Editing Politics of the United Kingdom (section)

==Political parties==

{{Main|List of political parties in the United Kingdom}}

[[File:Uk general election 2005 by age.png|thumb|right|250px|alt=Graphic showing percentage of people voting for six age bands. The people voting is divided by political party. The percentage of people voting increases with age from about 35% for 18–24, 50% for 25–34, increasing to 75% for over-65. The proportion of voters voting for each party remains largely constant.|2005 general election results by age group: voters for Conservative (blue), Labour (red), Lib Dem (yellow), other parties (green); and those not voting (grey).]]

Since the 1920s the two main political parties in the UK, in terms of the number of seats in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]], are the [[Conservative and Unionist Party]] and the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]]. The [[Scottish National Party]] has the second largest party membership,<ref>Keen, Richard; Audickas, Lukas (3 September 2018). "SNP membership overtakes Conservatives across UK" (PDF). BBC. British Broadcasting Company. p. 13. Retrieved 4 September 2018. "Data from the House of Commons Library shows the SNP has just under 125,500 registered members, compared to 124,000 for the Tories."</ref> but a smaller number of MPs as it only fields candidates for constituencies in Scotland.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/apr/03/can-voters-outside-scotland-vote-snp|title=Can I vote for the SNP if I live in England?|last=Mason|first=Rowena|date=3 April 2015|website=The Guardian|language=en|access-date=30 October 2018}}</ref>

The modern day Conservative Party was founded in 1834 and is an outgrowth of the [[Tories (British political party)|Tory]] movement or party, which began in 1678. Today it is still colloquially referred to as the Tory Party and members/supporters are referred to as ''Tories''. The Liberal Democrats (or "Lib Dems") were founded in 1988 by an amalgamation of the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]] and the [[Social Democratic Party (UK)|Social Democratic Party]] (SDP), a right-wing Labour breakaway movement formed in 1981. The Liberals and SDP had contested elections together as the [[SDP–Liberal Alliance]] for seven years previously. The modern Liberal Party had been founded in 1859 as an outgrowth of the [[Whigs (British political party)|Whig]] movement or party (which began at the same time as the Tory Party and was its historical rival) as well as the [[Radicals (UK)|Radical]] and [[Peelite]] tendencies.

The Liberal Party was one of the two dominant parties (along with the Conservatives) from its founding until the 1920s, when it rapidly declined in popularity, and was supplanted on the [[Left-wing politics|left]] by the Labour Party, which was founded in 1900 and formed its first minority government in 1924. Since that time, the Labour and Conservative parties have been dominant, with the Liberals (later Liberal Democrats) being the third-largest party until [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015]], when they lost 49 of their 57 seats. They lost 1 seat in the [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019 general election]], but in the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024 general election]] gained 64 seats and are, once again, the third-largest party in the House of Commons, with a total of 72 seats.

From the 2015 general election until the 2024 general election, the [[Scottish National Party]] was the third-largest party. They gained 56 seats in 2015. Founded in 1934, the SNP advocates [[Scottish independence]] and has had continuous representation in Parliament since 1967. The SNP currently leads a [[minority government]] in the [[Scottish Parliament]], and after the [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019 general election]] had 48 MPs in the House of Commons. This number was significantly reduced to just 9 MPs in the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024 general election]], making the SNP the fourth-largest party.

Minor parties also hold seats in parliament:
*[[Reform UK]], a right-wing party, currently has five MPs, all elected in the 2024 general election. It was formerly known as the Brexit Party and is a supplantation of the now extraparliamentary [[United Kingdom Independence Party]] (UKIP)
*[[Plaid Cymru]], the centre-left to left [[Welsh nationalist]] party, has had continuous representation in Parliament since 1974, and currently hold four of the 32 Welsh seats. They currently have four MPs. Plaid has the third highest number of seats in the [[Senedd]], after [[Welsh Labour]], and the [[Welsh Conservatives]].
*In [[Northern Ireland]], 17 of 18 MPs are from parties that only contest elections in Northern Ireland (except for [[Sinn Féin]], which contests elections in both Northern Ireland and the [[Republic of Ireland]]). The exception being one MP as of the 2024 UK general election who is an independent. The right-wing and [[Unionism in Ireland|unionist]] [[Democratic Unionist Party]] (DUP) (who currently hold five seats), the left-wing and [[Irish republicanism|republican]] Sinn Féin (who currently hold seven seats), the [[Irish nationalism|nationalist]] [[Social Democratic and Labour Party]] (SDLP) (who currently hold two), the centrist non-sectarian [[Alliance Party of Northern Ireland]] (who currently hold one seat), the centre-right unionist [[Ulster Unionist Party]] (UUP; who currently hold one seat), and the right-wing unionist Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV; who have one seat), all hold seats in the House of Commons. Sinn Féin has a policy of [[abstentionism]] and their MPs refuse to take their seats in Parliament, and have done so since 1918. The DUP, Sinn Féin, the [[Ulster Unionist Party]] (UUP), Alliance Party and the SDLP are considered the five major political parties in Northern Ireland, holding the most seats in the [[Northern Ireland Assembly]].
*[[The Green Party of England and Wales]] has four MPs. 
*There are also [[Independent politician|independent]] MPs. One is the [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)|Speaker]], [[Lindsay Hoyle]] who revoked his Labour affiliation after the [[2019 Speaker of the British House of Commons election|2019 Speaker election]]. Others have had their whip revoked or have resigned from their political party. Six independent MPs were elected at the 2024 UK general election.

After two years of being a minority government, the Conservatives gained a majority in the [[2019 United Kingdom general election|general election in 2019]], but lost this majority to the Labour Party in the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024 general election]].

