List of political parties in the United Kingdom
Encyclopedia
This article lists political parties
in the United Kingdom
.
and the Tories. These were not political parties in the modern sense but somewhat loose alliances of interests and individuals. The Whigs included many of the leading aristocratic dynasties committed to the Protestant succession, and later drew support from elements of the emerging industrial interests and wealthy merchants, while the Tories were associated with the landed gentry
, the Church of England
and the Church of Scotland
.
By the mid 19th century the Tories had evolved into the Conservative Party
, and the Whigs had evolved into the Liberal Party
. In the late 19th century the Liberal Party began to pursue more left wing policies, and many of the heirs of the Whig tradition became Liberal Unionists
and moved closer to the Conservatives on many of the key issues of the time.
The Liberal and Conservatives dominated the political scene until the 1920s, when the Liberal Party declined in popularity and suffered a long stream of resignations. It was replaced as the main left-wing party by the newly emerging Labour Party
, who represented an alliance between the trades unions
and various socialist societies.
Since then the Conservative and Labour Parties have dominated British politics, and have alternated in government ever since. However, the UK is not quite a two-party system since a third party (recently, the Liberal Democrats) can prevent 50% of the votes/seats from going to a single party. The Liberals merged with the Social Democrats
because they had very similar views and became the Liberal Democrats
which is now a sizeable party whose electoral results have improved in recent years.
The UK's First Past the Post electoral system leaves small parties disadvantaged on a UK-wide scale. It can, however, allow parties with concentrations of supporters in the constituent countries to flourish. Other than the Green Party of England and Wales
, the only other parties winning seats in the House of Commons
at the 2010 general election were based in Scotland
, Wales
and Northern Ireland
.
Since 1997, proportional representation
-based voting systems have been adopted for elections to the Scottish Parliament
, the National Assembly for Wales
, the Northern Ireland Assembly
, the London Assembly
and the UK's seats in the European Parliament
. In these bodies, other parties have had success.
Traditionally political parties have been private organisations with no official recognition by the state. The Registration of Political Parties Act 1998
changed that by creating a register of parties.
Register of Political Parties lists the details of parties registered to fight elections, and their registered name, in the United Kingdom. Under current electoral law, including the Registration of Political Parties Act, the Electoral Administration Act 2006
, and the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000
, only registered party names can be used on ballot papers by those wishing to fight elections. Candidates who do not belong to a registered party can use "independent" or no label at all.
it shows the number of registered political parties as 419. In Northern Ireland there are 42 registered parties.
(only the Conservative and Unionist Party stands candidates in Northern Ireland). Most of the British Members of the European Parliament
and the National Assembly for Wales
represent one of these parties:
†Sinn Féin MPs do not take their seats as they choose not to swear allegiance to the crown.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Brief history and overview
Prior to the mid-19th century politics in the United Kingdom was dominated by the WhigsBritish Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
and the Tories. These were not political parties in the modern sense but somewhat loose alliances of interests and individuals. The Whigs included many of the leading aristocratic dynasties committed to the Protestant succession, and later drew support from elements of the emerging industrial interests and wealthy merchants, while the Tories were associated with the landed gentry
Landed gentry
Landed gentry is a traditional British social class, consisting of land owners who could live entirely off rental income. Often they worked only in an administrative capacity looking after the management of their own lands....
, the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
and the Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
.
By the mid 19th century the Tories had evolved into the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, and the Whigs had evolved into the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
. In the late 19th century the Liberal Party began to pursue more left wing policies, and many of the heirs of the Whig tradition became Liberal Unionists
Liberal Unionist Party
The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington and Joseph Chamberlain, the party formed a political alliance with the Conservative Party in opposition to Irish Home Rule...
and moved closer to the Conservatives on many of the key issues of the time.
The Liberal and Conservatives dominated the political scene until the 1920s, when the Liberal Party declined in popularity and suffered a long stream of resignations. It was replaced as the main left-wing party by the newly emerging Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, who represented an alliance between the trades unions
Trade unions in the United Kingdom
Trade unions in the United Kingdom were first decriminalised under the recommendation of a Royal Commission in 1867, which agreed that the establishment of the organisations was to the advantage of both employers and employees...
and various socialist societies.
