ABOUT POLITICAL PARTIES

The party system, which has existed since the 18th century, depends upon there being organised political groups, each of which presents its policies to the electorate for approval. Most candidates in elections, and almost all winning candidates, belong to one of the main parties.

Since the 1920s, Britain has had a predominantly two-party system. Since 1945, either the Conservative Party, whose origins go back to the 18th century, or the Labour Party, which emerged in the last decade of the 19th century, has held power. The Liberal Democrats were formed in 1988 when the Liberal Party, which also traces its origins to the 18th century, merged with the Social Democratic Party, which was founded in 1981.

Other parties include two national parties, Plaid Cymru, the Party of Wales (founded in 1925), and the Scottish National Party (founded in 1934). Northern Ireland has a number of parties. They include the Ulster Unionists, formed in the early part of the 20th century, the Democratic Unionists, founded in 1971 by a group that broke away from the Ulster Unionists, the Social Democratic and Labour Party, founded in 1970, and Sinn Féin.

All those elected to Parliament and who serve their local community or constituency are paid a salary and can claim expenses. They all use the initials MP (Member of Parliament) after their names to show they are in public office. MPs are elected from 659 constituencies.

The party that wins most seats (although not necessarily the most votes) at a general election, or which has the support of a majority of members in the House of Commons, usually becomes the government. By tradition, the sovereign invites the leader of that party to form a government.

About 100 members of the governing party in the House of Commons and the House of Lords receive ministerial appointments (including appointment to the Cabinet) on the advice of the Prime Minister. The largest minority party becomes the official opposition, with its own leader and ‘shadow cabinet’.

Political parties in Parliament

Leaders of the current government and opposition sit opposite one another on the front benches in the debating chamber of the House of Commons. Their supporters, called the ‘backbenchers’, sit behind them. There are similar seating arrangements for the parties in the House of Lords but those peers who do not wish to be associated with any political party choose to sit on the ‘crossbenches’.

The effectiveness of the party system in Parliament relies to a large extent on the relationship between the government and the opposition parties. Depending on the relative strengths of the parties in the House of Commons, the opposition may try to overthrow the government by defeating it on a ‘matter of confidence’ vote.

However, in general, the opposition aims to contribute to the formulation of policy and legislation by constructive criticism, by opposing government proposals with which it disagrees, by tabling amendments to government Bills, and by putting forward its own policies in order to improve its chances of winning the next general election.

The government Chief Whips in the Commons and the Lords, in consultation with their opposition counterparts, arrange the scheduling of government business. Collectively, the Chief Whips are often referred to as ‘the usual channels’ when the question of finding time for a particular item of business is being discussed.

The Chief Whips and their assistants, who are usually chosen by the party leaders, manage their parliamentary parties. Their duties include keeping members informed of forthcoming parliamentary business, maintaining the party’s voting strength by ensuring members attend important debates, and passing on to the party leadership the opinions of backbench members.

Legislation in 2000 made party funding more open. It specifies that:

• parties can only accept donations of over £200 from ‘permissible donors’, who are individuals on the UK electoral register, registered companies incorporated in the EU which do business in the UK, registered political parties, or trade unions
• all donations of over £5,000 to a political party’s central organisation must be reported to the Electoral Commission on a quarterly basis, or weekly during a general election campaign
• all donations of over £1,000 to accounting units, such as a constituency association, must be reported to the Electoral Commission
• individual MPs and other people elected to office, including MEPs, members of the devolved assemblies of Wales and Northern Ireland and the Scottish Parliament, members of local authorities and the Mayor of London, are subject to similar controls on the source of donations and have to report to the Electoral Commission any donations over £1,000
• political parties are subject to a cap on campaign spending applied before a General Election; a party has an allowance of £30,000 for each constituency contested
• third parties at elections, such as trade unions, are subject to expenditure limits set at 5 per cent of the maximum for political parties.

Who can vote?

To vote in parliamentary elections in the UK you must be a British citizen, a citizen of another Commonwealth country or of the Irish Republic, as well as being resident in the UK, aged 18 or over, included in the register of electors for the constituency and not subject to any legal incapacity to vote. The right to vote at 18 years was established in 1969. Previously the age to vote was 21 years and was set in 1928. To ensure your name is entered on the electoral register, visit www.electoralcommission.org.uk.

British citizens who live abroad can vote in the UK elections for up to 15 years after leaving.

People not entitled to vote include members of the House of Lords, foreign nationals resident in the UK (other than Commonwealth citizens or citizens of the Irish Republic), some patients detained under mental health legislation, sentenced prisoners and people convicted within the previous five years of corrupt or illegal election practices.

Members of the armed forces, Crown servants and staff of the British Council employed overseas (together with their wives or husbands if accompanying them) may be registered at an address in the constituency where they would be living if they were not serving abroad. British citizens living abroad may apply to register as electors for a period of up to 15 years after they have left the UK.