===Conservatives (Tories)===
{{Main|Conservative Party (UK)}}
The Conservative Party won the largest number of seats at the [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015 general election]], returning 330 MPs, enough for an overall majority, and went on to form the first Conservative majority government since the [[1992 United Kingdom general election|1992 general election]]. The Conservatives won only 318 seats at the 2017 general election, but went on to form a [[confidence and supply]] deal with the [[Democratic Unionist Party]] (DUP) who got 10 seats in the House of Commons, allowing the Conservative Party to remain in government. The Conservatives won a majority government in 2019, taking 365 seats and forming the first majority government since 2015–17. The party won 121 seats at the 2024 general election, making it the second-largest group in the House of Commons.

The Conservative Party can trace its origin back to 1662, with the Court Party and the Country Party being formed in the aftermath of the [[English Civil War#Aftermath|English Civil War]]. The Court Party soon became known as the [[Tories]], a name that has stuck despite the official name being 'Conservative'. The term "Tory" originates from the [[Exclusion Crisis]] of 1678–1681 – the [[Whigs (British political party)|Whigs]] were those who supported the exclusion of the Roman Catholic [[James II of England|Duke of York]] from the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland, and the Tories were those who opposed it. Generally, the Tories were associated with lesser gentry and the Church of England, while Whigs were more associated with trade, money, larger land holders (or "land magnates"), expansion and tolerance of Catholicism. The Rochdale [[Radicals (UK)|Radicals]] were a group of more extreme reformists who were also heavily involved in the [[cooperative movement]]. They sought to bring about a more equal society, and are considered by modern standards to be [[left-wing]].

After becoming associated with repression of popular discontent in the years after 1815, the Tories underwent a fundamental transformation under the influence of [[Robert Peel]], himself an industrialist rather than a landowner, who in his 1834 "[[Tamworth Manifesto]]" outlined a new "Conservative" philosophy of reforming ills while conserving the good.
Though Peel's supporters subsequently split from their colleagues over the issue of free trade in 1846, ultimately joining the Whigs and the [[Radical Party (UK)|Radicals]] to form what would become the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]], Peel's version of the party's underlying outlook was retained by the remaining Tories, who adopted his label of Conservative as the official name of their party.

The Conservatives were in government for eighteen years between 1979 and 1997, under the leadership of the first-ever female prime minister, [[Margaret Thatcher]], and former [[Chancellor of the Exchequer]] [[John Major]] (1990–97). Their landslide defeat at the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 general election]] saw the Conservative Party lose over half their seats gained in 1992, and saw the party re-align with public perceptions of them. The Conservatives lost all their seats in both Scotland and Wales, and was their worst defeat since [[1906 United Kingdom general election|1906]].
In 2008, the Conservative Party formed a pact with the [[Ulster Unionist Party]] (UUP) to select joint candidates for European and House of Commons elections; this angered the DUP as by splitting the Unionist vote, republican parties will be elected in some areas.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7768650.stm Pact will 'empower NI electorate'] BBC News, 6 December 2008</ref>

After thirteen years in opposition, the Conservatives returned to power as part of a coalition agreement with the Liberal Democrats in 2010, going on to form a majority government in 2015. [[David Cameron]] resigned as prime minister in July 2016, which resulted in the appointment of the country's second female prime minister, [[Theresa May]]. The Conservative Party is the only party in the history of the United Kingdom to have been governed by a female prime minister. In 2019, [[Boris Johnson]] was appointed prime minister after May stepped down during Brexit negotiations. At one point during 2019 his party had a parliamentary minority for a short period after he ejected a large number of party members, of which some were subsequently allowed to return for the 2019 General election. Following the election the Tories returned with a majority government under Johnson.

Historically, the party has been the mainland party most pre-occupied by [[British unionism]], as attested to by the party's full name, the Conservative and Unionist Party. This resulted in the merger between the Conservatives and [[Joseph Chamberlain]]'s [[Liberal Unionist Party]], composed of former Liberals who opposed [[Irish home rule]]. The unionist tendency is still in evidence today, manifesting sometimes as a scepticism or opposition to devolution, firm support for the continued existence of the United Kingdom in the face of movements advocating independence from the UK, and a historic link with the cultural unionism of Northern Ireland.

===Labour===
{{Main|Labour Party (UK)}}
<!-- Image with inadequate rationale removed: [[File:Labour Party.svg|100px|left]] -->
The Labour Party won the largest number of seats in the House of Commons at the 2024 general election, with 411 seats overall. The Party won the second-largest number of seats at the 2019 general election, with 202 seats, 60 seats less than 2017.

The history of the Labour Party goes back to 1900, when a [[Labour Representation Committee (1900)|Labour Representation Committee]] was established and changed its name to "The Labour Party" in 1906. After 1918, this led to the demise of the Liberal Party as the main reformist force in British politics. The existence of the Labour Party on the left-wing of British politics led to a slow waning of energy from the Liberal Party, which has consequently assumed third place in national politics. After performing poorly at the general elections of 1922, 1923 and 1924, the Liberal Party was superseded by the Labour Party as being the party of the left.

Following two brief spells in minority governments in 1924 and 1929–1931, the party was part of the [[Churchill war ministry]] during [[World War II]]. When the war ended the Labour Party won a landslide victory at the 1945 "[[1945 United Kingdom general election|khaki election]]"; winning a majority for the first time ever. Throughout the rest of the twentieth century, Labour governments alternated with Conservative governments. The Labour Party suffered the "wilderness years" of 1951–1964 (three consecutive general election defeats) and 1979–1997 (four consecutive general election defeats). During this second period, [[Margaret Thatcher]], who became Leader of the Conservative Party in 1975, made a fundamental change to Conservative policies, turning the Conservative Party into an [[economically liberal]] party. At the [[1979 United Kingdom general election|1979 general election]], she defeated [[James Callaghan]]'s Labour government following the [[Winter of Discontent]]. For all of the 1980s and most of the 1990s, Conservative governments under Thatcher and her successor [[John Major]] pursued policies of [[privatisation]], anti-[[trade-union]]ism, and, for a time, [[monetarism]], now known collectively as [[Thatcherism]].