Since then the Conservative and Labour Parties have dominated British politics, and have alternated in government ever since. However, the UK is not quite a two-party system since a third party (recently, the Liberal Democrats) can prevent 50% of the votes/seats from going to a single party. The Liberals merged with the Social Democrats
Social Democratic Party (UK)
The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...
because they had very similar views and became the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
which is now a sizeable party whose electoral results have improved in recent years.
The UK's First Past the Post electoral system leaves small parties disadvantaged on a UK-wide scale. It can, however, allow parties with concentrations of supporters in the constituent countries to flourish. Other than the Green Party of England and Wales
Green Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
, the only other parties winning seats in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
at the 2010 general election were based in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
Since 1997, proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
-based voting systems have been adopted for elections to the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
, the National Assembly for Wales
National Assembly for Wales
The National Assembly for Wales is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Members, or AMs...
, the Northern Ireland Assembly
Northern Ireland Assembly
The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive...
, the London Assembly
London Assembly
The London Assembly is an elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds majority, to amend the mayor's annual budget. The assembly was established in 2000 and is headquartered at City Hall on the south...
and the UK's seats in the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
. In these bodies, other parties have had success.
Traditionally political parties have been private organisations with no official recognition by the state. The Registration of Political Parties Act 1998
Registration of Political Parties Act 1998
The Registration of Political Parties Act 1998 , or An Act to make provision about the registration of political parties was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom to set up a register of political parties in the United Kingdom. Previously there had been no such register, and political...
changed that by creating a register of parties.
Register of Political Parties
The Electoral Commission'sElectoral Commission (United Kingdom)
The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. It regulates party and election finance and sets standards for well-run elections...
Register of Political Parties lists the details of parties registered to fight elections, and their registered name, in the United Kingdom. Under current electoral law, including the Registration of Political Parties Act, the Electoral Administration Act 2006
Electoral Administration Act 2006
The Electoral Administration Act 2006 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, passed on 11 July 2006. The Bill was amended during its passage through the House of Lords to require political parties to declare large loans; this followed the "Cash for Peerages" scandal...
, and the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000
Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000
The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that sets out how political parties, elections and referendums are to be regulated in the United Kingdom...
, only registered party names can be used on ballot papers by those wishing to fight elections. Candidates who do not belong to a registered party can use "independent" or no label at all.
it shows the number of registered political parties as 419. In Northern Ireland there are 42 registered parties.
Major parties in the House of Commons
Three parties dominate politics in the House of Commons. They all operate throughout Great BritainGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
(only the Conservative and Unionist Party stands candidates in Northern Ireland). Most of the British Members of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
and the National Assembly for Wales
National Assembly for Wales
The National Assembly for Wales is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Members, or AMs...
represent one of these parties:
- Conservative and Unionist Party, centrist to right-wing (traditionally centre-right and pragmatic; has always been a diverse and not always harmonious coalition) (306 seats in the House of Commons)
- Labour PartyLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, centristThird way (centrism)The Third Way refers to various political positions which try to reconcile right-wing and left-wing politics by advocating a varying synthesis of right-wing economic and left-wing social policies. Third Way approaches are commonly viewed from within the first- and second-way perspectives as...
to Left-wing (traditionally socialist; is now a broad socialist and trade unionist to social liberal and social democratic party) (258 seats)- Co-operative PartyCo-operative PartyThe Co-operative Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom committed to supporting and representing co-operative principles. The party does not put up separate candidates for any UK election itself. Instead, Co-operative candidates stand jointly with the Labour Party as "Labour...
(all Co-operative Party MPs are also Labour MPs as part of a long-standing electoral agreement)
- Co-operative Party
- Liberal DemocratsLiberal DemocratsThe Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
, centrist to centre-leftCentre-leftCentre-left is a political term that describes individuals, political parties or organisations such as think tanks whose ideology lies between the centre and the left on the left-right spectrum...
