UK Politics, Democracy, Electoral Systems, and the Constitution

Flashcards testing knowledge on UK democracy, elections, voting behaviour, the media, parliament, and the constitution.

Under the Recall of MPs Act 2015, a recall petition in the Wellingborough constituency successfully removed __________ MP, triggering a by-election.

Peter Bone

In the 2011 Alternative Vote referendum, the UK public voted to retain First Past the Post by a margin of __________ to 32%.

68%

In the 2016 EU Referendum, the UK public voted to leave the European Union by a margin of __________ to 48.1%.

51.9%

In the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum, Scottish voters chose to remain in the UK by a margin of __________ to 44.7%.

55.3%

The Great Reform Act 1832 standardised the electoral system and enfranchised middle-class men, expanding the total electorate to __________.

800,000

The Representation of the People Act 1918 granted the vote to all men aged over 21 and women aged __________ who met a minimum property qualification.

30+

The __________ enfranchised women on entirely equal terms to men.

Equal Franchise Act 1928

The Representation of the People Act 1969 lowered the voting age to 18, bringing approximately __________ new voters into the electorate.

3 million

In 2024, the Labour government rejected the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign's demands for 3.6 million women due to its __________ cost.

£10B

In November 2024, __________ farmers protested against inheritance tax changes, though the Treasury refused to engage with the NFU.

13,000

Marcus Rashford and FareShare successfully campaigned for the provision of free school meals during holidays for __________ vulnerable children.

1.3m

The Gurkha Justice Campaign secured full settlement rights in 2009 for pre-1997 Gurkha soldiers following a high-profile media campaign led by celebrity __________.

Joanna Lumley

The historic legal case __________ addressed the elimination of slavery by ruling it unlawful to forcibly transport Somerset.

Steward V somerset

The Equality Act 2010 consolidated existing anti-discrimination laws, including the 1970 Equal Pay Act and the __________ Race Relations Act.

1976

In the 2017 general election, the UK moved back toward traditional two-party politics, with the Conservatives and Labour capturing __________ of the vote combined.

82%

In the 2024 general election under FPTP, Labour won 63% of seats with 34% of the vote, while Reform UK, the Greens, and the SNP shared just __________ of seats despite winning 23% of total votes.

2.7%

In the 2024 general election under FPTP, a historic __________ of all votes cast had zero impact on the final outcome.

73.7%

Wales used the Additional Member System until replacing it under the Senedd Cymru Act 2024 with a __________ system starting in 2026.

closed list proportional

Under the Additional Member System (AMS), regional party list seats are allocated to correct imbalances using the __________ method.

d'Hondt

Under the Single Transferable Vote system, candidates must reach an electoral threshold called the __________ to win a seat.

Droop Quota

The Supplementary Vote system used for English Mayoral and Police and Crime Commissioner elections was replaced with FPTP under the __________.

Elections Act 2022

The 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum engaged voters with a record turnout of __________.

84.6%

In the 1998 Good Friday Agreement referendum, __________ of voters in Northern Ireland and 94% in the Republic of Ireland voted 'Yes'.

71%

Following the 1978–1979 Winter of Discontent, the 1979 election triggered class de-alignment, marked by a __________ swing from Labour to the Tories among C2 skilled working-class voters.

7%

In 1997, Tony Blair’s New Labour appealed to middle-class __________ voters across AB and C1 social grades.

Mondeo Man

In the 2010 general election, while the national swing to the Conservatives was 5%, the swing among readers of The Sun was __________.

13.5%

In the 2024 general election, Labour won a landslide 174-seat majority while winning a historically low popular vote share of __________.

33.7%

The UK constitution's two foundational twin pillars are parliamentary sovereignty and the __________.

rule of law

The common law ruling that Parliament must vote before triggering Brexit was established in the case __________.

R (Miller) V secretary of state for exiting the European union

The House of Lords Act 1999 reformed the upper chamber by expelling all but __________ hereditary peers.

92

The Wales Act 2017 expanded Welsh devolution by introducing a __________ model.

reserved powers

The post-Brexit __________ requires all UK regions to accept goods legally sold in any other region, preventing devolved administrations from restricting English imports.

UK Internal Market Act 2020

Under the Parliament Act 1949, the House of Lords retains the constitutional power to delay non-financial legislation for __________.

a year

The __________ prevents the House of Lords from voting down government bills that seek to enact core manifesto commitments.

Salisbury convention

In the House of Commons, Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle frequently grants __________, compelling ministers to immediately account for executive actions at the dispatch box.

Urgent Questions