2 - Political parties

How did the UK Conservative Party form, and what do they stand for?

The Conservative Party formed to promote social stability and tradition.

What are the two axes on the standard diagram of a political compass?

Capitalist vs. socialist, liberal vs. conservative.

What are the enduring principles of the Conservative Party?

Social stability and tradition.

What term describes the traditional wing of the Conservative Party?

One Nation Conservatism.

What principle motivated the Conservative Party to pursue reforms for the less advantaged?

Paternalism.

What principle focuses on practical outcomes instead of ideological aims?

Pragmatism.

Which key post-war Labour policy did One Nation Conservatives support?

Welfare State.

What form of conservatism aimed to reduce taxes and roll back the size of the state?

Neo-liberalism.

What form of conservatism aimed to restore traditional values against social liberalism?

New Right.

What form of conservatism aims to revive older values and structures?

Reactionary.

Who are examples of One Nation Conservative Prime Ministers?

David Cameron, Theresa May.

Who are examples of neo-liberal Conservative Prime Ministers?

Margaret Thatcher, Liz Truss.

How might One Nation and neo-liberal conservatives disagree on the NHS?

One Nation conservatives favor it, neo-liberal conservatives privatize it.

How might One Nation and neo-liberal conservatives disagree on mass immigration?

One Nation conservatives oppose it, neo-liberal conservatives favor it.

How might One Nation and neo-liberal conservatives disagree over building on the greenbelt?

One Nation conservatives oppose it, neo-liberal conservatives favor it.

Which Conservative faction pushed for Britain to leave the EU?

European Research Group.

In what movement does the Labour Party have its origins?

Trade unionism.

In what economic system are large industries owned by the state?

Socialism.

What process brings privately owned companies under state control?

Nationalisation.

What term describes the version of the Labour Party committed to working men's interests?

Old Labour.

What late 20th century process weakened Labour's traditional membership?

Deindustrialisation.

What process turns state-run industries into profit-making companies?

Privatisation.

What political system balances a capitalist economy with government intervention?

Social Democracy.

What new party did four centrist members of the Labour Party found in 1981?

Social Democratic Party.

What significant passage did Tony Blair remove from the Labour Party constitution in 1995?

Clause IV.

What term describes the philosophy of New Labour from the 1990s onwards?

'Third Way'.

Who has been the most left-wing Labour Party leader of the past forty years?

Jeremy Corbyn.

What was the outcome for Labour of running on a far-left platform in the 2019 general election?

Lowest number of seats won since 1935.

What term best describes the socialist wing of the modern Labour Party?

Hard left.

What term best describes the Labour Party faction between socialism and Blairism?

Soft left.

What faction in the Labour Party combines left-wing economic policy with conservative social values?

Blue Labour.

The Liberal Democrat Party formed in 1988 through a fusion of which two parties?

Liberal Party and SDP.

Where do the Liberal Democrats position themselves according to the political compass?

Economically centrist, socially liberal.

Why was the outcome of the 2005 General Election significant for the Liberal Democrats?

62 seats, and 22% of the vote.

What did the 2010 General Election lead to for the Liberal Democrat party?

Coalition government with Conservatives.

What role did Nick Clegg take after the 2010 General Election?

Deputy Prime Minister.

What election pledge did the Liberal Democrat leadership break in 2011?

No increase to university tuition fees.

What victories did the Liberal Democrat leadership claim during their five years in government?

Pupil premium, and £10k tax-free 'personal allowance'.

Why was the outcome of the 2015 General Election significant for the Liberal Democrats?

Only won eight seats.

On what civil liberties issue do the Liberal Democrats hold a distinctive position?

ID cards.

On what social issue do the Liberal Democrats hold a distinctive position?

Legalisation of cannabis.

On what defence issue did the Liberal Democrats hold a distinctive position?

Scaling back nuclear arms.

What faction within the Liberal Democrats emphasizes support for free market capitalism?

'Orange Book' Liberals.

What policy won the Liberal Democrats a significant number of former-Conservative voters in 2024?

Closer links with the EU

What did Lib. Dems. call their 2024 strategy to win liberal, wealthy former Conservatives in southern England?

