The papers in D709 2 are arranged into the following groups, where possible reflecting the chronological structure of David Owen's Labour Party career:

• D 709 2/1: Early Labour Party Membership: related papers (1962–1966)
• D 209 2/2: Labour MP for Plymouth: constituency papers (1966–1981)
• D 709 2/3: Papers as Minister for the Navy (1968–1970)
• D 709 2/4: Papers as member of Opposition: Shadow Defence spokesman and defence issues (1970–1973)
• D 709 2/5: Papers as member of Opposition: Children Bill (1974)
• D 709 2/6: Papers as Minister of Health (1974– 1976)
• D 709 2/7: Papers as Foreign Secretary (1977–1979)
• D 709 2/8: Papers as member of Opposition: Shadow Energy spokesman (1979–1981)
• D 709 2/9: Speeches: general
• D 709 2/10: Articles: general
• D 709 2/11: Day files
• D 709 2/12: Diaries
• D 709 2/13: David Owen's publications
• D 709 2/14: Photographs and Cartoons
• D 709 2/15: Personal policy papers and general correspondence
• D 709 2/16: News cuttings and publications
• D 709 2/17: Papers on leaving the Labour Party

David Owen joined the Labour Party (Vauxhall branch) in 1960, whilst training as a medical student at St. Thomas' Hospital, London. In 1962 he successfully stood for selection as the Labour Party Parliamentary candidate for Torrington, Devon, and contested the seat in the 1964 General Election failing however to threaten the safe Conservative seat. In 1965 he was once again selected as parliamentary candidate, this time for Plymouth Sutton constituency, campaigning for and winning the seat in the 1966 election. In the summer of 1971, following changes to the electoral boundaries in Plymouth, he was selected as candidate for the new Devonport constituency, holding the seat for the Labour Party in the 1974 and 1979 General Elections. On leaving Labour to form the Social Democratic Party in 1981 he continued to serve the constituency as its SDP Member of Parliament for several years.

He was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Royal Navy on 2 July 1968 and served in this post until the defeat of the Labour government in the June 1970 General Election after which he took on the position of Shadow Junior Defence Spokesman. As a firm supporter of entry into the European Community he disagreed with his party's demands for a referendum on the issue in 1972, and resigned from the Shadow Cabinet in April, following fellow pro-marketeer Roy Jenkins' resignation from the Deputy Leadership of the Party.

In November 1973 he presented a Private Member's Bill dealing with issues of adoption and child abuse, the Children Bill. The Second Reading of the bill was scheduled for February 8th, but was killed by the dissolution of Parliament for the February 1974 General Election. However, following the Labour Party victory in this election he was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of Health, being promoted to Minister of State for Health in July, and was thus able to oversee the introduction of a new Children Bill, essentially the same as the first bill, and direct it through Parliament to become the Children Act 1975. He also became involved in the implementation of the NHS Reorganisation Act 1973; the proposal of regulations to clamp down on private abortion rackets; the tightening of regulations governing the tobacco industry; and controversial negotiations to phase out private practice, `pay-beds', from NHS hospitals.

In September 1976 David Owen became deputy to the Foreign Secretary, Tony Crosland, with a responsibility for European Community affairs. However, following the sudden death of Crosland on 19th February 1977, Owen was appointed to take his place as Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 21st February, becoming the youngest Foreign Secretary since Anthony Eden in 1935. He served in this position until the defeat of the Labour Party in the General Election of May 1979 . Areas of foreign policy in which he was particularly involved at this time included negotiations concerning the independence of Rhodesia; the British presidency of the European Community and the formulation of a coherent European policy for the Labour government; the use of military deployments to counter the growing Argentinian threat in the Falkland Islands; diplomacy in the Middle East with heads of conflicting Arab and Israeli countries; and the formulation of British governmental policy and actions in relation to the Iranian revolution.

On the defeat of the Labour Party in the General Election of May 1979 David Owen took the position of Shadow Energy Spokesman, until his decision to leave the Labour Party in January 1981.

During this period the Labour Party was experiencing serious internal disputes concerning the balance of its power, with increasing pressure from Tony Benn and the Labour `Left' to lessen the influence of the Parliamentary Labour Party and heighten the influence of Labour activists; alienating many of the more `right-wing' members, of whom David Owen became a prominent representative. He became increasingly committed to the Campaign for Labour Victory, an organisation which evolved to counter the influence of the extreme left and Militant Tendency, speaking out against proposals formed by `Left-wing' members for changes to the Party constitution and policy, including the establishment of an electoral college to elect the Party leadership, the introduction of mandatory re-selection of MPs, the rejection of British membership of the European Community and unilateral nuclear disarmament. On 10 Nov 1980 following the election of Michael Foot as Party Leader, a further indication of the Left's ascendancy, David Owen resigned from the Shadow Cabinet. Proposals for an electoral college were approved at a Labour Party Special Conference in Jan 1981, with a composition which vested the greatest voting power in the trade unions. On the following day a group of four `moderate' Labour members - David Owen, Shirley Williams, Bill Rodgers and Roy Jenkins, (the `Gang of Four') issued the `Limehouse Declaration', a document which announced the establishment of the Council for Social Democracy to address the need for a 'realignment of British politics'. On the following day nine further Labour MPs pledged their support for the Council and Owen became engaged in preparations for the creation and launch of a new social democratic party.