Paper 1 · 2026 · 30 marks
Using the source, evaluate the view that the dominance of the Labour and Conservative parties has now ended.
Political Parties
Source
Source 1(b) is adapted from several articles about the support for political parties in the UK. The articles consider the dominance of the Conservative and Labour parties and if the growth of other parties has ended their dominance. (Source adapted from: https://www.economicsobservatory.com/what-happened-in-the-2024-uk-general-election, https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-10009/CBP-10009.pdf and https://news.sky.com/story/general-election-who-won-the-popular-vote-a-breakdown-of-the-main-parties-13171045)
The dominance of the two main parties has ended
Long-term signs indicate that the Labour and Conservative parties are losing their dominance. In 2024 both parties together managed to gain 57.4% of the votes, leaving 42.6% of the votes to others. Reform came second in 98 seats and won 5 on its 14.3% of the vote, and the Greens on just 6.7% gained 4 seats. The Liberal Democrats' vote share was 12.2% but they secured a record number of 72 seats - their highest since 1923. We also saw the growth of Independent MPs who in the main dealt a blow to the Labour Party. Furthermore, when we examine the basis of government majorities and the right to become the Official Opposition, Labour and Conservatives have much to fear. Labour's majority of 239 seats was based on 33.7% of the vote - only a 1.9% increase from 2019 and less votes than it polled in 2017. The Conservatives secured just 23.7% of the vote - their lowest since 1832.
The dominance of the two main parties remains intact
However, others argue that the two main parties' dominance remains intact, as the current electoral system makes effective challenges almost impossible for other parties. Labour and Conservatives can both win landslides - having shared these exclusively between themselves. Emerging and minor parties have no long-term stability in elections and just collect protest votes. Even though the Liberal Democrats gained 72 seats, their share of the vote has remained fairly static. Recent developments show the fall of the Scottish National Party as Scotland returned to its normal Labour roots. Indeed, Nationalist politics has declined, and Plaid Cymru has never made major gains outside the west of Wales. Concern over the unpopularity of the Conservatives is misplaced - it has bounced back before and will do so again.