Britpop, The Full Monty and free universities: How the UK looked last time Labour came to power
On May 2, 1997 Tony Blair walked into Downing Street after the Labour Party won a historic landslide victory against the Conservatives.
Fast forward to 2024, Sir Keir Starmer has repeated history, having so-far won 412 seats and put an end to 14 years of Conservative dominance.
In 2010, the Conservatives seized power with a promise of austerity but their time in office has been marred by the publics criticism of their handing of Brexit, Covid and the cost of living crisis.
Now, as the country once again prepares for a major political shift, ITV News looks back at how much life has changed since Labour's 1997 win.
Music
In 1997, Elton John's single Candle in the Wind - dedicated to Princess Diana - dominated the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. The song remains the best-selling single in UK chart history.
The late 1990's was also the era of Britpop - and Oasis' Be Here Now became the fastest-selling album ever at the time, comfortably outperforming Blur's self-titled fifth album.
In 2024, Blur's drummer Dave Rowntree is no longer fighting for the top spot on the charts -but instead made a bid and failed to get elected as a Labour candidate in the constituency of Mid Sussex.
The Spice Girls continued their cultural domination as the faces of the Cool Britannia movement during 1997, releasing their second album Spiceworld, which went straight to the top the charts and sold more than a million copies in its first year.
They went on to make headlines after breaking royal protocol and kissing the cheeks of the then-Prince Charles at the 21st anniversary party of the Prince's Trust.
This year's Eurovision Song Contest saw UK hopeful Olly Alexander earn zero points from the public vote and finish 18th overall.
But in 1997, the UK did slightly better: Katrina and the Waves won the whole thing with their uplifting pop hit Love Shine a Light.
Film and TV
Before the existence of streaming giants like Netflix, Sky TV, and ITVX, people sat down and tuned into their good old fashioned televisions.
In 1997, viewers were treated to the launch of classics such as Midsomer Murders, Teletubbies and Bernard's Watch.
Lucky Emmerdale fans were also able to enjoy a bonus episode every Wednesday when the long-running soap upped its output to three episodes per week.
This year, the Yorkshire-based drama marked its 10,000 episode.
Meanwhile, in cinema - sequels have dominated the British box office this year with Dune: Part Two and Inside Out 2 grossing over £26 million and £ 31 million respectively.
But in 1997, three original classics topped the film charts: The Full Monty, Men In Black, and James Cameron's Titanic, which would go on to sweep the following year's Academy Awards.
Sport
Despite the 27-year gap, Manchester football clubs continue to dominate the Premier League.
Alex Ferguson's United won their second consecutive title in 1997 while Pep Guardiola's Manchester City made history after winning the league for a record fourth year in a row.
At Wimbledon, the 1997 singles championships were won by Pete Sampras and Martina Hingis.
Any hopes of an Andy Murray singles victory this year were dashed due to injury, although there's still a chance he will raise a trophy in his last ever Wimbledon after announcing he will be playing with 21-year-old Emma Raducanu in the mixed doubles.
Two Tysons dominated the headlines in the world of heavyweight boxing then and now: Tyson Fury who lost his bid to become undisputed heavyweight world champion earlier this year and Mike Tyson who - in 1997 - infamously bit the ear off rival Evander Holyfield.
Cost of living
Students in 1997 went to university for free, whereas today students leave their studies with an average debt of £44, 940.
But its not just university - the average house price in April 1997 was £61,946. Today buying a house would set you back more than four times that number, averaging at £281,373.
Meanwhile, the average price of a pint of beer was £1.80 while today a pint of draught lager sets you back £4.77 on average.
UK politics
The politics of 1997 included a dramatic election. The Sun newspaper declared its support for Labour, calling the Conservatives and their leader John Major "tired, divided and rudderless".
On May 2, the country woke up to a new political landscape: Tony Blair became prime minister after winning the biggest majority in Labour's history.
Meanwhile, the Conservatives only had 165 MPs left - their lowest number since 1906.
The 1997 was also historic in that the first Muslim MP Mohammad Sarwar, who secured the seat in Glasgow Govan, was elected.
This year, Rachel Reeves is making history by becoming the first female Chancellor.
Royals
In 1997, Queen Elizabeth II had been on the throne for 45 years and the Royals faced a turbulent year, with opinion polls showing the public felt no real connection to them.
King Charles has been King since his mother died in September 2022. In opinion polls, the Prince and Princess of Wales are the most popular members of the Royal Family.
The world also mourned the death of Princess Diana in 1997, though this was after the election. Diana and Dodi Fayed died in a car crash in Paris.
Other notable moments:
Remember Dolly the Sheep? Dolly shocked the world after becoming the first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell.
Her birth was announced on February 22, 1997 and sparked debates about the ethics of cloning.
The magic of the wizarding world also came into existence, with J.K Rowling's first Harry Potter book, published in June of 1997.
In 2024, we have seven books, eight films, Harry Potter theme parks and a play in the West End.
For foodies, Birds Eye's Arctic Rolls - one of the most iconic British desserts - were discontinued generating public outcry.
However, the popular dessert made a come back in 2008, and in 2023, sales had risen by 143%, according to Ocado.
In the US, OJ Simpson was found guilty for the deaths of Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman by a civil trial in 1997 despite being acquitted for the double murder by the criminal courts two years prior.
He was ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages, however declared bankruptcy not long after. Simpson died in April 2024.
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