Journal

Britain Votes 2017

1 Nov 2018
Britain Votes 2017 cover image

'Britain Votes 2017' offers a comprehensive analysis of one of the most extraordinary general elections ever.

'Britain Votes 2017' contains dedicated chapters on the results; the fortunes of each of the major parties; the campaign and outcomes in each part of the UK; the Brexit context; campaign finance; party campaigning and digital strategies; engagement, disengagement and populism; women voters; young voters; the role of the media; and much more.

The latest in a distinguished series of volumes on each general election, produced by the Hansard Society and Oxford University Press, 'Britain Votes 2017' is edited by Jonathan Tonge, Cristina Leston-Bandeira and Stuart Wilks-Heeg and features the work of a range of leading academics, including Tim Bale and Paul Webb on the Conservatives; John Curtice on the outcome; Eunice Goes on Labour; Matthew Flinders on engagement, disengagement and populism; Emily Harmer and Rosalynd Southern on women voters; James Dennison on UKIP; Sarah Harrison on young voters; and Sara Hagemann on the Brexit context.

'Britain Votes 2017' is essential reading for anyone interested in the campaign, outcome and consequences of the 2017 General Election.

  • Introduction: The Mislaying of a Majority – Jonathan Tonge, Cristina Leston-Bandeira, Stuart Wilks-Hee

  • The Results: How Britain Voted, David Denver

  • How the Electoral System Failed to Deliver - Again, John Curtice

  • 'We Didn't See it Coming': The Conservatives – Tim Bale and Paul Webb

  • 'Jez We Can!': Labour's Campaign; Defeat with a Taste of Victory – Eunice Goes

  • The Liberal Democrats: Green Shoots of Recovery or Still on Life Support? – David Cutts and Andrew Russell

  • The Rug Pulled from Under Them: UKIP and the Greens – James Dennison

  • Referendums as Critical Junctures? Scottish Voting in British Elections – Ailsa Henderson and James Mitchel

  • The Election in Wales: Campaign and Party Performance – Jonathan Bradbury

  • Northern Ireland: Double Triumph for the Democratic Unionist Party – Jonathan Tonge and Jocelyn Evans

  • The Brexit Context – Sara Hagemann

  • Party Finance – Justin Fisher

  • Digital Campaigning: The Rise of Facebook and Satellite Campaigns – Katharine Dommett and Luke Temple

  • Out with the Old, In with the New? The Media Campaign – Stephen Ward and Dominic Wring

  • The (Anti-)Politics of the Election: Funnelling Frustration in a Divided Democracy – Matthew Flinders

  • More Stable than Strong: Womens Representation, Voters and Issues – Emily Harmer and Rosalynd Southern

  • Young Voters – Sarah Harrison

  • Conclusion: An Election that Satisfied Few and Solved Little – Jonathan Tonge, Cristina Leston-Bandeira and Stuart Wilks-Heeg

News / Parliament Matters Bulletin: What’s coming up in Parliament this week? 26-30 January 2026

MPs will debate the Armed Forces Bill, the Finance Bill, and the Railways Bills and legislation to prioritise UK medical students for training places will be fast-tracked through all its Commons stages in one day. Cabinet members Rachel Reeves, Pat McFadden and Peter Kyle will face oral questions. The Conservatives will select the subject of Wednesday’s Opposition Day debate. In the Lords, the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, Crime and Policing Bill, Pension Schemes Bill, English Devolution Bill, and Assisted Dying Bill will make further progress, and Peers will debate a UK–EU customs union. Both Houses will mark Holocaust Memorial Day. The Defence Secretary, the Security Minister and the Prime Minister’s Chief Secretary face Select Committee hearings. Committees will also take evidence on digital ID and the UK’s relationship with the United States.

25 Jan 2026
Read more

News / Should MPs Who Switch Parties Be Forced to Face a By-Election? - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 127

In this episode, we ask whether MPs who switch parties should be forced to face a by-election – and what this month’s spate of defections says about representation, party power and voter consent. We also unpick a dizzying week in British and global politics as “hurricane Trump” batters the post-war order, testing the UK-US alliance and raising awkward questions about NATO, defence spending and procurement. Plus: the Lords’ push for an under-16s social media ban, Chagos ping-pong, and stalled bills in Westminster. Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · Acast · YouTube · Other apps · RSS

23 Jan 2026
Read more

News / Who really sets MPs’ pay – And why you might be wrong about it. A conversation with Richard Lloyd, chair of IPSA - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 126

What are MPs actually paid and what does the public fund to help them do their job? In this conversation with Richard Lloyd, chair of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) we explore the delicate balance between supporting MPs to do their jobs effectively and enforcing strict standards on the use of public money. We discuss how IPSA has shifted from a rule-heavy “traffic cop” to a principles-based regulator, why compliance is now very high, and the security risks and pressures facing MPs‘ offices as workloads rise and abuse becomes more common. Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | ACAST | YouTube | Other apps | RSS

21 Jan 2026
Read more

News / Kemi’s pre-emptive strike on Robert Jenrick - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 125

In a dramatic day at Westminster Kemi Badenoch sacked Robert Jenrick and suspended him from the Conservative Whip before his defection to Reform UK. We explore what it says about Conservative discipline, Reform’s recruitment drive, and whether others may follow. We then examine rows over the Hillsborough Law and proposed national security exemptions, plus procedural drama in the House of Lords over the Chagos deal. Bob Blackman MP also joins us to discuss Backbench Business Committee reforms, before we assess whether the assisted dying bill is being talked out.

16 Jan 2026
Read more

News / Growing the Greens: Ellie Chowns MP on Parliament, polling and Zack Polanski - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 124

What is it like to be part of a small but growing parliamentary party? We talk with the leader of the Green Party group at Westminster, Ellie Chowns, about the challenges of operating with limited numbers, the practical realities of parliamentary life, and how institutional structures shape the influence of smaller parties. We discuss our political culture, the Greens’ approach to leadership, internal decision-making, and the party’s longer-term ambitions for electoral and parliamentary reform and a more representative system.

14 Jan 2026
Read more