The Labour Party elected left-winger [[Michael Foot]] as their leader in 1980, and he responded to dissatisfaction within the Labour Party by pursuing a number of radical policies developed by its grassroots members. In 1981, several centrist and right-leaning Labour MPs formed a breakaway group called the [[Social Democratic Party (UK)|Social Democratic Party]] (SDP), a move which split Labour and is widely believed to have made the Labour Party unelectable for a decade. The SDP formed an alliance with the Liberal Party which contested the [[1983 United Kingdom general election|1983]] and [[1987 United Kingdom general election|1987]] general elections as a pro-European, centrist alternative to Labour and the Conservatives. Following some initial success, the SDP did not prosper (partly due to its unfavourable distribution of votes by the First-Past-the-Post electoral system), and was accused by some of splitting the Labour vote.
The SDP eventually merged with the Liberal Party to form the Liberal Democrats in 1988.

The Labour Party was defeated in a landslide at the [[1983 United Kingdom general election|1983 general election]], and [[Michael Foot]] was replaced shortly thereafter by [[Neil Kinnock]] as party leader. Kinnock progressively expelled members of [[Militant tendency|Militant]], a [[left-wing]] group which practised [[entryism]], and moderated many of the party's policies. Despite these changes, as well as electoral gains and also due to Kinnock's negative media image, Labour was defeated at the 1987 and [[1992 United Kingdom general election|1992]] 
general elections, and he was succeeded by [[Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer]], [[John Smith (Labour Party leader)|John Smith]]. [[Shadow Home Secretary]] [[Tony Blair]] became Leader of the Labour Party following Smith's sudden death from a heart attack in 1994. He continued to move the Labour Party towards the "centre" by loosening links with the [[trade union|union]]s and continuing many of Thatcher's neoliberal policies. This, coupled with the professionalising of the party machine's approach to the media, helped Labour win a historic landslide at the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 general election]], after eighteen consecutive years of Conservative rule. Some observers say the Labour Party had by then morphed from a [[democratic socialist]] party to a [[social democratic]] party, a process which delivered three general election victories but alienated some of its core base; leading to the formation of the [[Socialist Labour Party (UK)|Socialist Labour Party]].{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}} A subset of Labour MPs stand as joint [[Labour and Co-operative]] candidates due to a long-standing [[electoral alliance]] between the Labour Party and the [[Co-operative Party]] – the political arm of the [[British co-operative movement]]. At the [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019 general election]], 26 were elected.<ref>{{cite web|title=General Election results|url=https://party.coop/people/mps/|publisher=The Co-operative Party}}</ref>

Following [[Tony Blair]]'s election as leader of Labour, the part was reformed under the "[[New Labour]]" branding and won the 1997 election with an overall landslide victory. Under "New Labour", the [[Human Rights Act 1998|Human Rights Act]] and [[National Minimum Wage Act]] were passed in 1998.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/legal-rights/human-rights-act-1998/overview/|title=Human Rights Act 1988 – overview – Mind}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn06111/|title=Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 – House of Commons Library}}</ref>

===Liberal Democrats===

{{Main|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}

The Liberal Democrats won the third largest number of seats at the 2024 general election, returning 72 MPs. 

The Liberal Democrats were founded in 1988 by an amalgamation of the Liberal Party with the Social Democratic Party, but can trace their origin back to the Whigs and the Rochdale Radicals who evolved into the Liberal Party. The term '[[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]]' was first used officially in 1868, though it had been in use colloquially for decades beforehand. The Liberal Party formed a government in 1868 and then alternated with the Conservative Party as the party of government throughout the late-nineteenth century and early-twentieth century.

The Liberal Democrats are a party with policies on constitutional and political reforms, including changing the voting system for general elections ([[2011 United Kingdom Alternative Vote referendum]]), abolishing the House of Lords and replacing it with a 300-member elected Senate, introducing fixed five-year Parliaments, and introducing a National Register of Lobbyists. They also support what they see as greater fairness and social mobility. In the coalition government, the party promoted legislation introducing a [[pupil premium]] – funding for schools directed at the poorest students to give them an equal chance in life. They also supported [[Same-sex marriage in the United Kingdom|same-sex marriage]] and increasing the [[Income Tax in the United Kingdom|income tax]] threshold to £10,000, a pre-election manifesto commitment.

In the 2010 election, [[David Cameron]] formed a [[Cameron–Clegg coalition|coalition government]] with [[Nick Clegg]]. After the 2015 elections, the Conservative government continued with a single party rather than a coalition.

Some coalition government reforms that were proposed were for fixed term parliaments. This piece of legislation consisted of setting a five-year interval between general elections. Another piece of coalition reform that was enacted was the Scottish independence referendum. The result overall was remain.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.parliament.uk/about/how/elections-and-voting/general/|title=General elections – UK Parliament}}</ref>

===Scottish National Party===

{{Main|Scottish National Party}}

The Scottish National Party won the third-largest number of seats in the House of Commons at the 2015 general election, winning 56 MPs from the 59 constituencies in Scotland having won 50% of the popular vote. This was an increase of 50 MPs on the result achieved in 2010. At the 2017 general election, the SNP won 35 seats, a net loss of 21 seats. At the 2019 general election, the SNP won 48 seats, a net gain of 13 seats. At the 2024 general election, the SNP won 9 seats, a net loss of 38 seats.

The SNP has enjoyed parliamentary representation continuously since 1967. Following the 2007 Scottish parliamentary elections, the SNP emerged as the largest party with 47 MSPs and formed a [[minority government]] with [[Alex Salmond]] as [[First Minister of Scotland|First Minister]]. After the 2011 Scottish parliamentary election, the SNP won enough seats to form a majority government, the first time this had ever happened since devolution was established in 1999. It won 64 of 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament in the [[2021 Scottish Parliament election]] and currently runs a minority government in Scotland.

