One of the two main UK political parties; associated with One Nation and New Right traditions. Currently the official opposition.

One of the two main UK political parties; divided between Old Labour social democracy and New Labour Third Way traditions.

Third major UK party; associated with classical and modern liberal traditions; strongly pro-EU.

Right-wing populist party; successor to the Brexit Party; opposes the ECHR and immigration.

Scottish independence party; third-largest in Westminster by seats after 2019 election; in government in Holyrood.

Welsh nationalist party; advocates greater Welsh autonomy and independence.

Ecologist political party; advocates environmental policies and proportional representation.

Eurosceptic party that campaigned for Brexit; largely superseded by Reform UK.

The British legislature made up of the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the monarch. Exercises parliamentary sovereignty.

The primary chamber of the UK legislature, directly elected by voters via FPTP.

The second chamber of the UK legislature, not directly elected; composed of life peers, 26 bishops, and 92 remaining hereditary peers.

The Prime Minister and senior ministers, most of whom lead a particular government department. Operates under collective ministerial responsibility.

The collective executive: Prime Minister, Cabinet and junior ministers.

The highest court in the UK political system, created in 2009 by the Constitutional Reform Act, replacing the Law Lords.

Independent body that oversees elections and regulates political finance in the UK.

Permanent, politically neutral administration that supports the government of the day.

The constitutional head of state; exercises royal prerogative formally but in practice these powers are exercised by the PM and Cabinet.

Devolved legislature for Scotland, created by the Scotland Act 1998. Elected by AMS. Has primary legislative power over devolved matters.

Devolved legislature for Wales, created by the Government of Wales Act 1998. Gained primary legislative powers via the 2011 referendum.

Devolved legislature for Northern Ireland, created under the Good Friday Agreement 1998.

The devolved executive for Scotland, led by the First Minister.

Civil liberties pressure group that campaigns to protect rights and freedoms in the UK. An insider group.

International human rights organisation with strong UK presence; monitors and campaigns on human rights abuses.

International NGO monitoring human rights; UK branch active in campaigns.

Environmental pressure group; uses both insider and outsider strategies; global presence.

Direct action environmental group; uses civil disobedience to pressure governments on climate change.

Campaigning organisation focused on river pollution and water quality in the UK.

Insider pressure group representing the interests of farmers and growers in England and Wales.

Insider group representing UK businesses. Lobbies government on economic and regulatory policy.

Trade union and professional body for doctors in the UK; insider group.

National trade union federation representing workers across the UK.

Insider pressure group campaigning for the rights of LGBT+ people in the UK and internationally.

Free-market think tank; strongly influenced Thatcherism and Truss government economic policy.

Centre-right think tank founded by Margaret Thatcher and Keith Joseph. Influential in shaping Conservative policy.

Libertarian and free-market think tank; influential in Conservative and New Right policy.

Centre-right think tank; influential on Conservative policy under David Cameron.

Centre-left think tank closely associated with New Labour; influenced Blair government policy.

Centre-left think tank; influential in New Labour policy. Senior officials given roles in the Blair government.

Centrist think tank that influenced Keir Starmer prior to the 2024 general election.

Independent think tank focusing on living standards, pay and poverty.

Murdoch-owned tabloid newspaper; traditionally supported the Conservatives but backed Blair's Labour in 1997.

Murdoch-owned broadsheet newspaper; centre-right editorial stance.

Centre-left broadsheet; typically supports Labour or Liberal Democrat positions.

Right-wing tabloid; significant influence on public opinion; often critical of immigration and the EU.

UK public broadcaster; legally required to be impartial; politically significant as the main news source for many voters.

One of the two main US political parties; broadly right-wing; associated with smaller government, lower taxes, social conservatism and the Religious Right.

One of the two main US political parties; broadly centre-left; associated with greater government intervention, civil rights and social liberalism.

The bicameral federal legislature of the United States, comprising the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Upper chamber of Congress; 100 senators, two per state, elected for 6-year terms. Has specific powers including ratification of treaties and confirmation of appointments.