(heavily influenced by social liberalismSocial liberalismSocial liberalism is the belief that liberalism should include social justice. It differs from classical liberalism in that it believes the legitimate role of the state includes addressing economic and social issues such as unemployment, health care, and education while simultaneously expanding...
). (57 seats)
Political parties with elected representation at a national or international level
| Party | UK House of Commons British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members... members |
Scottish Parliament Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament... members |
National Assembly for Wales National Assembly for Wales The National Assembly for Wales is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Members, or AMs... members |
Northern Ireland Assembly Northern Ireland Assembly The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive... members |
European Parliament European Parliament The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world... members |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative and Unionist Party | 306 | 15 | 14 | N/A | 25 | Centre-right party which can be loosely divided into three categories, though with considerable overlap: The Thatcherites or Conservative Way Forward Conservative Way Forward Conservative Way Forward is a British campaigning group that operates within the Conservative Party. It is a Thatcherite group in outlook and agenda, and Baroness Thatcher herself is the President.... , who strongly support a free market and tend to be Eurosceptic Euroscepticism Euroscepticism is a general term used to describe criticism of the European Union , and opposition to the process of European integration, existing throughout the political spectrum. Traditionally, the main source of euroscepticism has been the notion that integration weakens the nation state... , the economically moderate, oft more europhile but socially conservative One Nation Conservatives One Nation Conservatism One nation, one nation conservatism, and Tory democracy are terms used in political debate in the United Kingdom to refer to a certain wing of the Conservative Party... , and the socially conservative, deeply eurosceptic Cornerstone Group Cornerstone Group The Cornerstone Group is a socially conservative or traditional conservative political organisation within the British Conservative Party. The group emphasises traditional values, exemplified by the motto: Faith, Flag, and Family. It consists of Members of Parliament with a traditionalist stance,... . |
| Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the... |
57 | 5 | 5 | N/A | 11 | Radical centrist, and socially progressive Progressivism Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The... ; strongly support greater European integration European integration European integration is the process of industrial, political, legal, economic integration of states wholly or partially in Europe... . Promote social liberalism Social liberalism Social liberalism is the belief that liberalism should include social justice. It differs from classical liberalism in that it believes the legitimate role of the state includes addressing economic and social issues such as unemployment, health care, and education while simultaneously expanding... ; opposing what they call the 'nanny state Nanny state A nanny state is the perception of a situation characterised by governmental policies of over-protectionism, economic interventionism, or heavy regulation of economic, social or other nature.... ', while supporting the welfare state Welfare state A welfare state is a "concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those... for the basic necessities of life. The party's two dominant factions are the centre-left social democratic grouping, and the economic liberal, 'Orange Book Orange Book Orange Book may refer to:* Trusted Computer System Evaluation Criteria, a computer security standard* The Orange Book: Reclaiming Liberalism, by members of the British Liberal Democrat party... ' one. |
| Labour Party Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
258 (inc Lab Co-op Labour Co-operative Labour and Co-operative describes those candidates in British elections standing on behalf of both the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party, based on a national agreement between the two parties.... ) |
46 (inc 9 as Lab Co-op Labour Co-operative Labour and Co-operative describes those candidates in British elections standing on behalf of both the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party, based on a national agreement between the two parties.... ) |
26 (inc 4 as Lab Co-op Labour Co-operative Labour and Co-operative describes those candidates in British elections standing on behalf of both the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party, based on a national agreement between the two parties.... ) |
