Paper 1 · P1.2 · Element 1 of 8
Political parties - core
What the topic is, in two sentences
The UK is a two-party system that has been under sustained pressure since 2010 - the rise of SNP, the EU referendum realignment, the Brexit Party / Reform UK breakthrough in 2024 (14.3% vote share, 5 seats), and the collapse of the Conservative coalition. The 2024 election saw Labour win 411 seats on 33.7% - the lowest winning vote share in modern history. The two-party dominance survives in seats but not in votes.
Spec sub-sections (Paper 1, P1.2)
- P1.2.1.a The functions and features of political parties in the UK's representative democracy.
- P1.2.1.b How parties are currently funded and debates on the consequences of the current funding system.
- P1.2.2 The origins and historical development of the Conservative Party, the Labour Party and Liberal Democrat Party, and how this has shaped their ideas and current policies on the economy, law and order, welfare and foreign affairs.
- P1.2.3.a The importance of other parties in the UK.
- P1.2.3.b The ideas and policies of two other minor parties.
- P1.2.4.a The development of a multi-party system and its implications for government.
- P1.2.4.b Various factors that affect party success, explanations of why political parties have succeeded or failed, including debates on the influence of the media.
The three most-asked exam questions on this topic
Question type 1
Evaluate the view that the UK is now a multi-party system.
2024 Q2(b). The post-2024 framing question.
Question type 2
Evaluate the view that party funding in the UK should be reformed.
2020, predicted 2026. The funding-reform question — short-money + Cranborne + private donations.
Question type 3
Evaluate the view that minor parties have a greater impact on UK politics than at any time in living memory.
Recent variant. Tests Reform UK 2024, SNP 2007-24, Greens 2024.
The default line of argument
LoA: The UK is functionally a multi-party system masked by a two-party seat distribution. The 2024 result - Reform UK 14.3% vote share / 5 seats, Greens 6.7% / 4 seats, combined Con+Lab 57% (lowest in modern history) - shows the votes are dispersed even where the seats are not. FPTP is the only thing keeping the formal two-party label alive at Westminster.
How to use it: Pick this LoA for the "multi-party system" question. The funding question takes a sharper "reform needed" or "current system adequate" line.
The 8 things you need to be able to name in your sleep
- The three main parties + history — Conservative (1834 — Peel + Disraeli); Labour (1900 — labour movement, LRC then 1906); Liberal Democrat (1988 merger of Liberal Party + SDP).
- Current Reform UK position — founded 2018 (as Brexit Party); 2024 result 14.3% / 5 seats — biggest UK third-party share since SDP 1983. MP defections from Conservatives 2024-25 (Anderson, then Jenrick, Kruger, Rosindell, Braverman in 2025).
- Party funding sources — members + donors + Short money (opposition Commons) + Cranborne money (opposition Lords) + state-funded grants for policy work. PPERA 2000 regulatory framework.
- Funding reform proposals — cap individual donations (Phillips/Hayden Phillips reviews); state funding; transparency requirements. None legislated post-2010.
- SNP trajectory 2007-24 — every Holyrood election won 2007-24; 56 Westminster seats 2015; collapsed to 9 in 2024 (Sturgeon resignation 2023 + Yousaf-Swinney transitions).
- Greens 2024 breakthrough — 6.7% vote share, 4 seats (up from 1). Carla Denyer (Bristol Central) + Adrian Ramsay (Waveney Valley) + Sian Berry (Brighton Pavilion) + Ellie Chowns (North Herefordshire).
- Two minor parties to know in depth — spec requires this. Recommend Reform UK + Green Party for currency. Also Plaid Cymru / SNP / DUP / Sinn Fein for nationalist + regional parties.
- Two-party dominance evidence (still valid) — Con+Lab take 65% seats minimum since 1945; FPTP discourages tactical breakaways; Westminster procedure built around government-vs-opposition binary.