Members of the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru work together as a single parliamentary group<ref>[http://www.parliament.uk/directories/hciolists/PCSNP.cfm Plaid Cymru/Scottish National Party Parliamentary Teams] Parliament of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 15 August 2008</ref> following a formal pact signed in 1986. This group currently has 13 MPs.

===Northern Ireland parties===
{{Main|List of political parties in Northern Ireland}}

The [[Democratic Unionist Party]] (DUP) had 5 MPs elected at the 2024 general election. Founded in 1971 by [[Ian Paisley]], it has grown to become the larger of the two main [[Unionism in Ireland|unionist]] political parties in [[Northern Ireland]]. Sinn Féin MPs had 7 MPs elected at the 2019 election, but Sinn Féin MPs traditionally abstain from the House of Commons and refuse to take their seats in what they view as a "foreign" parliament. The unionist parties [[Ulster Unionist Party]], [[Traditional Unionist Voice]], crosscommunity [[Alliance Party of Northern Ireland|Alliance Party]] and nationalist party [[SDLP]] also have Commons representation.

===Plaid Cymru===
{{Main|Plaid Cymru}}

Plaid Cymru has enjoyed parliamentary representation continuously since 1974 and had 4 MPs elected at the 2019 general election, though one was suspended. Following the [[2007 National Assembly for Wales election|2007 Welsh Assembly elections]], they joined Labour as the junior partner in a coalition government, but have fallen down to the third-largest party in the Assembly after the 2011 Assembly elections, and have become an opposition party.

===Other parliamentary parties===

The [[Green Party of England and Wales]] had a single MP, [[Caroline Lucas]], from 2010 until the 2024 UK general election (the party previously had an MP in 1992; Cynog Dafis, Ceredigion, who was elected on a joint Plaid Cymru/Green Party ticket). In the 2024 UK general election the Greens won four seats. It also has three seats on the [[London Assembly]] and over 800 local councillors as of May 2024.<ref name="2024 local elections">{{cite news |last= Mackintosh |first= Thomas |date= 4 May 2024 |title= Green Party: Co-leaders hail highest number of councillors |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68956733 |work= BBC News |access-date= 4 May 2024}}</ref><!--Please note that the overall total for England, Scotland and Wales includes the 35 council seats of the [[Scottish Green Party]] which is a separate party. Therefore whenever checking this number you MUST subtract the Scottish total from the overall total.-->

The [[Brexit Party]] was founded in January 2019, with leader [[Nigel Farage]] (former retired UKIP leader). It initially had 14 MEPs, all of whom had been elected as members of UKIP. In the [[2019 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom]], it returned 29 MEPs. The MEPs were elected representatives of the party until 11pm on 31 January 2020 when the UK left the European Union and the position of British MEPs was subsequently abolished.<ref>{{cite news |last= Harrison |first= Emma |date= 28 January 2020 |title= Brexit: Tears and relief as the UK's MEPs bid farewell |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-51140299 |publisher=BBC News  |access-date= 25 November 2020}}</ref>  It was reconstituted into the [[Reform UK|Reform Party]]. Reform won 5 seats in the 2024 UK general election. 

There are usually a small number of [[independent politician]]s in parliament with no party allegiance. In modern times, this has usually occurred when a sitting member leaves their party, and some such MPs have been re-elected as independents. Between 1950 and 2023, only two new members were elected as independents without having ever stood for a major party:
*[[Martin Bell]] represented the [[Tatton (UK Parliament constituency)|Tatton]] constituency in [[Cheshire]] between 1997 and 2001. He was [[Tatton in the 1997 general election|elected]] following a "sleaze" scandal involving the-then incumbent Conservative MP, [[Neil Hamilton (politician)|Neil Hamilton]]. Bell, a [[BBC]] journalist, stood as an anti-corruption independent candidate, and the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties withdrew their candidates from the election.
*Dr. [[Richard Taylor (British politician)|Richard Taylor]] MP was elected for the [[Wyre Forest (UK Parliament constituency)|Wyre Forest]] constituency in 2001 on a platform opposing the closure of Kidderminster hospital. He later established [[Health Concern]], the party under which he ran in 2005.

In the 2024 UK general election six independents were elected.

===Non-Parliamentary political parties===

Other [[List of political parties in the United Kingdom#Minor parties in the United Kingdom|political parties]] exist, but struggle to return MPs to Parliament.

The [[UK Independence Party]] (UKIP) had one MP and 24 seats in the [[European Parliament]] as well as a number of local councillors. UKIP also had a MLA in the [[Northern Ireland Assembly]]. UKIP had become an emerging alternative party among some voters, gaining the third-largest share of the vote in the [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015 general election]] and the largest share of the vote of any party (27%) in the [[2014 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom|2014 European elections]]. In 2014 UKIP gained its first ever MP following the defection and re-election of [[Douglas Carswell]] in the [[2014 Clacton by-election]]. They campaign mainly on issues such as reducing [[Modern immigration to the United Kingdom|immigration]] and [[Brexit|EU withdrawal]]. They no longer have any MPs.

The [[Respect Party|Respect]] party, a [[left-wing]] group that came out of the [[anti-war movement]] had a single MP, [[George Galloway]] from 2005 to 2010, and again between 2012 and 2015.<ref>{{cite news|last=Duggan|first=Emily|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/george-galloway-facing-defeat-as-tactics-backfire-in-bradford-10234486.html|title=George Galloway defeated by Labour's Naz Shah as tactics backfire in Bradford|work=The Independent|date=8 May 2015|access-date=15 July 2016|archive-date=4 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804213913/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/george-galloway-facing-defeat-as-tactics-backfire-in-bradford-10234486.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Change UK]] was a political party formed and disbanded in 2019. It had five MPs, four of whom were elected as Labour MPs, and one as Conservative MPs.

Following the [[2021 Scottish Parliament election]] the [[Scottish Greens]] have 8 MSPs in the [[Scottish Parliament]] and are the junior partner in the SNP/Green coalition. They also 35 local councillors.