N/A | 13 | Centre-left; historically allied to Trade union Trade union A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with... s; mixed market Mixed economy Mixed economy is an economic system in which both the state and private sector direct the economy, reflecting characteristics of both market economies and planned economies. Most mixed economies can be described as market economies with strong regulatory oversight, in addition to having a variety... (Third Way Third way (centrism) The Third Way refers to various political positions which try to reconcile right-wing and left-wing politics by advocating a varying synthesis of right-wing economic and left-wing social policies. Third Way approaches are commonly viewed from within the first- and second-way perspectives as... ) policies have replaced its earlier more socialist Socialism Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,... platform in recent years, has still socialist MPs and Left-wing factions within the party such as the Socialist Campaign Group; supports greater Pro-Europeanism. |
| Democratic Unionist Party Democratic Unionist Party The Democratic Unionist Party is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Founded by Ian Paisley and currently led by Peter Robinson, it is currently the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the... |
8 | N/A | N/A | 38 | 1 | More hardline Unionist party in Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west... , has a socially right-wing political agenda, with historical ties to Protestant working classes, thus a centre-left economic history until recently. |
| Scottish National Party Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom.... |
6 | 69 | N/A | N/A | 2 | Centre-left party in favour of Scottish independence Scottish independence Scottish independence is a political ambition of political parties, advocacy groups and individuals for Scotland to secede from the United Kingdom and become an independent sovereign state, separate from England, Wales and Northern Ireland.... . |
| † Sinn Féin Sinn Féin Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970... |
5 | N/A | N/A | 29 | 1 | Left-wing Irish republican party that supports the unification of the island of Ireland as a 32-county Irish republic. |
| Plaid Cymru - Party of Wales | 3 | N/A | 11 | N/A | 1 | Centre-left party in favour of Welsh independence Welsh independence Welsh independence is a political ideal advocated by some people in Wales that would see Wales secede from the United Kingdom and become an independent sovereign state. This ideology is promoted mainly by the Welsh nationalist party, Plaid Cymru.-History:... . |
| Social Democratic and Labour Party Social Democratic and Labour Party The Social Democratic and Labour Party is a social-democratic, Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. Its basic party platform advocates Irish reunification, and the further devolution of powers while Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom... |
3 | N/A | N/A | 14 | 0 | Centre-left Centre-left Centre-left is a political term that describes individuals, political parties or organisations such as think tanks whose ideology lies between the centre and the left on the left-right spectrum... , irish nationalist party. |
| Alliance Party of Northern Ireland Alliance Party of Northern Ireland The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland is a liberal and nonsectarian political party in Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's fifth-largest party overall, with eight seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly and one in the House of Commons.... |
1 | N/A | N/A | 8 | 0 | Liberal party in Northern Ireland that aims to break down sectarian divisions between Catholics and Protestants. Has a neutral stance on the Constitutional issue of Northern Ireland's status and is linked with the Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the... . |
| Green Party of England and Wales Green Party of England and Wales The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including... |
1 | N/A | 0 | N/A | 2 | Generally Social Democratic, environmentalist party. Favours British republicanism |
| Ulster Unionist Party Ulster Unionist Party The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland... |
0 | N/A | N/A | 16 | 1 | Unionist party in Northern Ireland which is traditionally an amalgam of the political spectrum, considered more moderate than the Democratic Unionist Party. |
| Scottish Green Party Scottish Green Party The Scottish Green Party is a green party in Scotland. It has two MSPs in the devolved Scottish Parliament, Alison Johnstone, representing Lothian, and Patrick Harvie, for Glasgow.-Organisation:... |
0 | 2 | N/A | N/A | 0 | Generally Social Democratic, environmentalist party in favour of Scottish independence Scottish independence Scottish independence is a political ambition of political parties, advocacy groups and individuals for Scotland to secede from the United Kingdom and become an independent sovereign state, separate from England, Wales and Northern Ireland.... . |
| Green Party in Northern Ireland Green Party in Northern Ireland The Green Party in Northern Ireland is the Northern Ireland subdivision of the Irish Green Party, based on the principles of Green politics. It works in co-operation with Green parties across Europe, and was formerly a party in its own right... |
0 | N/A | N/A | 1 | 0 | Social Democratic, environmentalist party in Northern Ireland. |
| Traditional Unionist Voice Traditional Unionist Voice Traditional Unionist Voice is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland founded on 7 December 2007, as an anti-St Andrews Agreement splinter group from the Democratic Unionist Party . Its first and current leader is Jim Allister who, until 2009, sat as an independent Member of the European... |
