On the night of 27th April, 1955, twenty-six persons met at “Glenhurst”, Lands End, St. Michael, Barbados. They represented varied backgrounds and outlooks. Some had already had considerable experience in Politics, because four of them were then members of the House of Assembly, and two of them had sat in that Chamber some years before. By the time the meeting ended, twenty-five people had started something that would change the course of Barbadian history.

Thus was the Democratic Labour Party born. At the “Glenhurst” meeting, the Constitution of the Party, which was to come into force on 1st May, 1955, was adopted by the following foundation members who formed the first Provisional General Council of the Party

The period between the formation of the D.L.P. in 1955 and the formation of the first D.L.P. Government in 1961 was a simple story of initial defeat and discouragement turned into victory through perseverance and hard work. In the 1956 General Election only four of the D.L.P’s sixteen candidates were successful. In the time following Mr. (later Sir) Theodore Brancker served as the Leader of the Opposition and Mr. C. F. Broome was the Party Chairman.

Subsequent to the death of Mr. Charlie Broome in 1959, Mr. Errol Barrow was elected Chairman and in this capacity led the Party into the momentous General Election of 1961. On December 5th 1961 the Democratic Labour Party won 14 of the 24 seats in the Barbados House of Assembly.

DLP Terms Of Government

1961 – 1966    Errol W. Barrow (Premier)

1966 – 1971    Errol W. Barrow (Prime Minister)

1971 – 1976    Errol W. Barrow (Prime Minister) 

1986 – 1991    Errol W. Barrow/Erskine Sandiford (Prime Minister)

1991 – 1994    Erskine Sandiford (Prime Minister)
2008-2010  David Thompson (Prime Minister)
2010-2018 Freundel Stuart (Prime Minister)

The DLP as a Government

Three days after its victory on December 5th 1961, Errol Barrow who was appointed Premier and Minister of Finance, announced his first cabinet. “Operation Takeover” the Party’s campaign slogan had taken effect.

The 1961 Cabinet was as follows:

Hon. E. W. Barrow – Premier and Minister of Finance
Hon W A Crawford – Minister of Trade, Industry, Labour and Development
Hon. J. C. Tudor – Minister of Education
Hon. G.G. Fergusson – Minister of Communications, Works and Housing
Hon. A. DaC. Edwards – Minister of Social Services
Hon. H.A. Vaughan – Minister without Portfolio

The 1961 Election Manifesto of the Democratic Labour Party looked forward to Independence for Barbados, but first Barrow and his cabinet set about changing the social and economic landscape of Barbados.

Over the next 15 years, the first term of office for the DLP, Barbados moved from “a village to a Nation