Winston Churchill was influenced by the work of Hayek and opposed heavy government interference in the British economy. However, the Labour Party, led by Clement Attlee, came to power in force after the 1945 general election and was dedicated to government controls to prevent another economic crisis. The United Kingdom's major industries were nationalized over the following decades (including the Bank of England, electricity, water, natural gas, railways, mining, bus transport, telecommunications, along with large portions of the oil, shipbuilding, aerospace, automotive, and steel industries. Basic human services such as healthcare and university education were brought under government control and made available for free, while rents in the private housing market were regulated and council housing provided homes for around a third of the population by the late 1970s. Meanwhile, practically all occupations and wages were heavily regulated and unionized.