This month last year, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stood outside No. 10 in the pouring rain, without an umbrella, calling an early UK General Election.
The gloomy weather was perhaps an omen of the miserable outcome the Conservatives would have in the polls.
Small But Mighty
By July, Labour had 411 MPs in the House of Commons. Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats gained 61 seats, the Green Party gained three, and newcomers Reform UK secured five of its politicians a place in the heart of British politics, including eight-time-trier MP Nigel Farage.
Recently, we have seen a fundamental shift in the attitudes of the electorate. As this year’s local election results have proven, fringe parties are making significant gains, often stealing the spotlight from the two major parties.
But what has been the key to their success?
Importance of Strong Ideals
When you consider Britain’s fringe parties, it is immediately obvious what they stand for. Reform UK is renowned for its strong views on immigration and woke institutions. The Lib Dems are unwavering in their support for carers, farmers, the NHS and those who oppose Donald Trump. And the Greens, unsurprisingly, are focused on creating an environmentally friendly economy, transport system and food supply in Britain, as well as strengthening human rights. With Britain’s political climate debate becoming more polarised, and when Gen Z Brits are simultaneously ‘the most authoritarian and the most liberal generation,’ it is unsurprising that more voters are turning to fringe parties that are often either undeniably right-wing, like Reform UK or overtly left-wing like the Greens. This also explains why Labour and the Conservatives are losing their appeal. Younger voters want clarity rather than ambiguity when it comes to policy choices.
Since the Tories’ crushing defeat during the 2024 General Election, which saw the Conservatives lose 244 seats, it is evident that Kemi Badenoch has struggled to give the party an identity. Following Rishi Sunak’s resignation, the 45-year-old was appointed Tory leader in November, just after the Conservatives lost their 14-year power streak and became the Opposition. As a result, she has received considerably less media attention compared to Keir Starmer and has had fewer opportunities to show what she stands for. But this is a poor excuse for underperforming. When she does get the opportunity to speak, Badenoch often finds herself being grilled for her poor performance during PMQs, or the outlandish statements she makes during radio interviews.
All in all, she has dedicated very little time in the fleeting limelight to outline how the Tories intend to tackle Britain’s biggest issues if they return to power. She has also failed to convince voters why they should vote for her during the next general election. This is all to her detriment. As a reporter at a district newspaper, I witnessed over the past two years the Blue Wall collapsing during local elections, with many Tory ‘safe seats’ being snaffled up by Lib Dem or Reform councillors. The British people are turning to fringe parties because they believe them to be more effective, competent, and unwavering in their principles. Additionally, 31 per cent of Brits apparently don’t feel represented by the main parties. Until Kemi Badenoch shows just what the Tory party stands for, their once-loyal voters will continue to look elsewhere.
The same problem faces our current government. Labour is a centre-left party, founded in 1900 to represent working-class people. Nowadays, however, it’s difficult to decipher who the party is trying to appeal to. Indeed, Sir Keir Starmer’s recent policies seem to have been unpopular with people at both ends of the political spectrum. By taxing private schools and targeting businesses and farmers, the Prime Minister has angered the middle class. Similarly, the tightening of disability welfare rules and his refusal to lift the two-child benefit cap have outraged the working class. Starmer needs to prove that the Labour Party has a set of strong, unified values and a plan for how it is going to achieve its goals beyond monotonous buzzwords like ‘change’ and ‘growth.’ Otherwise, fringe parties will continue to rise in popularity.
Importance of Character
Another reason for the success of fringe parties in Britain is that they are fronted by memorable leaders.
The Lib Dems’ general election campaign revealed a new side of Ed Davey, who, when not being the ‘Tom Cruise of British Politics,’ paddle boarding or bungee jumping his way to electoral success, strove to show his human side — something which many of today’s politicians fail to do. By sincerely recounting his experiences of caring for his dying mother and his disabled son, Davey became the antithesis of Sunak’s life of luxury and Starmer’s frigidly rehashed ‘My dad was a toolmaker.’
Over the past year, other personalities have begun to dominate Westminster. Heading Reform UK is Nigel Farage, the ‘straight-talking’ millionaire and ‘unembarrassed racist,’ who responded to accusations of being a chain smoker, a drunk and a womaniser by gleefully replying: ‘It’s all true.’ On the other end of the political spectrum, the Greens’ co-leader Carla Denyer is instantly recognisable with her cropped hair, smart blazers and penchant for hoop earrings, alongside her staunch support for the LGBTQ+ community.
Love or hate them, all three of these fringe-party leaders have distinctive characters that make them appealing to voters. This is where the Conservatives and Labour have failed. Think about it. What is memorable about Kemi Badenoch? Is it her contradictory stance on net-zero? Or her love of culture wars? As head of the Opposition, perhaps she can be forgiven for fading into obscurity. The same, however, cannot be said for Keir Starmer. It could be argued that since coming to power, he has merely proven his ‘willingness to be unpopular,’ revealing little of his personality or what he stands for.
As Britain’s two largest parties, their leaders’ lack of a distinctive character or set of values is embarrassing at best and fatal at worst. The modern British electorate is now less inclined to support a particular party and more likely to cling to the cult of personality. If voters continue to feel indifferent towards Badenoch and Starmer by the next general election, they will likely rally behind politicians from smaller parties simply because their personalities appeal to them. The tide has already shifted in favour of Reform UK and the Greens, who in 2024 secured a record number of seats in the House of Commons and are expected to perform well in 2029.
In the age of social media and reality TV, politicians cannot afford not to be charismatic and memorable if they wish to do well in the polls. The leaders of fringe parties have nailed this brief.
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