A Fractured Polity? British Politics after the 2024 Election
Professor Sir John Curtice, University of Strathclyde

Speaker:

Professor Sir John Curtice, University of Strathclyde

Bio:

John Curtice is Professor of Politics at the University of Strathclyde and Senior Research Fellow, Scottish Centre for Social Research and ‘The UK in a Changing Europe’. He is a regular media commentator on British and Scottish politics.

Topic:

Politics

Date:

11 December 2024

Time:

7:30pm – 9:00pm

Venue:

Glasgow University – lecture theatre to be confirmed

Add to your calendar 11 December 2024 19:30 11 December 2024 21:00 Europe/London Lecture: Professor Sir John Curtice, University of Strathclyde

Summary

The UK has long had a two-party system in which seats and votes have been dominated by the Conservatives and Labour. However, for the first time as many as five parties fought most of the seats in Great Britain in 2024. More third-party MPs were elected than at any election since 1923. Meanwhile, the share of the vote won by the Conservatives and Labour combined fell to its lowest level since 1922, the first election at which Labour emerged as the principal challengers to the Conservatives.

In this lecture Prof. Curtice will assess the prospects for the two-party system in the wake of the 2024 election. He will assess both the short-term and the longer-term forces that help explain why both the Conservatives and Labour won so few votes. And he will assess why third parties were able to buck an electoral system that is meant to limit their representation.