List of political parties in the United Kingdom
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Brief history and overview
Prior to the mid-19th century British politics was dominated by the Whigs and the Tories. These were not political parties in the modern sense but somewhat loose alliances of interests and individuals. The Whigs were associated with the newly emerging moneyed industrial classes, and the Tories were associated with the landed gentry and the Anglican Church.By the mid 19th century the Tories had evolved into the Conservative Party, and the Whigs had evolved into the Liberal Party.
These two parties dominated the political scene until the 1920s, when the Liberal Party declined in popularity and suffered a long stream of resignations. It was replaced as the main left-wing party by the newly emerging Labour Party, who represented an alliance between the Trade Unions and various socialist societies.
Since then the Conservative and Labour Parties have dominated British politics, and have alternated in government ever since. The UK is nearly but not quite a two-party system however. The Liberals merged with the Social Democrats because they had very similar views and became the Liberal Democrats which are now a sizeable third party whose electoral results have improved in recent years.
The UK's First Past the Post electoral system leaves small parties disadvantaged. The only minor parties represented in Parliament are regionally-based.
In recent years, proportional representation-based voting systems have been adopted for elections to the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, the Northern Ireland Assembly, the London Assembly and the UK's seats in the European Parliament. In these bodies, minor parties have had some amount of success.
Traditionally political parties have been private organisations with no official recognition by the state. The Registration of Political Parties Act 1998 changed that by creating a register of parties.
The following political parties are active in the United Kingdom:
Major parties
Three parties dominate politics in the House of Commons. They all operate throughout Great Britain, and also comprise most of the British Members of the European Parliament, the Scottish Parliament, and the Welsh Assembly.
- The Conservative Party, centre-right to right-wing (traditionally right-wing) The Conservatives currently have 197 seats.
- The Labour Party, centre to left (traditionally centre-left to left)The Labour Party currently has 356 seats.
- Co-operative Party (all Co-operative Party MPs are also Labour MPs as part of a long-standing electoral agreement)
- Liberal Democrats, centre to centre-left. The Liberal Democrats currently have 62 seats.
Minor parties
Parties with representation in the House of Commons
- Democratic Unionist Party (9 seats in Parliament)
- Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern (1 seat in Parliament)
- Plaid Cymru (3 seats in Parliament)
- Scottish National Party (6 seats in Parliament)
- Sinn Féin, who do not take their seats as they will not swear the oath of allegiance (5 seats in Parliament)
- Social Democratic and Labour Party (3 seats in Parliament)
- Ulster Unionist Party (1 seat in Parliament)
- Respect (1 seat in Parliament)
Parties with representation in the Scottish Parliament
- Scottish Green Party, environmentalist; in favour of Scottish independence
- Scottish National Party, centre-left; in favour of Scottish independence
- Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party
- Scottish Socialist Party, far left; in favour of Scottish independence
Parties with representation in the Welsh Assembly
- Forward Wales, socialist party that evolved from the John Marek Independent Party
- Plaid Cymru, centre-left, Welsh nationalist party
Parties with representation in the Northern Ireland Assembly
Unionist
Republican/Nationalist
- Sinn Féin (Republicans)
- Social Democratic and Labour Party (Nationalists)
Neutral on the Constitutional Status
Other parties with representation in the European Parliament
- Green Party of England and Wales, generally centre-left
- UK Independence Party (UKIP), eurosceptic, generally Thatcherite
- Veritas, a split from UKIP, anti-immigration
Other parties
Far left parties
- Alliance for Green Socialism
- Alliance for Workers Liberty
- Communist Party of Britain
- Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist)
- Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist)
- Communist Party of Great Britain (Provisional Central Committee)
- Independent Working Class Association
- International Socialist Group
- New Communist Party of Britain
- Red Party
- Revolutionary Communist Group
- Socialist Appeal
- Socialist Labour Party
- Socialist Party of England and Wales
- Socialist Party of Great Britain
- Socialist Workers Party
- Spartacist League
- Workers Power
Regional parties
- Clannasaor, in favour of Scottish independence outside the European Union
- Communist Party of Scotland
- Cornish Nationalist Party, a Cornish secessionist party
- Cymru Annibynnol, in favour of Welsh independence
