The newly established political parties in the UK are becoming more and more popular. The British people want political change and show more interest in emerging political parties. The old parties need a comprehensive modification of their political traditions to save themselves from any future defeats.
British Politics Is Based on a Two-Party System
Members of the UK Parliament are the representatives of their political parties. The largest parties in the Commons are the Conservative and the Labour parties. The party system has existed in Britain since the 18th century. Since the Second World War, either the Conservative or the Labour parties have formed governments in the UK. The Conservative Party is generally centre-right in the political spectrum and seeks British unionism. The Labour Party is a centre-left political party that seeks democratic socialism. In the UK, the Conservatives are also known as Tories and Labour is known as the Whigs. People in England have used the Whig and Tory political labels since around 1618. Their meanings have varied with changing historical circumstances. During the Conflict of Exclusion Crisis (1679-81), the Whigs were supporters of Exclusion and Tories were their Royalist opponents.
Labour Inherited the Whig Spirit
The Whigs were the political revisionists who opposed the monarchy, while the Tories were loyal to it. The Whigs were the ones who prioritised parliament over the monarch and the Tories prioritised the monarch over parliament. After the Revolution of 1688, the Whigs became defenders of the new status quo, but the Tories expressed discontent. In the 18th century, the Tory party was conservative and supported the status quo. The Whig party was a liberal or reformer party and supported modernising the system of church and state. The Whigs believed that power should be in hands of people’s representatives and rulers should serve the people. Tories believed in the sovereignty of rulers and obeyance by the people. In 1868, the Whig party was dissolved and Liberals and the Labour party inherited its reformed spirit. In 1981, the Social Democratic Party reinvigorated the Whiggish spirit as well.
Liberal Democrat Party Has Public Support
Currently, the UK political system consists of different political parties. Besides the two old parties, the Conservatives and Labour, there are novel political parties. The Liberal Democrat Party and the Green Party are gaining more popularity among the Brits. The Liberal Democrat Party has gained 220 councilors across England, Wales, and Scotland. The party has the biggest net gain of any party across Britain. In the 2021 council elections, the Liberal Democrats were able to gain some seats from the Conservatives. Today, more and more people support the Liberal Democrats. The party won stunning victories in safe Conservative constituencies. Millions of people are dissatisfied with the Tory leadership and its failure to provide proper leadership. More voters support the Green Party who sees itself as an alternative to the other major parties.
The Green Party Is Growing Across the UK
In Scotland, the Scottish Green Party agreed on a power-sharing government with the SNP. This is the first time a Green Party is sharing power with the government in the United Kingdom. It is historic for any Green Party across the UK when green ministers are at the heart of the government. Green politicians set programmes based on a greener and fairer world. They plan for an environmentally friendly economy and aim for sustainable development without degrading the environment. Today, the Greens have a greater voice in the councils and are growing to have more seats. Constant leadership lies in the hands of the Conservative Party due to weak opposition by the Labour Party, which has disappointed people. The Green Party considers itself a credible alternative for both Conservative and Labour parties all across the country.
The Conservative Party Needs Significant Changes
The Conservative Party has lost reputation over the Partygate scandal and handling of the Covid crisis. A group of MPs inside the party has asked for the prime minister to quit. They challenged his premiership and aimed to change the party leader. But, for the Conservatives, it is not enough to get rid of their leader. The party needs to change its ideas to resolve the electoral challenges it confronts. The traditions of the Conservative Party are based on unity and levelling up through austerity. The party should confront its ideologies to get better results in the next election. The scandal-hit party has lost control of some previously safe parliamentary seats. However, its reputation goes beyond its leadership. The party that has allowed this leadership to exist is facing a lack of popularity among the voters.
The Labour Party Should not Follow the Conservative Model
We are living at a time when UK politics are not stable, but shifting permanently. The Labour Party is not a powerful alternative to the Conservative Party. Its main problem is that it is still too left-wing. Labour looks directionless without any substantial agenda to gain popularity. The Labour Party needs total deconstruction and reconstruction; otherwise, it will continue to fail. The party should leave its political traditions behind and deliver a compelling economic message. The Labour Party has a huge problem in winning the majority of votes in the House of Commons. Party members have a collective responsibility to move forward and modernise their manifest. The Conservatives’ failed political model has lost its appeal and Labour should learn this lesson too. The Labour Party must set a novel political model to avoid losing its votes to the Greens and Liberal Democrats.
Conclusion
The UK political system is based on a two-party system. The two dominant political parties are the Conservative Party and the Labour Party, traditionally known as Tories and Whigs. In recent decades, newly established political parties have been entering UK politics. New parties such as the Greens and Liberal Democrats are two successful parties, winning people’s votes. On the contrary, the Conservatives and Labour are losing their traditional supporters. Their existing methods and principles do not meet the needs of Brits. Nowadays, people have diverse and different goals and priorities as compared to previous decades. The popularity of the Liberal Democrat Party and the Green Party has reflected the decline in Conservative and Labour support. The Conservative and Labour parties must put their traditions behind and modify their manifests to avoid losing voters to the emerging parties.
