Introduction
The UK General Election 2024 was one of the most significant parliamentary elections in recent British political history. Held on Thursday, 4 July 2024, the election ended 14 years of Conservative-led government and gave the Labour Party a large majority in the House of Commons. Sir Keir Starmer became Prime Minister after Labour won 411 of the 650 parliamentary seats. The Conservative Party, which had won a large majority in 2019, was reduced to 121 seats, while the Liberal Democrats made substantial gains and finished with 72 MPs.
The election produced a striking difference between national vote share and parliamentary representation. Labour received about 33.7% of the UK-wide vote but secured 63.2% of the seats. The Conservatives received approximately 23.7% of the vote and won 18.6% of the seats. Reform UK received 14.3% of the vote but won only five seats, while the Liberal Democrats received 12.2% and won 72 seats. This reflected the effects of the UK’s first-past-the-post electoral system, in which the candidate with the most votes in each constituency wins the seat.
The election also took place under new parliamentary boundaries and new electoral rules, including the requirement for voters at polling stations to present accepted photographic identification. Turnout was approximately 60%, considerably lower than in 2019. The election therefore provides an important case study of changing voter behaviour, party competition, regional politics and the way Britain’s electoral system translates votes into parliamentary seats.
When Was the UK General Election 2024 Held?
The 2024 UK General Election took place on Thursday, 4 July 2024. The election was formally called by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on 22 May 2024, beginning a short campaign that lasted for roughly six weeks. Parliament was dissolved on 30 May, and voters across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland elected members of the House of Commons.
A total of 650 constituencies were contested. England had 543 constituencies, Scotland had 57, Wales had 32 and Northern Ireland had 18. The election was conducted using new parliamentary boundaries, meaning many constituencies were different from those used in 2019. According to the House of Commons Library, 585 of the 650 seats had experienced at least some boundary changes, while 65 seats had no boundary changes, although four of those had new names.
The election followed a period of considerable political change. The Conservatives had won the 2019 election under Boris Johnson with 365 seats, but Johnson subsequently resigned as Prime Minister in 2022. Liz Truss became Prime Minister in September 2022 but resigned after a short period in office. Rishi Sunak then became Conservative leader and Prime Minister in October 2022.
By the time of the 2024 election, the Conservative government had been in office for 14 years, beginning with the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition formed in 2010. The 2024 result therefore represented a major change in the parliamentary balance of power.
How the UK Electoral System Worked in 2024
The UK general election used the first-past-the-post voting system. Under this system, the country is divided into parliamentary constituencies, and each constituency elects one Member of Parliament. Voters select one candidate on the ballot paper. The candidate who receives the largest number of votes wins the constituency.
This system means that a party’s national vote share does not necessarily correspond to its share of parliamentary seats. A party can receive millions of votes across the country but win relatively few constituencies if its support is spread across many areas without coming first.
The 2024 election demonstrated this feature particularly clearly. Reform UK received 14.3% of the national vote but won five seats, while the Liberal Democrats received 12.2% and won 72 seats. The Green parties received approximately 6.7% of the vote but the Green Party of England and Wales won four seats.
The system also means that relatively small changes in individual constituencies can produce large changes in the number of MPs a party has in Parliament. This was particularly important in 2024 because many Conservative seats had relatively narrow winning margins.
Overall UK General Election 2024 Results
The overall result produced a large Labour majority.
| Party | Seats Won | Approx. Vote Share |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 411 | 33.7% |
| Conservative | 121 | 23.7% |
| Liberal Democrats | 72 | 12.2% |
| Scottish National Party | 9 | 2.5% |
| Reform UK | 5 | 14.3% |
| Green parties | 4 | 6.7% |
| Sinn Féin | 7 | 0.7% |
| Democratic Unionist Party | 5 | 0.6% |
| Plaid Cymru | 4 | 0.7% |
| Other parties and independents | Various | Remaining share |
The figures illustrate the unusual relationship between votes and seats. Labour won more than 400 seats despite receiving roughly one-third of votes cast. Reform UK, by comparison, received more votes nationally than the Liberal Democrats but won dramatically fewer seats.
