Results are in for the Hansard Society's nationwide Mock Elections. Thousands of pupils have cast their ballots and the results show that Labour has won the election among pupils across the country, with 27.3% of the vote.
39,312 pupils right across the country have cast a vote in the nationwide Mock Election campaign, giving many of them a first taste of civic participation and learning vital lessons about the way the UK's democratic processes work.
The results of the Mock Election are quite different from the picture that is emerging of the General Election:
Labour: 10,340 (27.3%)
Green: 8,714 (23.0%)
Reform: 7,020 (18.6%)
Lib Dem: 4,872 (12.9%)
Conservative: 3,617 (9.6%)
Scottish National Party (SNP): 310 (0.8%)*
Plaid Cymru: 159 (0.4%)*
Other: 2,788 (7.4%)**
Spoilt Ballots: 1,492
*The SNP and Plaid Cymru results should be treated with caution. The timing of the school holidays in Scotland and Wales meant that only a few schools took part. ** Some schools required candidates to set up their own non-established parties. A portion of the vote for other parties therefore comes from schools where none of the main parties were fielding a candidate.
2024 Mock Election results • The proportion of votes cast for each party standing in the mock elections
One of the oldest civic education projects anywhere in the world, Mock Elections has been run by the Hansard Society at every UK General Election for over 50 years.
In 2024, the Hansard Society again made available a free download of all the resources teachers and pupils needed to run a mock poll.
Research has shown that participating in citizenship-related activities at school, such as mock elections, makes young people more likely to have positive attitudes towards political participation as adults and more likely to engage in political activity. This applies even when controlling for other relevant factors, such as higher levels of formal education.
The UK Spending Review outlines how Government funds will be allocated over several years. Unlike the Budget, which raises revenue, the Review decides how it is spent. But how is it approved? What role does Parliament play if it doesn’t vote on the Review itself? This blog explores how the Spending Review works, how it differs from the Budget, and how Parliament holds the Government to account through the Estimates process.
On Friday 13 June, the House of Commons will once again debate the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which would legalise assisted dying in England and Wales. Specifically, it will hold a second day of Report Stage, during which the whole House will debate and vote on amendments. This briefing explains the structure of Report Stage, what happened on the first day of Report Stage, how amendments are selected and grouped, on which amendments a decision can still be taken, and the likely sequence of events this Friday, including whether a final vote will take place.
The Chancellor, Rachel Reeves MP, will deliver a statement on the Spending Review. MPs will resume Report Stage of the assisted dying bill and debate key legislation on football governance, mental health, and planning and infrastructure. Peers and MPs are expected to resolve their standoff over AI and copyright in the Data (Use and Access) Bill. The Commons Defence Committee will hear from the lead reviewers of the Strategic Defence Review, while a Lords Committee will examine the Chagos Archipelago sovereignty issue. The Hansard Society’s Director will give evidence to the Modernisation Committee about access to the House of Commons and its procedures.
In this episode, we explore why ministers keep bypassing Parliament to make major announcements to the media — and whether returning to the Despatch Box might help clarify their message. We unpack the Lords' uphill battle to protect creators’ rights in the Data Use and Access Bill, challenge claims that the Assisted Dying Bill lacks scrutiny, and examine early findings from a Speaker’s Conference on improving security for MPs, as threats and intimidation against politicians continue to rise. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.
Our evidence on treaty scrutiny has been published by the House of Lords International Agreements Committee. Our submission outlines the problems with the existing framework for treaty scrutiny and why legislative and cultural change are needed to improve Parliament's scrutiny role. Our evidence joins calls for a parliamentary consent vote for the most significant agreements, a stronger role for Parliament in shaping negotiating mandates and monitoring progress, and a sifting committee tasked with determining which agreements warrant the greatest scrutiny.
