Case study on the 2024 election (VB&M 4.1e) Flashcards
(22 cards)
How did Labour deliberately craft their manifesto for 2024?
Labour deliberately offered a manifesto that was less alternative to the Conservative manifesto than in the 2019 general election.
In what ways was Labour’s manifesto centrist?
Traditional Labour ‘tax and spend’ manifesto policies were limited, and the only left-wing manifesto proposals were moderate (i.e. setting up a state-owned electricity company and some limited renationalisation)
> Labour were seen as more centrist, and so more appealing again to the mainstream, floating voters are the shift left under Corbyn in 2019, which had alienated voters, such as the ‘Red Wall’ voters.
What did the Conservatives offer in their manifesto, and why was this problematic?
Conservatives offered tax cuts and spending promises but were unclear on funding, and had a poor track record in recent years (economic/valence issues, low governing competency)
How did Sunak mess up the timing of the general election?
Sunak announced the election using his prerogative power, at a time when most Conservative MPs assumed there would be no election, meaning Conservative campaigners were unprepared
What was the Conservatives election campaign like?
Conservative campaign was disastrous and considered as one of the worst election campaigns in history; number of disasters labelled a ‘comedy of errors’
How did Sunak mess up during the D-Day rememberance ceremony?
Sunak cut short his D-Day remembrance ceremony, alienating many core Conservative voters who felt Sunak had undermined patriotism, meaning many did not vote for the Conservatives, losing the core vote.
How and why was the vote split on the right, and how did this affect the Conservative vote share?
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK split the vote on the right, unlike in 2019, when Farage’s former party, the Brexit Party, agreed not to stand in Conservative seats; this meant the Conservative vote from the right was further undermined.
What did Labour focus on in their campaign/manifesto?
Labour focused on change, economic stability, and practical measures, as well as appealing to centrist voters, for example by ruling out any increases to the three main taxes.
> Labour also focused on reducing NHS waiting times and reforming housing and planning laws.
What type of campaign did Labour run?
Labour ran a highly disciplined, low-risk campaign, playing up to the ‘decline and chaos’ of the Conservative campaign.
What was the impact of the media and social media campaigning for Labour?
The Sun switched support to Labour on election eve, with their “Time for a new manager” headline.
> Social media also played a significant role, with Labour spending £3 million on digital advertising, more than a million more than the Conservatives.
How did Starmer move the party to the centre following the success of his party leadership bid?
Starmer, who became leader in 2020, dropped many left-wing policies which were blamed for Labour’s 2019 general election performance, and moved the party to the centre, focusing on valence issues (e.g. economic stability, which had moved ‘Red Wall’ voters to the Conservatives)
Where in the country did the Conservatives fail to deliver their 2019 manifesto promises, and what was the effect?
The Conservative’s failure to deliver on ‘levelling up’ in the North (i.e. HS2), as well as external factors (i.e. Covid and Ukraine) which drove up government spending, borrowing and inflation, meant that when the election was called, they could not overcome this ‘feel bad’ effect.
What scandal further inflicted pain on the Conservative government, and why?
Partygate led to a feeling that the Conservative government had lost its social conservatism appeal, as well as political instability led by party rebellions (three different PMs and five different chancellors since 2019)
What domestic crisis further caused problems for the Conservative Party?
The domestic crisis over illegal migration led to the rise of Reform UK, which gained a significant right-wing backing, capitalising on Sunak’s 2022 pledge to ‘stop the boats’, as well as the prolonged problems with the Rwanda Plan.
- This meant that the loss of core, right-wing and Red Wall voters combined to punish the Conservatives.
What did the 2024 election reveal about tactical voting, FPTP and voter apathy?
Labour secured a landslide majority of 174 seats despite winning only 33.7% of the popular vote on a historically low turnout of 59%.
- Tactical voting emerged as a significant factor
What were the problems with Sunak’s party leadership image?
Sunak’s personal wealth and background created a perception gap with ordinary voters struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
- Moreover, his leadership position was fundamentally undermined by scandals, and also by the circumstances of his premiership (accumulated baggage of his predecessors while lacking a personal mandate)
What did Starmer’s leadership strategy focus on, and what did this approach enable Labour to appear like?
Starmer’s leadership strategy focused relentlessly on economic stability, cost-of-living concerns, and NHS failures while systematically attacking the policy shortcomings of three successive Conservative prime ministers.
- This approach enabled Labour to appear as a credible alternative government (high governing competency)
In terms of class, what was turnout like at the 2024 election?
ABC1 = 25% for Conservatives, 36% for Labour
C2 = 25% for Conservatives and 31% for Labour
DE = 26% for Conservatives, 32% for Labour
In terms of age, what was turnout like at the 2024 election?
18-24 = 5% Conservatives, 41% Labour
65+ = 43% Conservatives, 23% Labour
In terms of BAME, what was turnout like at the 2024 election?
BAME = 17% for Conservatives, 46% for Labour
In terms of gender, what was turnout like at the 2024 election?
Men = 23% for Conservatives, 34% for Labour
Women = 26% for Conservatives, 35% for Labour
What was the result of the 2024 general election?
A decisive Labour victory; Keir Starmer handed a large personal mandate
- 411 seats (63.3%) with 33.7% of the popular vote
> Low turnout of 59.9%