Labour’s 411 seats represented an increase of 209 seats compared with its 2019 total. The Conservatives lost 244 seats compared with their 2019 result, falling from 365 to 121. The Liberal Democrats gained 61 seats, rising from 11 in 2019 to 72 in 2024. The SNP experienced a major reduction, falling from 48 seats in 2019 to nine in 2024.
Labour Party Result
The Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, was the largest party in the 2024 election and formed the new government. Labour won 411 of the 650 seats, giving it a parliamentary majority of 172 over all other parties combined.
Labour’s result represented a major transformation from its 2019 performance. In 2019, Labour had won 202 seats under Jeremy Corbyn. Five years later, the party more than doubled its representation.
However, Labour’s seat total was considerably larger than its vote share might suggest. The party received approximately 33.7% of votes cast across the UK. This was only modestly higher than its 2019 vote share, yet its number of MPs increased dramatically.
One important reason was the collapse in Conservative support across many constituencies. Labour became the main beneficiary of numerous Conservative losses, particularly in England and Wales. The party won many constituencies where the Conservative majority in 2019 had been substantial but where the 2024 contest was much closer.
Labour also performed strongly in several urban and metropolitan areas. It retained many of its traditional strongholds and gained seats from the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and, in some cases, other parties.
The size of Labour’s parliamentary majority meant that the new government entered Parliament with substantial room to pass legislation without needing support from other parties.
Conservative Party Result
The Conservative Party experienced one of its largest electoral defeats in modern history. It won 121 seats, compared with 365 in 2019. This represented a loss of 244 seats.
The Conservatives received approximately 23.7% of the UK-wide vote. According to the House of Commons Library, this was the party’s lowest vote share at a general election since 1832 and its lowest number of seats since the same historical period.
The result ended the Conservative government’s period in office and placed the party in opposition.
The Conservative losses were spread across England, Scotland and Wales, although the scale and nature of the losses differed between regions. Labour captured many traditionally Conservative constituencies, while the Liberal Democrats won a large number of Conservative-held seats, particularly in areas where they had established local support.
Reform UK also affected the Conservative result by winning five constituencies and finishing second in numerous others. The presence of Reform meant that Conservative candidates often faced competition from both Labour and Reform, although the precise effects varied by constituency.
The Conservative result demonstrated how first-past-the-post can magnify changes in constituency-level support. A relatively modest national decline can result in the loss of a large number of seats when a party’s previous victories depended on relatively narrow margins.
Liberal Democrats Result
The Liberal Democrats had a highly successful parliamentary result in terms of seats. The party won 72 constituencies, an increase of 61 seats compared with 2019.
The Liberal Democrat vote share was approximately 12.2%, which was significantly below Labour’s and the Conservatives’ shares but still produced the third-largest number of seats. The 72 seats represented the party’s highest total since 1923.
A major feature of the Liberal Democrat campaign was its strength in constituencies where it had historically competed strongly with the Conservatives. The party made extensive gains in southern England and other areas where Conservative MPs had previously held seats.
The Liberal Democrats won 64 of their 72 seats as gains, according to analysis by the House of Commons Library. Their success demonstrated how concentrated regional support can translate into substantial parliamentary representation under first-past-the-post.
The result gave the Liberal Democrats a much larger parliamentary presence and made Ed Davey the leader of a significantly expanded opposition group.
Reform UK Result
Reform UK was one of the most notable features of the 2024 election. The party received approximately 14.3% of the national vote but won only five seats.
This was a major example of the difference between vote share and seat share under first-past-the-post. Reform received more votes nationally than the Liberal Democrats but won 67 fewer seats.
Reform’s five successful constituencies were Ashfield, Boston and Skegness, Clacton, Great Yarmouth, and South Basilica and East Thurrock. All five were gains from the Conservatives.
Nigel Far-age was elected in Clacton, returning to the House of Commons after several previous attempts to win a parliamentary seat. Reform also elected Lee Anderson, Richard Tice, Rupert Lowe and James McMurdock.
The party’s vote was geographically widespread, allowing it to receive a substantial national vote share while winning relatively few constituencies. Reform also finished second in 98 constituencies, demonstrating that its influence extended beyond the five seats it won.
