Europe

How Britain Voted

The Conservative party lost its parliamentary majority in the British general election on Thursday, as voters produced a hung Parliament, one in which no party has outright control. Prime Minister Theresa May will try to stay in power by forming a minority government with the Democratic Unionist Party in Northern Ireland.

What to Watch

Labour and the Conservatives both made gains in Scotland, with a sense that the dominant Scottish National Party had passed its high water mark.
Across northern England, Labour benefited from the collapse of support for the pro-Brexit U.K. Independence Party.
In Northern Ireland, Sinn Fein won seven seats, but will not take its seats in Parliament, reducing the seats needed to win an overall majority.
Labour exceeded expectations in Wales, after opinion polls earlier in the campaign suggested that they might struggle, and took seats from the Conservatives.
Labour performed strongly in London, with pro-Europe voters apparently punishing the Conservatives for last year’s Brexit referendum decision.

Labour gains ground in England and Wales

Mrs. May held a snap election hoping to significantly increase the narrow parliamentary majority that her Conservative Party had won, under different leadership, in 2015.

Instead, the Labour Party performed much better than expected in Wales and in England, especially London. In Scotland, the Conservatives made gains, but so did Labour. A key outcome may be that in Northern Ireland, the Democratic Unionist Party, a potential ally of the Conservatives, gained seats.

2015 RESULTS
2017 RESULTS
CHANGE FROM 2015
SHIFT IN MARGIN Labour Conservative

Young voters turn out for Labour

There were doubts that younger voters would cast their ballots for the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn. But this year there was a spike in young people registering to vote — more than one million people under 25 applied — and turnout in constituencies with younger voters rose significantly, benefitting Labour.

Smaller parties see a decline

This election was a test of whether the pro- and anti-Europe fault line that runs through British society — which was exposed by the 52-48 result in the Brexit referendum last year — would further erode the power of the two main parties.

Recent elections in Britain have seen a decrease in the overall share of the vote going to the Conservative and Labour parties, but the results of this election suggest that the country is shifting back toward a two-party system.