Lower chamber of Congress; 435 representatives, apportioned by state population, elected for 2-year terms.

Highest court in the United States; nine justices with lifetime tenure; power of judicial review.

The executive branch of the US federal government, headed by the President; separate from Congress and the judiciary.

Federal law enforcement agency; part of the Department of Justice.

The body that formally elects the US President; voters in each state elect electors rather than the president directly.

The central banking system of the United States; controls monetary policy.

Single-issue interest group that campaigns for gun rights and opposes gun control legislation.

Policy group that campaigns to strengthen the US-Israel relationship.

Professional group representing the economic interests of physicians in the USA.

Voluntary professional association for lawyers in the United States.

Organisations that raise and spend money to elect or defeat electoral candidates; donation limit of $5,000 per candidate per election.

A result of Citizens United v FEC (2010); can raise and spend unlimited amounts to support or oppose candidates but cannot co-ordinate directly.

Political and economic union of European member states. Created by the Maastricht Treaty 1992. UK was a member until Brexit in 2020.

Directly elected legislature of the EU. Shares legislative powers with the Council.

The executive body of the EU, responsible for proposing legislation and implementing decisions.

The supreme court of the EU on matters of EU law. Distinct from the European Court of Human Rights.

Council of Europe court that adjudicates violations of the European Convention on Human Rights. The UK remains a member post-Brexit.

Intergovernmental organisation promoting human rights, democracy and the rule of law across 46 member states. Established the ECHR. Separate from the EU.

Institution of the EU representing member state governments; shares legislative power with the European Parliament.

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation: military alliance of 31 states (as of 2023) committed to collective defence under Article 5, signed 1949.

Organisation created in 1945 to promote international co-operation and prevent conflict. Has 193 member states. Key bodies include the Security Council, General Assembly and Secretariat.

The UN's most powerful body; primary responsibility for international peace and security. Five permanent members with veto power (P5): USA, UK, France, Russia, China.

The main deliberative body of the UN; all 193 member states represented. Resolutions are not legally binding.

International organisation working to foster global monetary co-operation, secure financial stability and reduce poverty. Provides emergency loans (Structural Adjustment Programmes).

International organisation that offers concessional loans and grants to the world's poorest developing countries to reduce poverty.

Organisation that regulates international trade and provides a forum for trade negotiations.

Intergovernmental organisation that promotes economic growth, trade and development among 38 member countries.

Principal judicial organ of the United Nations; settles disputes between states.

Prosecutes individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Located in The Hague.

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change: international environmental treaty negotiated at the Rio Earth Summit 1992.

UN body providing scientific information on climate change; reports inform global policy negotiations.

Group of Seven major advanced economies: USA, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan. Plus EU as non-enumerated member.

Group of Twenty: major advanced and emerging economies representing around 80% of world GDP.

Continental union of 55 African states; promotes unity, development and security in Africa.

Association of Southeast Asian Nations: regional bloc of 10 Southeast Asian countries promoting economic integration and co-operation.

South American trading bloc; South America's leading trading bloc including Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.

Global human rights organisation; monitors and campaigns against violations of human rights worldwide.

International NGO that investigates and reports on human rights abuses worldwide.

International development charity working with communities to end poverty. Named in spec as example of NGO.

International confederation of charitable organisations focused on fighting poverty and inequality.

International humanitarian medical NGO providing emergency medical care in conflict zones and disasters.

International environmental NGO using direct action and lobbying to campaign on issues including climate change and ocean protection.

Multinational technology corporation; one of the world's most valuable companies; significant lobbying influence on government policy on digital regulation and taxation.

Multinational technology corporation; criticised for tax avoidance strategies across jurisdictions.

Multinational technology corporation; significant actor in digital policy and AI governance debates.

Multinational coffee chain; criticised for tax avoidance in the UK.

Multinational fast food corporation; significant employer and lobbyist in multiple jurisdictions.

Multinational automotive corporation; significant employer; governments compete to attract manufacturing investment.