- Cymru Goch, for an independent socialist Wales (lit: "Red Wales")
- English Democrats
- Epsom & Ewell Residents and Ratepayers' Association;, a local party who run the borough council in Epsom and Ewell
- Free Scotland Party, in favour of Scottish independence outside the European Union
- Green Party in Northern Ireland
- Heald Green Ratepayers, a local party with council seats in Stockport
- Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern
- Isle of Wight Party
- Left Alliance, a party with council seats in Fife
- Mebyon Kernow, a Cornish secessionist party
- Northern Ireland Unionist Party
- Northern Ireland Women's Coalition
- Scottish Enterprise Party
- Scottish Fishing Party
- Scottish Independence Party, in favour of Scottish independence)
- Scottish Pensioners Party
- Scottish Unionist Party
- Socialist Environmental Alliance, a far left party in Northern Ireland
- Strathkelvin People's Independent Labour Party, a minor party from East Dunbartonshire
- Welsh Socialist Alliance
- Wessex Regionalist Party, seeking devolution for Wessex
- The Workers Party (Ireland), evolved from Official Sinn Féin
Far right parties
- British National Party
- British National Socialist Movement
- England First Party
- English Independence Party
- Freedom Party
- National Democrats
- National Front
- New Britain Party
- Populist Party
- White Nationalist Party
Joke parties
- Church of the Militant Elvis Party
- Fancy Dress Party
- Millennium Bean Party
- MP3 Party
- Official Monster Raving Loony Party, the most well-known joke party, who have run Ashburton town council (in Devon) in the past
- Rock'n'roll Loony Party
- Stuckist Party
- Teddy Bear's Alliance
- Vote For Yourself Rainbow Dream Ticket
Religion-based parties
- Christian Peoples Alliance
- The Common Good
- Islamic Party of Britain
- Muslim Party
- Operation Christian Vote
- People's Justice Party
- Natural Law Party
Single-issue parties
Miscellaneous parties
- The Consensus
- Countryside Party
- Democratic Party
- Humanist Party
- Liberal Party, Former members of the historic Liberal Party who refounded themselves as the Liberals when they felt that the old party had been lost in the merger with the SDP
- Imperial Party
- The New Party (UK)
- Third Way (UK)
- UK Social and Countryside Party
- Your Party
Defunct and historic parties
Far left parties
- British Socialist Party (1911–20)
- Common Wealth Party (1941–45)
- Communist Party of Great Britain (1920–91)
- Independent Labour Party (1893–1975)
- International Marxist Group (1968–81)
- Labour Party of Scotland (1973)
- Revolutionary Communist Party (1944–50)
- Revolutionary Socialist League (1938–44)
- Socialist Alliance (1994–2005)
- Social Democratic Federation (1884–1911)
- Socialist Labour Party (1903–80)
- Socialist League (1886–1903)
- Workers International League (1937–44)
- Workers Socialist Federation (1914–21)
- Workers Revolutionary Party (1950–88)
Regional parties
- Fife Socialist League (1950s-1960s)
- Highland Land League (1909–1920s)
- Highlands and Islands Alliance
- Irish Parliamentary Party
- John Marek Independent Party (2003), evolved into Forward Wales
- National Party of Scotland (1928–34)
- Protestant Unionist Party
- Republican Labour Party
- Scottish Labour Party (1976–79)
- Scottish Militant Labour
- Scottish Party (1932–34)
- Scottish Prohibition Party
- Scottish Republican Socialist Party (1982–98)
- Scottish Socialist Party (1987–90)
- Scottish Workers Republican Party
- Ulster Popular Unionist Party (1980–95)
- United Ulster Unionist Party (1977–82)
- United Unionist Coalition (1998–2003)
- Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party (1973–78)
- Vectis National Party
Far right and fascist parties
- British Democratic Party (1970s–80s)
- British People's Party (1970s)
- British Union of Fascists (1930s)
- Constitutional Movement
- National Labour Party (1950s)
- National Party (1970s)
- Union Movement
- United Country Party
Miscellaneous parties
- Campaign for Social Democracry (1973–74)
- Democratic Labour (1972–79)
- Liberal Party (1839–1988)
- Liberal Unionist Party (1886–1912)
- Liverpool Protestant Party
- National Liberal Party
- National Socialist Party (1916–19)
- New Party (1931–1932)
- Referendum Party (1997 election)
- Social Credit Party of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (1931–51, 1965–78)
- Social Democratic Party (1981–90)
- Socialist National Defence League
- Women's Party (1917–19)
See also
- Index of political parties to browse parties by name
- List of political parties to browse parties by country
- List of political parties by ideology to browse parties by name
- Membership of internationals to browse parties by membership of internationals
- British politics
- Liberalism in the United Kingdom
- List of political parties in Northern Ireland
- List of political parties in Scotland
- List of political parties in the Isle of Man (a British crown dependency)
- List of political parties in Gibraltar (a British Overseas Territory)
External links
- List of all parties standing at the 2005 election
- List of parties that stood candidates in the 2001 general elections
