Political Parties in Contemporary Britain

Module code: PL2020

The UK is a multi-party democracy with over 330 registered political parties, each with different beliefs and ideologies. The most prominent, both in historical size and current vote share, are Labour and the Conservatives. However, six other parties have seats in Parliament - one of which, the Scottish National Party, with the second-biggest membership despite only contesting elections in Scotland - and many more hold or have held seats at lower levels.

To fully understand British politics, it is important to understand the parties that comprise it. In this module, you'll look at the major British political parties' ideologies, relationships with power, strategies, organisation and support bases. You'll also examine how these have changed over time. You'll also focus on voting, including looking at how parties compete for them and models of voter behaviour.