The [[Green Party in Northern Ireland]] has previously had MLAs in the [[Northern Ireland Assembly]]. They currently have 8 local councillors.

The [[Scottish Socialist Party]] (SSP) won its first seat in the Scottish Parliament in the [[1999 Scottish Parliament election]]. In the [[2003 Scottish Parliament election]] the party increased their number of seats to 6. The party built up its support through opposing the war in Iraq and fighting for policies such as free school meals and an end to prescription charges. In the [[2007 Scottish Parliament election]] it lost all of its MSPs but remains politically active and continues to contest elections.<ref>{{cite news |date= 13 April 2011 |title= Scottish election: Scottish Socialist Party profile |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-12997087 |publisher= BBC News |access-date=13 November 2021}}</ref>

The [[British National Party]] (BNP) became the official opposition in the [[2006 Barking and Dagenham Council election]], won a seat in the [[2008 London Assembly election]], two seats in the [[2009 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom|2009 European elections]], and received the fifth-highest share of votes in the [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010 general election]]. At their peak they had 58 local councillors. However, the early 2010s saw the BNP's support collapse and became fractured, resulting in them losing all elected representation by 2018.<ref>{{cite news |last= Pidd |first= Helen |date= 2 May 2018 |title= As the BNP vanishes, do the forces that built it remain? |url= https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/may/02/bnps-last-district-councillor-bows-out-but-insists-party-will-rise-again |work= The Guardian |access-date= 23 April 2019}}</ref>

The [[British Democratic Party]] (BDP) was founded in 2013 by [[Andrew Brons]], one of the British National Party's two MEPs. In 2022, following the collapse of the BNP, a plethora of prominent ex-BNP members rapidly began coalescing around the British Democrats. It is currently the only far-right UK political party with any elected representation.

The [[Aspire (political party)|Aspire Party]] has 24 out of the 45 seats in the Tower Hamlets council.

The [[Women's Equality Party]] (WEP) was founded in 2015. The party gained its first elected representation in the [[2019 United Kingdom local elections]], winning one local councillor seat on [[Congleton Town Council]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Congleton Town Council East Ward Results 2019|url=https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/council_and_democracy/voting_and_elections/elections/parish-council-election-2019/calveley-to-faddiley/congleton-east.aspx |publisher=[[Cheshire East Council]] |date=2 May 2019 |access-date=28 May 2019}}</ref> The party has no other elected representation at any other level of governance.

The [[Libertarian Party (UK)|Libertarian Party]] was founded in 2008 and has contested several local elections and parliamentary constituencies. It has no elected representatives at any level of governance.

The [[English Democrats]] was founded in 2002 and advocates England having its own parliament. The party's candidate was elected mayor of Doncaster in 2009, before resigning from the party in February 2013.<ref>{{cite news |date= 5 February 2013 |title= Doncaster mayor quits English Democrats 'because of BNP' |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-21335384 |publisher= BBC News |access-date= 26 April 2019}}</ref>

Other parties include: the [[Socialist Labour Party (UK)]], the [[Socialist Party of Great Britain]], the [[Communist Party of Britain]], the [[Socialist Party (England and Wales)]], the [[Socialist Workers Party (UK)|Socialist Workers Party]], the [[Liberal Party (UK, 1989)|Liberal Party]], [[Mebyon Kernow]] (a Cornish nationalist party) in Cornwall, the [[Yorkshire Party]] in Yorkshire, and the [[National Health Action Party]]. The [[Pirate Party UK]] existed from 2009 to 2020, before being relaunched in 2023.

Several local parties contest only within a specific area, a single county, borough or district. Examples include the Better Bedford Independent Party, which was one of the dominant parties in [[Bedford Borough Council]] and led by Bedford's former Mayor, [[Frank Branston]]. The most notable local party is [[Health Concern]], which controlled a single seat in the British Parliament from 2001 to 2010.

The [[Jury Team]], launched in March 2009 and described as a "non-party party", is an umbrella organisation seeking to increase the number of independent MPs.<ref name=Independant8Mar09>{{cite news | last = Gourlay  | first = Chris | title = Tycoon finances 'X Factor' party to clean up politics | newspaper = [[The Sunday Times]] | date = 8 March 2009 | url = http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article5864530.ece | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090316004542/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article5864530.ece | url-status = dead | archive-date = 16 March 2009 | access-date = 10 May 2009 | location=London}}</ref>

The [[Official Monster Raving Loony Party]] (OMRLP) was founded in 1983. The OMRLP are distinguished by having a deliberately bizarre [[manifesto]], which contains things that seem to be impossible or too absurd to implement – usually to highlight what they see as real-life absurdities. It is effectively regarded as a [[political satire|satirical political party]].

===2015 to 2019===
After winning the largest number of seats and votes in the 2015 general election, the Conservatives under [[David Cameron]], remained ahead of the Labour Party, led by [[Jeremy Corbyn]] since September 2015. The SNP maintained its position in Scotland, the party was just short of an overall majority at the Scottish parliamentary elections in May 2016.

However, a turbulent [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|referendum]] on the United Kingdom's membership of the European Union, called for by David Cameron, led to his resignation, the appointment of a new prime minister Theresa May, and divided opinion on Europe amongst the party.

In addition, the [[EU referendum campaign]] plunged the Labour Party into crisis and resulted in a motion of no confidence in the party leader [[Jeremy Corbyn]] being passed by the party's MPs in a 172–40 vote,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-36647458|title=Labour MPs pass no-confidence motion in Jeremy Corbyn|date=28 June 2016|publisher=BBC News|language=en-GB|access-date=8 October 2016}}</ref> which followed a significant number of resignations from the [[Shadow Cabinet of Jeremy Corbyn|Shadow Cabinet]]. This led to a [[2016 Labour Party leadership election (UK)|leadership election]] which began with [[Angela Eagle]], the former [[First Secretary of State|Shadow First Secretary of State]] and [[Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills]] who eight days later withdrew from the leadership race, to support [[Owen Smith]], the former [[Secretary of State for Work and Pensions|Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions]]. This was won by Jeremy Corbyn with an increased majority.