Gails bakery strategy

Why was the outcome of the 2024 General Election so significant for the Liberal Democrats?

72 seats (most ever)

What political parties did Nigel Farage lead as forerunners to Reform UK?

UKIP and The Brexit Party

What was the outcome of the 2024 election for Reform UK?

14% of the vote, 5 seats

From which two groups and political parties does Reform UK currently draw most of its support?

Working class Labour voters, right-wing Conservatives

What claim did Nigel Farage make for Reform UK's success in December 2025?

Largest membership for any UK political party (270k)

What status does Reform UK say it will abolish, affecting those from abroad who have settled in the UK?

Indefinite leave to remain

What treaty does Reform UK propose leaving, to make it easier to deport migrants?

ECHR

What was the outcome of the 2024 election for the Green Party?

7% of the vote, 4 seats

In what two English cities are the Green Party particularly strong?

Bristol and Brighton

Who became the leader of the Green Party in September 2025?

Zac Polanski

What political strategy does the Green Party seek to follow since September 2025?

Eco-populism

What transition has the Green Party gone through since the 2024 election?

Causal party, to a fully formed left-wing party

Who led the Scottish Nationalist Party, and served as First Minister of Scotland, from 2014 to 2023?

Nicola Sturgeon

How many of Scotland's Westminster seats did the Scottish Nationalist Party win in 2015?

56 out of 59

How many of Scotland's Westminster seats did the Scottish Nationalist Party win in 2024?

9 out of 59

What policy proved to be highly controversial for the Scottish Nationalist Party during the early 2020s?

Gender Recognition Bill

What is the name of the Formula 1 boss who donated £1 million to the Labour Party in 1997?

Bernie Ecclestone

Why was the donation of £1 million to the Labour Party by the Formula 1 boss so controversial?

Tobacco advertising ban exemption

What Act established the Electoral Commission as an independent regulatory body, and when was it passed?

2000 Political Parties Act

Since 2000, donating to UK political parties was limited to what people or organisations?

On UK electoral register, or UK registered company

Since 2000, what size of donations had to be declared to the Electoral Commission?

Anything above £11k

What further provisions were introduced by the 2009 Political Parties Act?

Investigatory powers for EC and £7.5k threshold

What principle aims to reduce political corruption by giving the public access to information on party funding?

Transparency

What funding is given to opposition parties to create a 'level playing field' with the party in government?

Short money

What funding of £2 million does the Electoral Commission distribute to the major political parties each year?

Policy Development Grants

What corruption were Tony Blair in 2007 and Boris Johnson in 2020 both accused of engaging in?

'cash for honours'

Who has been the most prominent individual donor to the Labour party over the past thirty years?

Lord Sainsbury

Which Egyptian shipping magnate and former government minister is a significant Conservative Party donor?

Mohamed Mansour

Who gave £15 million to the Conservatives in 2024, the largest ever donation to a political party?

David Hester

Why was the £15 million to the Conservatives in 2024 controversial?

Hester provides computer software to the NHS

Who, and with which company, is a prominent donor to the Green and Labour Parties, and Just Stop Oil?

Dale Vince, Ecotricity

What global record do many claim the UK Conservative Party to hold?

Oldest party in the world

What political party rivalled the Conservatives in a two-party system from the 17th Century until the 1920s?

Whig/Liberal Party

What election year saw the peak of the Conservative vs. Labour two-party system?

1951, 97%

What proportion of the vote did the Labour and the Conservative parties win throughout the 1950s and 60s?

Above 90%

What party system was Britain often said to have from the 1990s to the 2010s?

Two and a half party system

What year saw a brief revival of the two-party politics, and what proportion of the vote did they win?

2019, 82%

What factor was most important in driving voters back to the two main political parties in 2019?

Polarising effect of J. Corbyn

What effect does the FPTP voting system have on the two-party system?

Keeps it artificially strong

What proportion of the vote did the Labour and Conservative parties win in 2024? What record did this set?

57%, lowest for a century

What other country has historically had a similar two-party system to the UK?

USA