real change to the electorate, which enabled Labour to win the election with a landslide.
