Excalibur (database)

Excalibur was a database used by the British Labour Party for campaigning. It was created as a rapid rebuttal tool.[1] Said to have cost £300,000, and to have cost £250,000 per year to run with a staff of 10 running it at its peak, it was used during Labour's successful 1997 general election campaign.[1][2][3]

According to reports, it contained information on party and opposition policies, party members, opponents and journalists.[1][4]

A 1999 Labour government initiative, the Knowledge Network Project, was criticised for being too close to Excalibur in concept, with the worry that it could be used for party political purposes.[1][5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Travis, Alan; White, Michael (2000-01-08). "Civil servants demand safeguards on Labour's electronic database". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-02-05.
  2. ^ Robins, Jane. "Westminster on speed". prospectmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved 2026-02-05.
  3. ^ "House of Commons - Public Administration - Sixth Report". publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2026-02-05.
  4. ^ Assinder, Nick (2002-08-23). "The towering infernal". BBC News. Retrieved 2026-02-05.
  5. ^ "House of Commons - Public Administration - Minutes of Evidence". publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2026-02-05.


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