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? 9-12 February 2026

MPs will debate annual increases to the state pension and a range of social security benefits, alongside proposed funding settlements for policing and local government. The Government will also lead a debate on the UK–India Free Trade Agreement. Ministers from the Home Office, Energy, Transport, and Northern Ireland departments will face oral questions in the Commons, while select committees will question ministers on business rates, housing affordability and Government data security. In the House of Lords, Peers will continue scrutiny of the Children’s Wellbeing Bill, the English Devolution Bill, and the Victims and Courts Bill. Meanwhile, Commons public bill committees will examine the Railways Bill and the Cyber Security Bill. Backbench business includes debates marking LGBT+ History Month, improving mobile connectivity, and increasing survival rates for brain tumours.

08 Feb 2026
Read more

Blog / Once again, there is still no alternative: the costed proposals for Restoration and Renewal of the Palace of Westminster

The Restoration and Renewal Client Board’s latest report once again confirms what Parliament has known for nearly a decade: the cheapest, quickest and safest way to restore the Palace of Westminster is for MPs and Peers to move out during the works. The “full decant” option was endorsed in 2018 and reaffirmed repeatedly since. Remaining in the building could more than double costs, extend works into the 2080s, and increase risks to safety, accessibility and security. With the Palace already deteriorating and millions spent each year on patchwork repairs, further delay would itself be an expensive course of action, one that defers decisions without offering a viable alternative.

07 Feb 2026
Read more

News / A Humble Address: How MPs confronted the Mandelson scandal - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 130

It has been a bruising week for the Prime Minister after the House of Commons backed a Conservative “Humble Address” demanding documents on Sir Keir Starmer’s vetting of Lord Mandelson for the Washington Ambassadorship. We explain how the procedure works, what role the Intelligence and Security Committee may play in decisions on disclosure, and how legislation to strip a peerage could be introduced. Plus, the latest on the Restoration and Renewal of Parliament as yet another report lands with a new set of costings. Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · Acast · YouTube · Other apps · RSS

06 Feb 2026
Read more

News / Why MPs can’t just quit: The curious case of the Chiltern Hundreds - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 129

Why can’t MPs simply resign, and why does leaving the House of Commons still involve a medieval-sounding detour via the Chiltern Hundreds or its less glamorous cousin the Manor of Northstead? This week we unravel the history, constitutional logic and legal fudges behind this curious workaround, with some memorable resignations from the past along the way. We also assess the Government’s legislative programme as the Session heads toward its expected May close, including the striking lack of bills published for pre-legislative scrutiny. Finally, as Parliament begins the five-yearly process of renewing consent for the UK’s armed forces, we examine why an Armed Forces Bill is required and hear from Jayne Kirkham MP on how her Ten Minute Rule Bill helped extend the new Armed Forces Commissioner’s oversight to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · Acast · YouTube · Other apps · RSS

01 Feb 2026
Read more

News / Assisted dying bill: How could the Parliament Act be used? - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 128

As the assisted dying bill grinds through the House of Lords under the weight of more than a thousand amendments, Lord Falconer has signalled that time is running out. With the Bill unlikely to complete its Lords stages this Session, he has openly raised the possibility of using the Parliament Act to override the upper House in the next Session. In this episode we explore what that would mean, how it could work in practice, and the political choices now facing ministers and Parliament. Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · Acast · YouTube · Other apps · RSS

30 Jan 2026
Read more