0 | N/A | N/A | 1 | 0 | Conservative unionist party in Northern Ireland, opposed to the St Andrews Agreement St Andrews Agreement The St Andrews Agreement was an agreement between the British and Irish Governments and the political parties in relation to the devolution of power to Northern Ireland... . |
| UK Independence Party | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | Eurosceptic Euroscepticism Euroscepticism is a general term used to describe criticism of the European Union , and opposition to the process of European integration, existing throughout the political spectrum. Traditionally, the main source of euroscepticism has been the notion that integration weakens the nation state... , Libertarian Libertarianism Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view... conservative and populist party which favours withdrawal from the European Union European Union The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958... , small government Small government A Small government is one which minimizes its own activities. It is a concept important to classical liberalism and libertarianism.-In Hong Kong:... and economic liberalism Economic liberalism Economic liberalism is the ideological belief in giving all people economic freedom, and as such granting people with more basis to control their own lives and make their own mistakes. It is an economic philosophy that supports and promotes individual liberty and choice in economic matters and... . |
| British National Party British National Party The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Nationalist, far right Far right Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are... , party who support withdrawal from the European Union, halting immigration and Third position Third Position Third Position is a revolutionary nationalist political ideology that emphasizes its opposition to both communism and capitalism. Advocates of Third Position politics typically present themselves as "beyond left and right", instead claiming to syncretize radical ideas from both ends of the... economics. |
†Sinn Féin MPs do not take their seats as they choose not to swear allegiance to the crown.
Minor parties in the United Kingdom
- Animals CountAnimals CountAnimals Count is a minor political party in the United Kingdom campaigning on animal rights, founded in December 2006 by Dutch national Jasmijn de Boo of Kennington, London and Shaun Rutherford of Milford Haven, Wales...
- CLEAR UK (Cannabis Law Reform)CLEAR campaignCannabis Law Reform is a United Kingdom political party which campaigns against cannabis prohibition...
Seeks to end the prohibition of cannabis in the UK. - Jury Team (a "non-party party": an umbrella organisation for IndependentIndependent (politician)In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
candidates) - Liberal Party, Former members of the historic Liberal PartyLiberal Party (UK)The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
who refounded themselves as the Liberals when they felt that the old party had been lost in the merger with the Social Democratic PartySocial Democratic Party (UK)The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...
. Has around 30 district, borough, city and county councillors. - Libertarian Party. Party dedicated to free-market economics and classical liberalism. Has one councillor in Clevedon, North Somerset region.
- National Liberal Party - The Third WayThird Way (UK)The National Liberal Party – The Third Way is a United Kingdom political party that was formed on 17 March 1990 as The Third Way. In 2006, the Third Way registered the name National Liberal Party – The Third Way with the Electoral Commission....
, promotes decentralist politics and co-operative economics. - The New Party (UK)The New Party (UK)The New Party is a neoliberal political party in the United Kingdom. The party describes itself as "a party of economic liberalism, political reform and internationalism"...
- previously stood under the name of the People's Alliance. - No Candidate Deserves My Vote! Single issue party dedicated to putting a "None of the aboveNone of the aboveNone of the Above or against all is a ballot option in some jurisdictions or organizations, designed to allow the voter to indicate disapproval of all of the candidates in a voting system...
" option on every ballot paper of the future. - Peace Party (UK)
- Pirate Party of the United Kingdom
- Popular AlliancePopular Alliance (UK)The Popular Alliance is a political party in the United Kingdom. It was formed in March 2006 by former members of other smaller political parties who were disillusioned with events and registered with the Electoral Commission on 3 March of that year...
. Campaigning for national referendumReferendumA referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
s on important issues, split from VeritasVeritas (political party)Veritas is a political party in the United Kingdom, formed in February 2005 at Hinckley golf club by politician-celebrity Robert Kilroy-Silk following a split from the United Kingdom Independence Party . Kilroy-Silk served as party leader from formation, through the 2005 General Election, until...
and United Kingdom Independence PartyUnited Kingdom Independence PartyThe United Kingdom Independence Party is a eurosceptic and right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. Whilst its primary goal is the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, the party has expanded beyond its single-issue image to develop a more comprehensive party platform.UKIP...