The election therefore highlighted an important feature of British electoral politics: a party can have considerable national support without receiving a proportionate number of MPs.
Green Party Result
The Green Party of England and Wales achieved its strongest parliamentary representation in its history in 2024. Four Green MPs were elected.
The Green Party held Brighton Pavilion and gained Bristol Central, North Herefordshire and Waveney Valley. The party received around 6.7% of the combined vote when the Green parties across the UK are considered together.
Brighton Pavilion remained a Green-held constituency, while Bristol Central became an important Green gain from Labour. North Herefordshire and Waveney Valley were gains from the Conservatives.
The Green result again demonstrated the importance of geographical concentration. Although the party received several million votes nationally, its support was concentrated strongly enough in only a small number of constituencies to produce four MPs.
The four successful Green candidates became the first parliamentary group representing the Green Party of England and Wales with more than one MP.
Scottish National Party Result
The Scottish National Party experienced a significant decline in its parliamentary representation.
The SNP won nine seats in 2024, compared with 48 in 2019. This represented a loss of 39 seats.
The result marked a major change in Scotland’s parliamentary representation. Labour gained numerous Scottish constituencies that had previously been represented by the SNP.
The SNP nevertheless remained a significant political force in Scotland and continued to represent Scottish independence as a central part of its political agenda. However, the 2024 election substantially altered the balance of Scottish representation at Westminster.
The SNP’s vote share was approximately 2.5% of the UK-wide vote, reflecting the fact that its support was geographically concentrated in Scotland. This concentration is another example of how national vote percentages must be interpreted alongside regional distribution when examining UK election results.
Northern Ireland Results
Northern Ireland has a distinctive party system compared with Great Britain, with competition shaped by unionist and nationalist politics as well as parties that seek to operate across traditional constitutional divisions.
The 2024 election produced several important results in Northern Ireland. Sinn Féin won seven seats, the same number as in 2019. The Democratic Unionist Party won five seats, three fewer than in 2019.
Other Northern Irish parties also won parliamentary representation, including the Alliance Party, Social Democratic and Labour Party, Ulster Unionist Party and Traditional Unionist Voice.
Sinn Féin MPs do not traditionally take their seats at Westminster because the party follows an abstentionist policy. Consequently, the number of MPs elected from Northern Ireland and the number of MPs actually taking their seats in the House of Commons are not necessarily identical.
The Northern Irish results therefore need to be considered separately from the broader Labour-Conservative-Liberal Democrat competition that dominated most of Great Britain.
Results in England
England contained 543 of the UK’s 650 constituencies and therefore determined much of the overall parliamentary result.
Labour made substantial gains across England, particularly in areas that had previously been dominated by the Conservatives. The party also maintained strong support across many cities and urban areas.
The Conservatives lost seats across different parts of England. Some were captured by Labour, while others went to the Liberal Democrats, Reform UK and the Greens.
The Liberal Democrats performed particularly strongly in several areas of southern England and gained numerous constituencies from the Conservatives.
Reform UK won five English seats and finished second in many others. The Green Party won four seats, all in England.
Because England contains such a large majority of Westminster constituencies, changes in English voting behaviour had a major impact on the final UK result.
Results in Scotland
Scotland had 57 constituencies in the 2024 election. The results represented a major change from the 2019 parliamentary landscape.
The SNP fell from 48 seats to nine, while Labour made significant gains. The Conservatives also experienced losses, and the Liberal Democrats maintained a presence in several Scottish constituencies.
Labour’s Scottish revival was an important component of its overall UK majority. The shift demonstrated that Scotland’s parliamentary politics can change significantly between elections, even though constitutional questions continue to shape political competition.
The 2024 Scottish result was therefore one of the clearest examples of a regional realignment during the election.
Results in Wales
Wales had 32 parliamentary constituencies in 2024. Labour remained the largest party in Wales and won a substantial majority of Welsh seats.
The Conservatives experienced significant losses, while Plaid Cymru maintained representation in Welsh constituencies.
Reform UK also performed strongly in parts of Wales in terms of vote share and finished second in a number of constituencies. The Green parties also contested seats across Wales, although they did not win a Westminster constituency there.