Following the vote to leave the European Union, [[Nigel Farage]] offered his own resignation as leader, something he had campaigned for since 1992. A leadership contest also took place in the Green Party, which led to the joint election on 2 September 2016 of [[Jonathan Bartley]] and [[Caroline Lucas]] as co-leaders, who took over the role in a job-share arrangement.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/sep/02/caroline-lucas-and-jonathan-bartley-voted-joint-leaders-of-green-party|title=Caroline Lucas and Jonathan Bartley voted joint Green party leaders|last=Walker|first=Peter|date=2 September 2016|newspaper=The Guardian|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|access-date=8 October 2016}}</ref> Lucas, was previously leader until 2010 and is the party's only MP. Strategic cross-party alliances have been initiated, including a "[[Progressive alliance (UK)|progressive alliance]]" and a "Patriotic Alliance",<ref>{{cite web|title=The Patriotic Alliance|url=http://www.thepatrioticalliance.co.uk/|access-date=30 April 2017|archive-date=6 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170506020421/http://www.thepatrioticalliance.co.uk/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Patriotic Alliance|url=http://www.westmonster.com/the-patriotic-alliance/|access-date=30 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170401035457/http://www.westmonster.com/the-patriotic-alliance/|archive-date=1 April 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> as proposed by [[UKIP]] donor [[Arron Banks]].

In 2017, the prime minister, [[Theresa May]], called a general election. She hoped to increase the conservative majority to diffuse party opposition to her deal to leave the EU. In the election, the conservatives lost seats and the Labour party, under [[Jeremy Corbyn]], gained 30 seats. This led to a minority conservative government supported by the [[Democratic Unionist Party|DUP]].

In July 2019, [[Boris Johnson]] won the leadership of the conservative party following the resignation of May. He became the prime minister by default.

In August 2019, Prime Minister Boris Johnson requested the monarch, Queen [[Elizabeth II]], to [[Prorogation in the United Kingdom|prorogue]] the [[British parliament]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-49493632|title=Parliament suspension: Queen approves PM's plan|publisher=BBC News |date=28 August 2019 |language=en|access-date=31 August 2019}}</ref> Although this measure is common for incoming governments to allow time to prepare the [[State Opening of Parliament|Queen's speech]], the move caused [[2019 British prorogation controversy|great controversy]] as it was announced to last 23 days instead of the usual 4 or 5 days.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/aug/28/what-is-prorogation-prorogue-parliament-boris-johnson-brexit|title=What is prorogation and why is Boris Johnson using it?|website=The Guardian|date=28 August 2019 |language=en|access-date=31 August 2019}}</ref> It would end the current session of the Parliament that had been running for 2 years and prevent further parliamentary debate. The government stated that it was nothing to do with [[Brexit]] and that there would still be "ample time" for debate before Brexit happens.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/political-parties/conservative-party/boris-johnson/news/106138/boris-johnson-mps-will-have|title=Boris Johnson: MPs will have 'ample' time to debate Brexit despite Parliament shut down|website=politicshome.com|language=en|access-date=31 August 2019}}</ref> Opponents believed that parliament had been suspended to force through a [[no-deal Brexit]] and prevent parliament from being able to thwart the government's plan. Others argued that it facilitated the [[Brexit negotiations]] by forcing the EU to modify the current proposed deal. The move is unprecedented in British politics and caused debate in the media, an attempt to stop it in the Scottish [[Court of Session]], an attempt by ex-prime minister [[John Major]] and others to stop it in the English [[High Court of Justice|High Court]] and in the [[High Court in Northern Ireland]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-49523055|title=Sir John Major joins court case to stop Parliament suspension|publisher=BBC News |date=30 August 2019 |language=en|access-date=31 August 2019}}</ref> It was reported by many media sources that the move takes the UK one more step towards a full [[dictatorship]] from its current status of '[[elective dictatorship]]'.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/boris-johnson-parliament-suspend-no-deal-brexit-europe-newspapers-a9083291.html|title='Boris the dictator': How Europe's newspapers reported on suspension of parliament|website=The Independent|date=29 August 2019 |language=en|access-date=31 August 2019}}</ref> The legality of the suspension of parliament was tested in courts in England and Scotland. The case was appealed to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. On 24 September, it ruled unanimously that the prorogation was both justiciable and unlawful. The prorogation was quashed and deemed "null and of no [legal] effect". Parliament resumed the next day.

On the return of parliament the government lost its [[Wiktionary:working majority|majority]] when Conservative MP [[Phillip Lee (politician)|Phillip Lee]] [[Crossing the floor#Changing parties|crossed the floor]] of the house to join the Liberal Democrats.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/tory-mp-philip-lee-defects-to-lib-dems-meaning-boris-johnson-no-longer-has-working-majority-a4228151.html|title=Phillip Lee quits Tories: Boris Johnson loses working majority after Bracknell MP defects to Lib Dems|website=Evening Standard|location=London|date=3 September 2019 |language=en|access-date=3 September 2019}}</ref> This meant that the combined votes of the Conservative and [[Democratic Unionist Party|DUP]] MPs amounted to one less than the combined votes of opposition parties. The government of Boris Johnson then lost a vote, 301 to 328, giving control of the agenda of the house to the MPs, removing the control the government had over the introduction of new laws.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/09/03/brexit-latest-news-boris-johnson-no-deal-vote-general-election/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/09/03/brexit-latest-news-boris-johnson-no-deal-vote-general-election/ |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=PBrexit vote result: Boris Johnson demands election after rebel MPs seize control of Commons agenda|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=3 September 2019 |language=en|access-date=3 September 2019|last1=Rayner |first1=Gordon |last2=Sheridan |first2=Danielle }}{{cbignore}}</ref> The 21 Conservative MPs who voted against their own government had the [[Whip (politics)#United Kingdom|whip]] removed by [[10 Downing Street|Number 10]], removing them from the party. This included long-standing members of the party.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/full-list-21-tory-rebels-19358380|title=Full list of 21 Tory rebels losing the whip in brutal no-deal Brexit purge|website=Daily Mirror|date=3 September 2019 |language=en|access-date=3 September 2019}}</ref> Johnson called for a general election and following a few attempts succeeded in getting a vote approving an election through parliament.