. - RAW UK. An independent party who is trying to instil a 'Social Consciousness' once again into the UK population.
- Respect Party. Left-wing party active in England and Wales founded by George Galloway; concentrates on an anti-war platform.
- Science PartyScience PartyThe Science Party is a UK political party that was launched on April 20, 2010 by Michael Brooks, a science author, consultant to the New Scientist magazine and regular contributor to BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, and Sumit Paul-Choudhury, an editor of New Scientist.A key goal in the Science Party...
. Launched in April 2010, with initial press support from Newscientist.com. Campaigning for increased importance and use of Science in Politics. - Social Democratic PartySocial Democratic Party (UK, 1990)The Social Democratic Party is a small political party in the United Kingdom. It traces its origin to the Social Democratic Party that was formed in 1981 by a group of dissident Labour Party politicians, all Members of Parliament or former MPs: Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley...
. The remnants of the Social Democratic PartySocial Democratic Party (UK, 1988)A Social Democratic Party was formed in the United Kingdom in 1981 by a group of dissident Labour Party Members of Parliament : Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams, who became known as the "Gang of Four"....
that did not dissolve in 1990. Has several councillors in the East Riding of Yorkshire and Neath Port Talbot. Held mayoralty of Bridlington in 2007. - Veritas Party
Electoral coalitions
- Trade Unionist and Socialist CoalitionTrade Unionist and Socialist CoalitionTrade Unionist and Socialist Coalition is a socialist electoral alliance launched in Britain for the 2010 General Election.The coalition was negotiated between groups which had taken part in the No2EU coalition that fought the June 2009 European elections...
, an electoral coalition formed for the 2010 general election by trade unionists and far left political parties.
Minor English parties
- Boston Bypass IndependentsBoston Bypass IndependentsThe Boston Bypass Independents were elected to Boston Borough Council at the 2007 local elections. The party campaigned on a wide range of issues but principally on the more vigorous promotion of a bypass for the town of Boston, Lincolnshire....
. Single issue party that took overall control of Boston Borough CouncilBoston (borough)Boston is a local government district with borough status in Lincolnshire, England. Its council is based in the town of Boston. It lies around N53°0'0" W0°0'0"....
in the 2007 May elections. - Community (London Borough of Hounslow). A local party in the London Borough of HounslowLondon Borough of Hounslow-Political composition:Since the borough was formed it has been controlled by the Labour Party on all but two occasions. In 1968 the Conservatives formed a majority for the first and last time to date until they lost control to Labour in 1971. Labour subsequently lost control of the council in the...
. Lost all its Councillors in the 2010 Local Elections. - Community Action PartyCommunity Action PartyThe Community Action Party is a minor political party in the United Kingdom, mostly active in Greater Manchester and Merseyside. It advocates free health care and education provision, a managed public transport infrastructure free to all at the point of use and a moratorium on the use of green belt...
. Local centre-left party active in WiganWiganWigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
(formerly the second biggest party on Wigan Metropolitan Borough CouncilMetropolitan Borough of WiganThe Metropolitan Borough of Wigan is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in North West England. It is named after its largest component town, Wigan and also includes the towns of Leigh, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Ince-in-Makerfield, and Hindley. The borough was formed in 1974 and is an...
) and in parts of CheshireCheshireCheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
. - Community GroupCommunity GroupCommunity Group are a British political party in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, founded in 2001. The Community Group has four councillors serving on Doncaster Metropolitan Borough council....
. Local party in DoncasterDoncasterDoncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
with four Metropolitan Borough of DoncasterMetropolitan Borough of DoncasterThe Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster is a metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire in Yorkshire and the Humber Region of England.In addition to the town of Doncaster, the borough covers Mexborough, Conisbrough, Thorne and Finningley....
councillors. - Derwentside IndependentsDerwentside IndependentsDerwentside Independents are a political party in the United Kingdom registered in 2001. They contest elections in County Durham.The party has 10 councillors on the unitary Durham County Council. The party is one of two groups of independents on the county council, and forms part of the opposition...