Welsh politics therefore reflected some of the wider trends seen across England while retaining distinctive competition involving Plaid Cymru.
Turnout and Voter Participation
One of the most important characteristics of the 2024 election was its relatively low turnout.
The Electoral Commission reported turnout of approximately 60.0%, compared with 67.5% in 2019. This made 2024 the second-lowest turnout at a UK general election since the introduction of universal suffrage in 1928, with only the 2001 election recording a lower figure.
Several factors can influence turnout. The Electoral Commission noted that perceptions of political parties and politicians contributed to some people’s decisions not to vote. The 2024 election was also widely expected to produce a change of government before polling day, which may have influenced perceptions of how competitive the overall contest was.
The turnout figure is important because a party can win a large parliamentary majority without receiving votes from a majority of eligible voters.
Approximately 48.2 million people were eligible to vote at the election.
Voter ID and Changes to Election Rules
The 2024 general election was the first UK-wide general election in which the new voter identification rules applied across Great Britain.
Voters attending polling stations were required to show an accepted form of photographic identification. The Electoral Commission subsequently reported that 0.08% of people who attempted to vote at polling stations in Great Britain were unable to vote because they did not present accepted identification. This represented approximately 16,000 people.
The rules formed part of wider electoral reforms introduced through the Elections Act 2022.
The introduction of voter ID was accompanied by public information campaigns and the availability of Voter Authority Certificates for eligible voters without an accepted form of identification.
The Electoral Commission found that awareness of the voter ID requirement was high, although awareness varied between demographic groups. The election therefore provided important evidence about the practical operation of the new system.
Postal Voting in the 2024 Election
Postal voting played an important role in the election. More than 1.3 million people applied to vote by post after the election was announced, and this was the first UK general election in which voters could apply for a postal vote online.
Most postal voters were able to participate successfully, but some experienced problems receiving their ballot papers in sufficient time.
The Electoral Commission found that postal voting systems did not work well enough for some voters, particularly where ballot packs arrived late. These problems were more noticeable in some areas of Scotland, where the election coincided with the beginning of the summer holiday period.
Despite these problems, the overall postal vote return rate remained high. Approximately 80.7% of postal votes were returned in 2024, compared with 83.9% in 2019.
The experience led to recommendations for improvements to postal voting processes and greater resilience in the electoral system.
The Importance of Marginal Constituencies
The 2024 election produced a large number of marginal results.
According to the House of Commons Library, 46 constituencies were won by margins of less than 2%, while 115 constituencies were won by margins of 5% or less. This represented a substantial increase in marginal seats compared with 2019.
Hendon in London was the closest contest, with Labour winning by only 15 votes, equivalent to a margin of approximately 0.04%.
Many of the closest contests involved Conservative-held seats. Of the 40 most marginal seats in 2024, 33 had been won by the Conservatives in 2019. The Conservatives held only 11 of those 33 seats and lost 22.
These results demonstrate how changes in voter behaviour can produce substantial parliamentary changes even when the national vote movement appears less dramatic.
Why Labour Won Such a Large Majority
Labour’s large majority resulted from several factors rather than one single development.
First, Labour increased its vote share compared with 2019 while the Conservatives experienced a major decline. Labour therefore became the leading challenger in many constituencies that had previously been Conservative-held.
Second, the Conservative vote was divided in a number of constituencies between the Conservatives and Reform UK. Reform did not need to win a seat to affect the distribution of votes between other parties. Its presence altered the competitive structure of many constituencies.
Third, the Liberal Democrats made large numbers of gains from the Conservatives, particularly in areas where their local support was historically strong.
Fourth, Labour performed strongly across Scotland compared with its 2019 result. The collapse in SNP representation contributed to Labour’s overall parliamentary strength.
Finally, the first-past-the-post system amplified constituency-level changes. Labour did not need to receive 50% of the national vote to win a very large majority. Winning the most votes in individual constituencies was sufficient.
The Difference Between Vote Share and Seat Share
The 2024 election provides one of the clearest modern examples of the difference between vote share and parliamentary representation.