===Current political landscape===
{{Main|2020s in United Kingdom political history}}
In the December 2019 [[2019 United Kingdom general election|general election]], the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]], led by [[Boris Johnson]], won a large overall majority. [[Jeremy Corbyn]] resigned as leader of the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]]. [[Jo Swinson]] resigned as [[Lib Dem]] leader after losing her own seat.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/dec/13/jo-swinson-lib-dems-on-course-for-grim-night |title=Jo Swinson quits as Lib Dem leader after losing her own seat 
|last1=Walker |first1=Peter |last2=Murphy |first2=Simon |last3=Brooks |first3=Libby |work=The Guardian|date=13 December 2019}}</ref>

On 20 December 2019, the [[Brexit withdrawal agreement]] was passed. The UK left the EU on 31 January 2020 at 11&nbsp;p.m. GMT and entered a transition period, set to finish on 31 December 2020.

In January 2020, the Labour Party began the process of electing a new leader. On 4 April 2020, [[Keir Starmer]] was elected leader of the Labour Party with 56.2% of the vote in the first round.<ref>{{cite web|title=Leadership and Deputy Leadership election 2020 – Results|url=https://labour.org.uk/people/leadership-elections-hub-2020/leadership-elections-2020-results/|website=labour.org.uk}}</ref>

In October 2020, Corbyn was suspended from the Labour Party over his comments about antisemitism. According to ''[[The Washington Post]]'':
:Corbyn's ouster from a party he led in the last two national elections, in 2019 and 2017, was a stunning rebuke and mark him now as a near-outcast, at least temporarily. The suspension also shines light on a long-running feud within Europe's largest democratic socialist party over its very soul, as hard-left "Corbynistas" pushing for radical change duke it out with a more moderate wing more ideologically aligned with [[Tony Blair]], the centrist former Labour prime minister.<ref>{{cite news|last=Booth|first=William|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/corbyn-labour-anti-semitism-suspension/2020/10/29/c06a4388-19e9-11eb-8bda-814ca56e138b_story.html|title=Former British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn suspended over comments about anti-Semitism report|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=29 October 2020}}</ref>
The present dispute within the Labour party is likely causing the leftist political coalition to further fragment since the catastrophic result in 2019. Polling generally indicates that ''at present'' (August 2021) Labour has lost significant portions of its vote share to the Green party and the Liberal Democrats.<ref>{{Cite web|title=POLITICO Poll of Polls – British polls, trends and election news for the United Kingdom and Scotland|url=https://www.politico.eu/europe-poll-of-polls/united-kingdom/|access-date=13 October 2021|website=Politico|language=en-US}}</ref> At Labour Conference 2021, several showdowns between the left and right of the party are expected to take place. This includes but is not limited to: a motion to give members power to approve or reject decisions over the Labour whip within the PLP, a potential rejection of the pro-Starmer interim General Secretary [[David Evans (political official)|David Evans]] by unions and members alike, a debate over PR and a significant debate over the loss of members and their subscription fees since Corbyn's expulsion which has left the party in a dire state regarding its activist and financial bases.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Chappell|first=Elliot|title=Which policy motions are being backed by groups for Labour conference 2021?|url=https://labourlist.org/2021/08/which-policy-motions-are-being-backed-by-groups-for-labour-conference-2021/|access-date=13 October 2021|website=LabourList|date=11 August 2021 |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Rodgers|first=Sienna|title=Momentum to campaign at conference for elected Labour general secretary|url=https://labourlist.org/2020/12/momentum-to-campaign-at-conference-for-elected-labour-general-secretary/|access-date=13 October 2021|website=LabourList|date=10 December 2020 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

The [[Scottish National Party|SNP]] and the [[Scottish Greens]] won the right to form a Scottish coalition government in May 2021. The precise arrangement is loose and allows the Greens freedom to criticise official SNP policy on key areas of disagreement. However, it provides [[Nicola Sturgeon|FM Nicola Sturgeon]] with a mandate to call for a new independence referendum after the failed one in 2014.<ref name=":0" /> Proponents of a new referendum particularly cite Brexit as changing the political situation, thus leading Scots to be more pro-independence than in 2014. As an issue, [[Scottish independence]] is known to cross-cut across party lines, with many [[Scottish Labour]] voters in particular being favourable to the prospect of independence.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenational.scot/news/19450716.majority-uk-labour-party-members-support-indyref2-poll-finds/|title=Majority of UK Labour Party members support indyref2, poll finds|date=18 July 2021|website=The National}}</ref>

In 2022, the [[Democracy Index]] rated the United Kingdom as a "[[Democracy Index#Definitions|full democracy]]" ranking 18th worldwide with an overall score of 8.28 out of a maximum of 10.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.eiu.com/n/campaigns/democracy-index-2022/|title=Democracy Index 2022|language=en|access-date=20 May 2023|archive-date=10 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210003136/https://www.eiu.com/n/campaigns/democracy-index-2022/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[V-Dem Democracy Indices]] ranked United Kingdom 22nd worldwide on electoral democracy.