. Local party with 10 councillors on Durham County Council. - Devizes GuardiansDevizes GuardiansThe Devizes Guardians are a local political party based in Devizes, Wiltshire. The party was formed in 2001 and has been successful in winning seats on Kennet District Council and Wiltshire Council.It is sometimes called the "local conservation party"....
. Local partyLocalism (politics)Localism describes a range of political philosophies which prioritize the local. Generally, localism supports local production and consumption of goods, local control of government, and promotion of local history, local culture and local identity...
based in DevizesDevizesDevizes is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. The town is about southeast of Chippenham and about east of Trowbridge.Devizes serves as a centre for banks, solicitors and shops, with a large open market place where a market is held once a week...
, WiltshireWiltshireWiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, which has held three seats on the Wiltshire CouncilWiltshire CouncilWiltshire Council is the unitary authority for most of the county of Wiltshire, in the West of England, the successor authority to Wiltshire County Council and to four districts—Kennet, North Wiltshire, Salisbury, and West Wiltshire—all of which had been created in 1973 and were...
unitary authority since June 2009 and which previously held seats on the former Kennet District Council. - English Democrats PartyEnglish Democrats PartyThe English Democrats are an English federalist political party, committed to the formation of a devolved English Parliament with at least the same powers as those granted to the Scottish Parliament. Whilst not supporting English Independence, the English Democrats consider themselves the English...
. Party campaigning for self-government for EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and in favour of English independenceEnglish independenceEnglish independence is a political ideal advocated by some English people that England, the largest and most populous country within the United Kingdom, should secede from the UK and become an independent sovereign state, separate from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland...
. - Idle ToadIdle ToadThe Idle Toad is a registered English political party, fighting elections in the South Ribble district of Lancashire, England.The party originated in 1997, when Labour Party councillor Tom Sharratt was deselected...
. An "independents" party holding district and county council seats in LancashireLancashireLancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. - Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health ConcernIndependent Kidderminster Hospital and Health ConcernIndependent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern is a political party based in Kidderminster, United Kingdom...
. Local party based in Kidderminster; Original aim was to restore the casualty unit at Kidderminster Hospital, and the National Health Service is still its primary focus, but the party has since diversified. - Mebyon KernowMebyon KernowMebyon Kernow is a left-of-centre political party in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It primarily campaigns for devolution to Cornwall in the form of a Cornish Assembly, as well as social democracy and environmental protection.MK was formed as a pressure group in 1951, and contained as members activists...
. Cornish nationalist party campaigning for Cornish self-government; has a number of local councillors in Cornwall. - Middlewich FirstMiddlewich FirstMiddlewich First is a minor British political party based in the town of Middlewich, Cheshire. It holds three seats on the unitary Cheshire East Council....
. A local party which holds three seats on East Cheshire Unitary AuthorityCheshire EastCheshire East is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England.The borough was established in April 2009 as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England, by virtue of an order under the Local Government and Public Involvement in...
, six seats on Congleton Borough CouncilCongleton (borough)Congleton was, from 1974 to 2009, a local government district with borough status in Cheshire, England. It included the towns of Congleton, Alsager, Holmes Chapel, Middlewich and Sandbach...
and seats on MiddlewichMiddlewichMiddlewich is a market town in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is east of the city of Chester, east of Winsford, southeast of Northwich and northwest of Sandbach....
Town Council. - Morecambe Bay IndependentsMorecambe Bay IndependentsThe Morecambe Bay Independents are a minor political party in Morecambe, Lancashire. The group ran Lancaster City Council from 1999 to 2003, and successfully campaigned in 2005 for the creation of Morecambe Town Council....