Labour won 33.7% of the vote but 411 seats. Reform UK won 14.3% of the vote but five seats. The Liberal Democrats won 12.2% of the vote but 72 seats. The Green parties won 6.7% of the vote but four seats.
This difference occurs because first-past-the-post rewards parties whose support is concentrated sufficiently to win individual constituencies.
A party receiving 30% of the vote in many constituencies could lose every one of them if another party receives slightly more than 30%. Meanwhile, another party could win several constituencies with similar vote percentages if its support is geographically concentrated.
The result does not mean that the electoral system changed during the election. It demonstrates the mathematical consequences of using single-member constituencies and plurality voting.
The 2024 Election Compared With 2019
The difference between the 2019 and 2024 elections was substantial.
In 2019, the Conservatives won 365 seats and Labour won 202. In 2024, Labour won 411 and the Conservatives won 121.
The Conservatives therefore moved from holding a large majority to becoming the second-largest party in Parliament. Labour moved from opposition to government with a very large majority.
The Liberal Democrats also changed dramatically, rising from 11 seats in 2019 to 72 in 2024.
The SNP experienced the opposite movement, falling from 48 seats to nine.
Reform UK, meanwhile, emerged as a significant electoral force with 14.3% of the vote and five MPs. The Green Party also expanded its parliamentary representation from one seat to four.
The comparison demonstrates how rapidly parliamentary representation can change in a UK general election.
First-Time MPs and Parliamentary Change
The election brought a large number of new MPs into the House of Commons.
Many incumbent MPs lost their seats, particularly among the Conservative Party. The result therefore represented not only a change of government but also a substantial turnover in parliamentary membership.
The large number of constituency changes also meant that comparisons with 2019 sometimes required the use of notional results. Notional results estimate how previous election results might have looked if the newer constituency boundaries had been in place at the earlier election.
This is particularly important when analysing gains and losses because constituency boundaries changed considerably before the 2024 election.
Number of Candidates
The 2024 election also featured a large number of parliamentary candidates.
A total of 4,515 candidates stood across the UK, compared with 3,327 in 2019. The average constituency had approximately seven candidates. Candidates represented almost 100 different political parties, alongside independents.
The Conservative Party fielded 635 candidates, Labour 631, the Liberal Democrats 630, the Green Party 629 and Reform UK 609.
The high number of candidates reflected the increasingly diverse nature of British electoral competition. While Labour and the Conservatives remained the two largest parties in terms of seats, voters in many constituencies had a much wider choice.
The Role of Reform UK in the Election
Reform UK’s performance deserves particular attention because its national vote share was considerably higher than its number of MPs.
The party’s 14.3% vote share made it the third-largest party in terms of votes. Yet it won only five constituencies.
Reform came second in 98 constituencies, including 89 where Labour finished first. Sixty of the constituencies where Reform finished second were in northern England and 13 were in Wales.
This distribution meant that Reform was a major competitor in many areas even when it did not win seats.
Its strongest parliamentary performance came in constituencies where its support was concentrated enough to finish first. The five successful seats were all gains from the Conservatives.
The Role of the Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats demonstrated the opposite pattern from Reform.
Their national vote share was lower than Reform’s, but their support was concentrated in constituencies where they had established local political bases.
The party won 72 seats, including 64 gains. Many of these gains came from Conservative-held constituencies.
This illustrates why national vote totals alone cannot fully explain the outcome of a UK general election. The geographical distribution of votes is just as important as the total number of votes.
The Liberal Democrat result also returned the party to a much stronger position in Westminster politics after its relatively small parliamentary presence during the previous Parliament.
The Green Party’s Historic Result
The Green Party’s four seats represented its strongest Westminster performance.
The party held Brighton Pavilion and gained three additional constituencies. In Bristol Central, the Greens won 56.6% of the vote, while Brighton Pavilion was won with approximately 55.0%. North Herefordshire and Waveney Valley were also won with substantial vote shares.
The result showed that Green support had become sufficiently concentrated in several constituencies to translate into parliamentary seats.
At the same time, the party’s overall vote share remained much higher than its share of parliamentary seats, once again highlighting the impact of first-past-the-post.
Public Confidence in the Election
The Electoral Commission reported that public confidence in the conduct of elections remained relatively high.
