Party Systems examples Flashcards
(41 cards)
Describe Reform’s performance in the May 2025 local elections
-Reform won 10 local councils
-Placed close second in Labour’s 3 mayoral election wins (only 1 - 4 points)
-Won Greater Lincolnshire Mayoral election with Andrea Jenkins (former Tory MP)
-Won Hull and East Yorkshire Mayoral election with Luke Campbell (Former Olympic Boxer)
-Winning Runcorn and Helsby by election, beating Labour by just 6 votes (first ever by election win for Reform)
-Farage declaring Reform as the new opposition and the ‘death of two party politics’
Describe Labour’s results in the 2025 May local council elections
-Won West England (25%) Mayoral election
-Won North Tyneside (30.2%) Mayoral election
-Won Doncaster (32.6%) Mayoral election (1 point infront of Reform’s 31.6%)
-Winning overall the slight majority of Mayoral positions that were up for grabs
-Lost there one and only council
-Losing Runcorn and Helsby by election, triggered by Mike Amesbury quitting after admitting to punching a constituent, despite it being supposedly one of their safest seats
Describe the LibDem performance at the May 2025 local elections
-Won 3 local councils (Oxfordshire, Shropshire and Camebridgeshire)
-Winning more than 160 new seats
-Stealing majority of their seats from the Conservatives
-Second place, behind Reform, in Hull and East Yorkshire despite running Hull City Council since 2021
-Claiming title from Conservatives as ‘party of Middle England’
Describe the Conservatives performance in the May 2025 local elections
-Lost 16 Councils
-Prior to the election the Conservatives held 18 councils
-Won the Camebridgeshire and Peterborough Mayoral election (28.4%)
-Lost 500 municipal seats
-Labour and Conservatives together account for less than 40% of the council vote share
-Badenoch determined to win back ‘trust of the public’
Why is the West England local mayoral election (2025) so significant
West London results had to the top 5 parties all within 11 points of eachother (25% L, 22% R, 20% G, 17% C, 14% LD)
How is the idea that only two parties dominate UK politics challenged?
Events like Brexit (catalysed by UKIP) and the Scottish independence referendum (driven by the SNP) show that smaller parties can shape major political outcomes.
How many MPs outside the two main parties were elected in 2024, and how does this compare to the historical average?
117 MPs from outside the main two parties were elected in 2024, compared to an average of just 9.
What percentage of the vote did Reform win in the 2024 general election, and how many seats did that result in?
Reform won 14% of the vote but only secured 5 seats, highlighting disproportionality in the electoral system.
How did the Liberal Democrats perform in the 2024 election?
They received their largest share of seats ever, winning 72 MPs.
How many MPs did the Green Party win in 2024?
The Greens won 2 MPs in the 2024 general election.
How did the DUP exert influence in UK government between 2017 and 2019?
The Conservative government relied on the DUP for a majority, which gave the DUP leverage—such as blocking Theresa May’s Brexit plan for Northern Ireland.
What influence did the Lib Dems have during the 2010 coalition government?
They secured policies from their manifesto, like scrapping ID cards and holding the 2011 AV referendum.
How did the Conservative Party’s internal debate on immigration in 2024 reflect the influence of Reform UK?
Tory divides on immigration were shaped by the perceived threat of Reform, showing that smaller parties can influence political discourse without holding power or many seats.
How do the 2019 and 2024 general elections reflect party dominance in UK politics?
They are examples of elections allowing just one party to dominate—Conservatives in 2019 and Labour in 2024.
Which party dominated UK politics for the 14 years prior to 2024?
The Conservative Party dominated from 2010 to 2024.
How has the UK often experienced one-party dominance historically?
From 1979 to 2010, the UK had only one party in government at a time, showing a trend of extended one-party rule.
What is a common interpretation of the 2010 coalition government in the context of UK party dominance?
It is often seen as a temporary exception to the usual one-party rule.
What percentage of seats did Labour win in the 2024 general election?
Labour won 63% of the seats in 2024.
How does the First Past the Post (FPTP) system affect the UK’s party system?
FPTP prevents a permanent multi-party system, strengthening the two-party system, often through tactical voting.
What was the vote share for the two main parties in the 2017 General Election?
The two main parties received the highest vote share since 1970, with 82.4% of the vote.
How many seats did Labour and the Conservatives win in the 2017 General Election?
Labour and the Conservatives won 580 out of 650 seats in 2017, accounting for 89% of the seats.
Despite the unpopularity of the Conservatives in 2024, how did the two main parties perform?
The two main parties still won 533 out of 650 seats in 2024, making up 82% of the seats.
Which party has a majority government in Scotland, and how does Labour compare?
The SNP (Scottish National Party) has a majority government in Scotland, while Labour has not governed there since 2007 and required the support of the Liberal Democrats when they did.
