The ruling UK Labour government has 411 out of 650 Parliamentary seats (60% voter turnout – it won just 98 out of 1,632+ council seats in the 23 local authority elections (35% voter turnout)
Local election results here:
Nigel Farage hails Reform UK's 'unprecedented' election results - BBC News
British democracy is in turmoil under Labour.
On 4 July 2024, the UK voting public voted against the Conservative government by voting for parties other than Labour. Liberal Democrats, Greens and UK Reform were the alternatives.
In 2019, Labour received around 10.29 million votes – in 2024 it received 9.6 million votes – a decline of around 0.7 million.
Around 60% of eligible voters cast a ballot in the 4 July 2024 – a multi-decade low.
Labour “won” 34% of the 60% - just 20% of the electorate.
Labour won just 202 out of 650 Parliamentary seats in the 2019 election with 700,000 more votes than in the 2024 General Election and won 209 more seats in Parliament.
Such are the vagaries of the UK’s “First Past the Post” system.
Even with the 25% lower turnout of 35% at the local authority level compared to the national level (60%), Labour candidates for local authority council seats I 23 f th UK’s 29 local authorities won just 98 councillors out of more than 1,632 contested.
Making the (dubious) extrapolation from local to national representation, the implication is that the ruling UK Labour government would win just 650 / 1,632 x 98 = 39 seats.
In the dustbin of politics.
UK Reform would have around 270 on this basis. The Tories, even after losing 2/3 of their councillors would have 127 and the Liberal Democrats would have 147.
Labour think this means it must “move faster”.
From here:
'I get it': PM vows to deliver change after 'disappointing' local election results as... - LBC
“'I get it': PM vows to deliver change after 'disappointing' local election results as jubilant Farage hails victory.
Keir Starmer has vowed to deliver change quickly after "disappointing" local election results, with Reform UK winning the knife-edge Runcorn by-election.”
Starmer doesn’t get it.
He has no mandate and needs to call a general election as soon as possible.
He won’t – because he has no honour, conscience or ability to recognise he is the head of a cabinet that has no ability to manage the country.
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Onwards!!!
Your first sentence is not quite right in my opinion. First there is no democracy in the UK. Second if there were it would be under the uni-party of LibLabCon. The lack of voter turnout is surely because people are becoming switched off from the complete farce of UK politics. Then there is the cheat of postal votes. Who knows what other cheating is carried out. Your substack is great, thank you. Kim