Around 83% of people surveyed said they were confident that the elections were well-run. This represented an increase from the 69% recorded after the 2019 UK general election.
Most voters also reported that they found the voting process straightforward. Approximately 98% said it was easy to fill in their ballot paper.
These findings suggest that, despite the political controversy surrounding elections and the challenges faced by some voters, the majority of participants experienced the voting process positively.
Challenges Identified After the Election
The Electoral Commission identified several areas where improvements were needed.
Postal voting was one of the major areas of concern because some voters did not receive their ballot papers in sufficient time.
The Commission also highlighted challenges affecting overseas voters. The 2024 election was the first UK general election after the franchise was extended to British and eligible Irish citizens living overseas for more than 15 years.
Other issues included abuse and intimidation directed at candidates and campaigners, the candidate nomination process, and the digital systems used by electoral administrators.
These issues became part of the broader discussion about how future UK elections could be administered.
Why the 2024 Election Was Historically Important
The 2024 general election was historically important for several reasons.
First, it ended 14 years of Conservative-led government and returned Labour to power.
Second, Labour won 411 seats, producing one of the largest parliamentary majorities in modern British politics while receiving approximately one-third of the national vote.
Third, the Conservatives experienced one of their weakest results in terms of seats and vote share in their long history.
Fourth, the Liberal Democrats returned to Parliament with 72 MPs, their highest total since 1923.
Fifth, Reform UK and the Green Party achieved record numbers of MPs for their respective parties.
Finally, the election provided an important demonstration of how first-past-the-post can generate very different outcomes in terms of votes and seats.
The New Parliament After the Election
Following the election, Labour formed the government with Keir Starmer as Prime Minister.
The Conservative Party became the official opposition, while the Liberal Democrats became the third-largest parliamentary party.
The new House of Commons was substantially different from the Parliament elected in 2019. Hundreds of seats changed hands, many MPs left Parliament, and a large number of new members entered the chamber.
The political balance also changed across the UK’s nations and regions. Scotland saw a major decline in SNP representation, Wales remained strongly Labour-oriented, England experienced significant movement between Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Reform candidates, and Northern Ireland continued to have a distinctive party system.
Long-Term Political Significance
The 2024 election can be understood as part of a longer period of political change in the United Kingdom.
The previous decade had already included the 2015, 2017 and 2019 general elections, the 2016 EU referendum, changes of Conservative leadership and major shifts in party support.
The 2024 election produced another major parliamentary realignment.
However, the result should not be interpreted solely through the number of seats won. Vote shares, turnout, regional patterns, marginal constituencies and the performance of smaller parties all contributed to the final outcome.
The election also demonstrated that large parliamentary majorities can emerge from relatively modest national vote shares when opposition votes are divided among several parties.
Conclusion
The UK General Election 2024 produced a major change in Britain’s political landscape. Held on 4 July 2024, the election resulted in a Labour victory under Keir Starmer, with Labour winning 411 of the 650 House of Commons seats. The Conservatives fell to 121 seats, the Liberal Democrats rose to 72, the SNP dropped to nine, Reform UK won five and the Green Party won four.
The election was particularly notable for the contrast between votes and seats. Labour’s approximately 33.7% vote share translated into 63.2% of parliamentary seats, while Reform UK’s 14.3% vote share translated into only five MPs. The Liberal Democrats achieved 72 seats with 12.2% of the vote, illustrating the importance of geographical concentration under first-past-the-post.
Turnout was approximately 60%, down substantially from 2019. The election also introduced voters to new electoral rules, including the requirement for photographic identification at polling stations across Great Britain. While most people reported positive experiences with voting, the Electoral Commission identified areas requiring improvement, particularly postal voting, overseas voting arrangements, candidate safety and electoral administration systems.
The 2024 election therefore stands as an important moment in modern UK political history. It changed the government, transformed the parliamentary strength of several major parties, produced record results for Reform UK and the Greens, and demonstrated once again how Britain’s electoral system can turn the geographical distribution of votes into very different patterns of parliamentary representation. Its results provide an important reference point for understanding the political direction of the United Kingdom following the end of the 2019–2024 parliamentary period.
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