A bit more than a week ago, on the 1st May 2025, a series of local and mayoral elections, as well as a Westminster by-election were held in England. The results showed a large swing to Reform UK. The two main parties, Labour and the Conservatives, both lost seats. The Conservatives suffered a particularly devastating loss of over 670 councillors and control of all 16 councils they had previously controlled. Both the Greens and the Liberal Democrats gained seats, withthe Liberal Democrats gaining control of three out of the 23 councils holding elections. In the immediate aftermath of these results, commentators were quick to pronounce the end of the British two-and-a-half party system and the end of class-based voting, proclaiming a major political realignment in British politics.

Joining me on this episode to contextualise these results in light of current British Political Science research is Prof. Gidon Cohen, a Professor of Politics in the School of Government and International Affairs here at Durham University. He researches British political development and public opinion using both qualitative and quantitative methods and teaches a module called “Class, Nation, and Party in British Politics.”

To learn more about Gidon's research, visit his website at https://www.durham.ac.uk/staff/gidon-cohen/

This FT article offers some interesting data and graphs on Reform UK run English Councils: https://www.ft.com/content/d7858718-91a9-4881-baa6-10dc7c05a260 [Last accessed: 13th May 2025].

Music: The Good News by SHANTI from https://tunetank.com/track/263-the-good-news/