Financial services company; subject of lobbying controversy when David Cameron acted as an advisor.

Incorporates the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law. Conservative governments have debated replacing it with a British Bill of Rights.

Consolidates and extends anti-discrimination law in the UK; covers protected characteristics including race, sex, disability and religion.

Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, drafted by the Council of Europe and opened for signature in 1950.

Medieval royal charter establishing that everyone, including the king, is subject to the law. A foundational source of the uncodified UK constitution.

UK opinion-led news channel launched 2021; by 2025 claimed over 1 million daily viewers. Regularly reprimanded by Ofcom for impartiality breaches; cited as evidence of a shift towards the US partisan-media model.

UK opinion-led television channel, part of News UK; launched 2022. Associated with right-leaning commentary; cited alongside GB News as part of the shift towards opinion journalism.

UK 24-hour news channel (owned by Comcast); part of the cable/satellite news landscape since 1989. Subject to Ofcom impartiality rules. Used as comparator when discussing GB News viewing figures.

The Office of Communications; the UK's independent regulator for broadcast and telecommunications. Enforces impartiality requirements on broadcasters and has sanctioned GB News multiple times for impartiality breaches.

Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers union; represented rail workers in high-profile strike action in 2022-23 over pay and conditions. Example of sectional/insider pressure group using industrial action.

The UK's largest public sector union representing over 1.3 million workers in health, education, local government and more. Key example of a sectional interest group.

UK's largest teachers' union; conducted strike action in 2023 over pay. Example of a sectional group using industrial action as a pressure group method.

Represents students across UK higher education; campaigned strongly against tuition fee increases. Example of a sectional pressure group; the LibDem tuition fees U-turn (2010) became a defining example of broken pledges.

Civil liberties organisation that campaigns against state surveillance, facial recognition technology and encroachments on privacy rights. Used media campaigns to highlight police use of facial recognition.

Organisation campaigning for reform of the prison system and reduction of incarceration rates; an example of a cause group focused on a specific area of criminal justice.

UK's largest charity dedicated to the support and protection of refugees and asylum seekers; engages in policy advocacy and provides direct support services.

UK human rights organisation providing legal representation and campaigning for people facing extreme human rights abuses including unlawful detention and the death penalty.

Organisation providing legal advice and campaigning on immigration and asylum law; an example of a cause group using both insider lobbying and judicial review.

Environmental pressure group that has used judicial review to challenge government climate policy (e.g. Heathrow expansion, government net-zero strategy). Example of courts as access point for outsider groups.

Climate campaign group that used controversial direct action in 2021 (blocking motorways) to demand the UK government fund home insulation. Frequently cited alongside Just Stop Oil as example of civil disobedience.

Climate campaign group that used direct action including roadblocks and event disruptions (2022-24) to demand an end to new oil and gas licensing. Courts used against them; cases raised issues of protest law and civil liberties.

Left-wing campaign group established to support Jeremy Corbyn's leadership of the Labour Party; became significant for its highly effective social media campaigning in the 2017 general election.

UK branch of the global BLM movement; large demonstrations in 2020-21 following the murder of George Floyd. Example of cause group using marches and demonstrations to raise awareness and influence political agenda.

Youth-led climate movement inspired by Greta Thunberg's Fridays for Future; organised school strikes and marches across the UK in 2019-23. Example of emerging civil society action on environmental issues.

Advertising agency that ran the Conservative Party's highly effective 1979 general election campaign, including the 'Labour Isn't Working' poster. Marks the beginning of professionalised election marketing in UK politics.

Centre party formed in 1981 by a breakaway from Labour ('Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Shirley Williams, Bill Rodgers); formed the Liberal/SDP Alliance with the Liberal Party; merged with Liberals in 1988 to form the Liberal Democrats.

Electoral pact between the Liberal Party and the SDP from 1981-88; gained 25%+ of votes in 1983 but only 23 seats under FPTP. Demonstrates the disproportionality of the FPTP system.

Established in 1900 by trade unions, ILP, Fabian Society and Social Democratic Federation to provide parliamentary representation for working people; became the Labour Party after 1906.

