News: The Political Landscape of Britain

Political Parties

Right Wing

The Conservative Party

• Led by Theresa May
• Right wing 
• Triggered Brexit
• A mix of right wing and centralist
• The current party of parliament in Britain

UKIP

• The UK Independence Party
• Right wing
• Sovereignist party who wants EU withdrawal 
• 2015 - obtained 1 member of parliament
• Holds xenophobic attitudes 
• Has 7 members in European parliament 

BNP

• British National Party 
• Extreme right wing
• Nationalistic views
• Xenophobic views
• Has no members of parliament 

Centre Parties

Liberal Democrats

• Formed in 1988
• Centre party
• A mixture of social conservatives and social democrats
• pro-European
• Shared power with the Conservative party until 2015
• In the 2015 election they lost majority of their MPs

The Green Party

• Centre-left party
• Middle class
• Committed to the promotion of environmental issues
• Has 1 member of parliament since 2010

Left Wing Parties

The Labour Party

• Includes the smaller co-operative party
• Leader from 2010-2015 was Ed Miliband
• Leader now is Jeremy Corbyn
• Supported and funded by British trade unions but not influenced by them 
• After the recession in the 1970s, Tony Blair who transformed it into a modern social democratic party
• It is made up of local parties, British trade unions and other associations
• They rival with the Conservatives

Respect

• Was lead by George Galloway who was it's sole MP until 2015.
• Left wing.

The Communist Party of Great Britain

• Marginal
• Has only ever had 2 elected MPs
• Never been a mass party
• Had its peak in the 1940s

Main Regional and Nationalist Parties

Scottish Nationalist Party

• The most important political party in Scotland (currently)
• Left of centre nationalist party
• Nicola Sturgeon - party leader
• Party wanted to remain in the EU
• In the 2017 election it lost 19 of 50 seats in parliament but still holds a majority 

Plaid Cymru -Welsh Nationalist Party

• A major Welsh party
• Used to control the Welsh assembly but now on a par with the Labour party
• 2017 - 3 MPs in the UK parliament

Democratic Unionist Party  

• Conservative Protestant majority party  in Northern Ireland 
• In favour of Brexit
• Formed in 1971
• 2017- the DUP has agreed to support the Conservatives in the Westminster Parliament
• The DUP has 10 MPs

Sinn Fein 

• Majority party among the Catholic minority in Northern Ireland
• In favour of Northern Ireland being withdrew from the UK

SDLP

• Social Democratic Party and Labour Party of Northern Ireland 
• Non-sectarian social democratic party  
• Made up of Catholics and Protestants