===Membership===

All political parties have membership schemes that allow members of the public to actively influence the policy and direction of the party to varying degrees, though particularly at a local level. Membership of British political parties is around 1% of the British electorate,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/jul/06/british-democracy-decline-report|title=British democracy in terminal decline, warns report|date=6 July 2012|website=The Guardian}}</ref> which is lower than in all European countries except for Poland and Latvia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9555528/Our-politics-is-bursting-with-life-its-the-parties-that-are-dying.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9555528/Our-politics-is-bursting-with-life-its-the-parties-that-are-dying.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Our politics is bursting with life – it's the parties that are dying|website=The Daily Telegraph|date=20 September 2012 |location=London}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Overall membership to a political party has been in decline since the 1950s.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-12934148|title=Can UK political parties be saved from extinction?|publisher=BBC News |date=19 August 2011}}</ref> In 1951, the Conservative Party had 2.2 million members, and a year later in 1952 the Labour Party reached their peak of 1 million members (of an electorate of around 34 million).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/SN05125.pdf|title=Parliament UK – Membership of British Political Parties}}</ref>

The table below details the membership numbers of political parties that have more than 5,000 members.

<!-------  ***********************************THIS TABLE IS FOR PARTIES THAT HAVE MORE THAN 5,000 MEMBERS ONLY. THE SOURCE MUST BE FROM A REPUTABLE NEWS ARTICLE OR FROM AN OFFICIAL PARTY WEBSITE. SOCIAL MEDIA (Twitter etc) SOURCES *CANNOT* BE CITED.************************** ------->
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"	
|-
! Party !! Members !! Date !! Regions served
|-
| [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] || 309,000<ref name="Membership, February 2025">{{cite news |url= https://news.sky.com/story/nigel-farage-claims-reform-uk-has-200-000-members-and-has-warning-for-labour-13306272|title=Nigel Farage claims Reform UK has 200,000 members and has warning for Labour|work=[[Sky News]] |date=9 February 2025 |access-date=9 February 2025}}</ref>|| February 2025 || UK
|-
| [[Reform UK]]||  220,000<ref>{{cite news |last= Francis |first= Sam |date= 28 March 2025 |title= Reform UK launches 'most ambitious' local election campaign |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62z28n5nxeo |work= BBC News |access-date= 30 March 2025}}</ref>|| March 2025 || UK
|- 
| [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] || 131,680<ref>{{Cite news |last=Walker |first=Peter |date= 2 November 2024 |title=Kemi Badenoch wins Tory leadership election |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/nov/02/kemi-badenoch-wins-tory-leadership-election |access-date=3 November 2024 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> || November 2024 || UK
|-
| [[Liberal Democrat (UK)|Liberal Democrats]] || 90,000<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.libdems.org.uk/ |title= Liberal Democrats website |date= 29 April 2023 |website= libdems.org.uk |access-date= 12 July 2023}}</ref> || 2023 || UK
|-
| [[Green Party of England and Wales]] || 60,000<ref>{{cite web |title= Become a member |url= https://join.greenparty.org.uk/ |website= greenparty.org.uk |publisher= Green Party of England and Wales |access-date= 22 March 2025 |quote= By joining the Green Party today, you are becoming part of a Green community of over 60,000 members working together to create a fairer, greener future.}}</ref>|| July 2024 || England and Wales
|-
| [[Scottish National Party]] || 58,940<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-27 |title=SNP membership drops again as size of fall revealed |url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/snp-membership-drops-again-as-size-of-fall-revealed-5011099 |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=The Scotsman |language=en}}</ref> || December 2024 || Scotland
|-
| [[Co-operative Party]]|| 13,194<ref>{{cite web |url= https://party.coop/publication/board-report-2022 |title= BOARD REPORT & ANNUAL ACCOUNTS 2022 |date= 19 September 2024 |website= Co-operative Party |access-date= 22 September 2024}}</ref> || 2022 || UK
|-
| [[Plaid Cymru]] || 10,000<ref>{{cite web |url= https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN05125/SN05125.pdf |title= Membership of political parties in Great Britain |first1= Matthew |last1= Burton |first2= Richard |last2= Tunnicliffe |date= 30 August 2022 |website= UK Parliament House of Commons Library |access-date= 18 September 2022}}</ref> || 2022 || Wales
|-
| [[Scottish Greens]] || 7,646<ref name="Conor Matchett">{{Cite tweet |author=Conor Matchett |user=conor_matchett |number=1650490185350623235 |title=Scottish Greens state their membership stands at 7,646 |access-date=24 April 2023}}</ref> ||2023|| Scotland
|-
| [[Alba Party]] || 7,475<ref>{{cite web |url=https://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/Api/Accounts/Documents/25309 |title= ALBA PARTY Annual Report and Statement of Accounts for the year ended 31st December 2022 |date= 31 December 2022 |website= electoralcommission.org.uk |access-date= 22 September 2024}}</ref> || 2023 || Scotland
|-
| [[Workers Party of Britain]] || 7,469<ref name="Anon. t260">{{cite web |title=Workers Party GB Annual Report 2024 |url= https://workerspartybritain.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025-Congress-A4-layout_FINAL.pdf |access-date=10 February 2025}}</ref> ||January 2025|| UK
|}
<!-------  ***********************************THIS TABLE ABOVE IS FOR PARTIES THAT HAVE MORE THAN 5,000 MEMBERS ONLY. THE SOURCE MUST BE FROM A REPUTABLE NEWS ARTICLE OR FROM AN OFFICIAL PARTY WEBSITE. SOCIAL MEDIA (Twitter etc) SOURCES *CANNOT* BE CITED.************************** ------->

No data could be collected for the four parties of Northern Ireland: the DUP, UUP, SDLP, and Sinn Féin. However, in January 1997, it was estimated that the UUP had 10,000 – 12,000 members, and the DUP had 5,000 members.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aeqNAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA262|title=British Elections and Parties Review|first1=David|last1=Denver|first2=Justin|last2=Fisher|first3=Steve|last3=Ludlam|first4=Charles|last4=Pattie|date=18 October 2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781135255787|via=Google Books}}</ref>

In December 2020, the [[UK Independence Party]] had 3,888 members.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/Api/Accounts/Documents/23513 |title= United Kingdom Independence Party Limited (a company limited by guarantee) report and accounts 31 December 2020 |date= 31 December 2020 |website= The Electoral Commission |access-date= 19 October 2021}}</ref>