Socialist think tank and pressure group founded in 1884; played key role in founding the Labour Party. Sidney and Beatrice Webb wrote Labour's first constitution (1918) including Clause 4. Still publishes research aligned with centre-left politics.

Socialist party founded by Keir Hardie in 1893; one of the founding organisations of the Labour Representation Committee in 1900. Represents the earliest organised socialist politics in the UK.

Hard-line Eurosceptic grouping of Conservative MPs; focused on national sovereignty, parliamentary supremacy and low-regulation economics. Played major role in pushing for Brexit and resisting Theresa May's withdrawal agreement.

Centre-ground grouping of Conservative MPs who support pragmatic state intervention, social cohesion and welfare provision to maintain national unity; roots in the One Nation tradition of Disraeli and Macmillan.

Nationalist and socially conservative grouping emphasising cultural traditionalism, strict immigration control and opposition to 'woke' values; emerged as a distinct faction post-2019.

Conservative parliamentary group focused on defending national history, free speech and traditional institutions; formed partly in response to cultural and heritage controversies.

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; the UK's largest nature conservation charity with over 1 million members. Used parliamentary briefings to supply draft amendments to the Environment Act. Example of large insider/cause group.

UK's leading race equality think tank; gave evidence to parliamentary select committees on ethnic and class inequalities during COVID-19 lockdowns. Example of specialist research body influencing parliamentary debate.

Professional organisation representing company directors; lobbies government on business regulation, tax and trade policy alongside the CBI. Frequently cited example of corporate/business insider group.

National network providing free advice on legal, financial and consumer issues; involved in government consultations (e.g. welfare reform Green Papers) as a key stakeholder.

A club of 22 Arab countries that tries to agree common positions but rarely produces binding decisions because every member has a veto.

A Chinese-led international bank that lends money for infrastructure projects across Asia, seen as a rival to Western-dominated development banks.

A network of roughly 100 of the worlds biggest cities working together on climate change, often going further and faster than their national governments.

A global youth movement started by Greta Thunberg in which students strike from school on Fridays to demand government action on climate change.

The EU central bank that controls interest rates and the euro currency for the 20 countries in the eurozone, taking monetary policy out of national hands entirely.

The main unionist (pro-UK) party in Northern Ireland. Its 10 MPs propped up Theresa May's government in 2017-19.

The main nationalist (pro-united Ireland) party in Northern Ireland and growing force in the Republic. Its Westminster MPs do not take their seats.

A small Scottish independence party founded by former SNP leader Alex Salmond in 2021.

The UK's main animal welfare charity and pressure group, lobbying Parliament on animal rights issues.

A group of five major emerging economies that meet to discuss alternatives to Western-led global governance.

The annual international climate summit where countries negotiate agreements to tackle climate change.

The first European integration organisation, set up in 1951 to share coal and steel production and make another European war impossible.

The common market set up in 1957 that was the predecessor to the European Union.

The UN agency responsible for fighting hunger and improving food security around the world.

The group of eight major world powers that existed from 1997 until Russia was suspended in 2014 following the Crimea crisis.

The free trade agreement between the US, Canada and Mexico that removed most trade barriers between them from 1994 to 2020.

The African Union's parliament, which brings together representatives from African countries to discuss and advise on continental issues.

The African Union's security council, which tries to prevent and manage conflicts across the African continent.

An informal alliance between the US, Australia, India and Japan designed to counter China's growing influence in Asia.

The main UN body responsible for monitoring and promoting human rights around the world.

Special international courts set up by the UN to prosecute war criminals from specific conflicts like those in Yugoslavia and Rwanda.

The main UN body responsible for coordinating global action on environmental issues.

The UN agency that promotes education, science and culture around the world, including managing World Heritage Sites.

The UN agency that works to protect children's rights and welfare around the world.

The updated North American free trade agreement between the US, Mexico and Canada that replaced NAFTA in 2020.

The UN agency responsible for global health, including coordinating responses to pandemics and outbreaks of disease.