British Election of 2001

▪ 2002

      On June 7, 2001, the U.K.'s Labour Party won a second consecutive landslide victory over the Conservatives. Although Labour's majority in Parliament was reduced fractionally, from 179 to 167 in the 659-seat House of Commons, this was still a massive victory by historical standards. It was larger than that achieved by any party in the 60 years prior to Labour's return to power in 1997.

      Labour won 413 seats (6 fewer than four years earlier), while the Conservatives claimed 166 (a net increase of just one). The Liberal Democrats took 52 seats, 6 more than in 1997. This gave the House of Commons its highest number of third-party members since 1929. Labour's victory was less emphatic in terms of votes cast. The party's share of the total vote across the U.K. was 40.7% (down 2.5% from 1997), while the Conservatives won 31.7% (up 1%) and the Liberal Democrats tallied 18.3% (up 1.5%). (Smaller parties won 9.3% of the total vote and 28 seats.) Despite its huge majority in terms of seats, Labour's share of the popular vote was lower than that achieved by any other victorious party since 1974.

      Labour's main achievement during the campaign was to consolidate its support among the U.K.'s traditionally Conservative-voting middle classes. Such voters dominate the swing seats that tend to determine the outcome of general elections. Labour's success in managing the U.K.'s economy over the previous four years—with falling unemployment, low inflation, and the lowest interest rates for home buyers in 30 years—together with promises of significantly higher spending on health, education, and public transport in the years ahead proved decisive in retaining the support of these voters and hence almost all the seats the party had gained in 1997.

      In contrast, the Conservatives were handicapped by past failings and an unpopular leader. Opinion polls found that most voters continued to blame the pre-1997 Conservative administration, rather than the post-1997 Labour government, for Britain's continuing problems, especially the inferior quality of its public services. Moreover, William Hague, who had been elected Conservative leader following the party's defeat in 1997, turned out to be a vote loser. He was a sharp, quick-witted debater in the House of Commons, but most voters watching him on television regarded him as too lightweight to become prime minister.

      One feature of this election that shocked people from all parties was the sharp fall in turnout. Just 59% of registered electors cast their votes. This was 12 percentage points lower than in 1997 and by far the lowest general election turnout since the advent of universal adult suffrage in 1928. The decline of ideology and firm, class-based party loyalties, the lack of positive enthusiasm toward Labour, the continuing unpopularity of the Conservatives, and polls showing that Labour was certain to be reelected by a large majority were all cited as contributory reasons for the jump in the number of nonvoters.

Peter Kellner

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