. Local party active in the MorecambeMorecambeMorecambe is a resort town and civil parish within the City of Lancaster in Lancashire, England. As of 2001 it has a resident population of 38,917. It faces into Morecambe Bay...
and HeyshamHeyshamHeysham is a large coastal village near Lancaster in the county of Lancashire, England. Overlooking Morecambe Bay, it is a ferry port with services to the Isle of Man and Ireland. Heysham is the site of two nuclear power stations which are landmarks visible from hills in the surrounding area...
wards of City of LancasterCity of LancasterThe City of Lancaster , is a local government district of Lancashire, England, with the status of a city and non-metropolitan district. It is named after its largest settlement, Lancaster, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Morecambe, Heysham, and Carnforth, as well as...
. Currently joint second largest with 12 councillors, and in an all party coalition. - Newcastle upon Tyne Community First Party. A Local party registered with the Electoral Commission in February 2011 and active in Newcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
. - Residents Associations of Epsom and Ewell. Local party who run the borough council in Epsom and EwellEpsom and EwellEpsom and Ewell is a local government district with borough status in Surrey, England, covering the town of Epsom and the village of Ewell. The borough was formed as an urban district in 1894, and was known as Epsom until 1934. It was made a municipal borough in 1937...
. - Royalist Party UK. A pro-monarchistMonarchismMonarchism is the advocacy of the establishment, preservation, or restoration of a monarchy as a form of government in a nation. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government out of principle, independent from the person, the Monarch.In this system, the Monarch may be the...
group established in 2010, currently registering for official party status. - Wessex Regionalist PartyWessex Regionalist PartyThe Wessex Regionalist Party is a minor political party in the United Kingdom, that seeks a degree of legislative and administrative home rule for Wessex, an area in the south and south-west of England, loosely based on the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of that name...
. Seeking devolution for WessexWessexThe Kingdom of Wessex or Kingdom of the West Saxons was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons, in South West England, from the 6th century, until the emergence of a united English state in the 10th century, under the Wessex dynasty. It was to be an earldom after Canute the Great's conquest...
Minor Scottish parties
- Borders PartyBorders PartyThe Borders party is a political party involved in Local Government in Scotland.The Party was founded in 2006 and is based in the Scottish Borders, and is concerned with improving the quality of life and welfare of those living and working in the area. Candidates from the party are fielded only in...
Party exclusively supporting the interest of the Scottish BordersScottish BordersThe Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
. - Communist Party of ScotlandCommunist Party of ScotlandThe Communist Party of Scotland , also known as Pàrtaidh Co-Mhaoineach na h-Alba, was established in 1991 when the Communist Party of Great Britain was disbanded and re-formed as the Democratic Left think-tank. Many Communists in Scotland disagreed with this decision and instead set up the CPS,...
Scotland's leading Communist party. - East Dunbartonshire Independent AllianceEast Dunbartonshire Independent AllianceThe East Dunbartonshire Independent Alliance is a minor political party operating in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. They presently have two councillors on East Dunbartonshire Council: Charles Kennedy who is one of three councillors representing Campsie and Kirkintilloch North, and Jack Young who...
Created by ex-Labour Party councillors. - East Kilbride AllianceEast Kilbride AllianceThe East Kilbride Alliance is a political party operating in the town of East Kilbride, Scotland. It was formed in late 2006 with the intention of contesting the local government election for the South Lanarkshire Council in the town of East Kilbride.The party's origins can be traced to a number...
, a local party from the region. - Free Scotland PartyFree Scotland PartyThe Free Scotland Party is a minor political party in Scotland that stands for an independent Scotland, independent of both the United Kingdom and the European Union....
, in favour of Scottish independenceScottish independenceScottish independence is a political ambition of political parties, advocacy groups and individuals for Scotland to secede from the United Kingdom and become an independent sovereign state, separate from England, Wales and Northern Ireland....
outside the European UnionEuropean UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. - Independent Green VoiceIndependent Green VoiceIndependent Green Voice is a minor environmentalist political party in Scotland. First registered with the Electoral Commission in 2003, it is led by Alistair McConnachie....
- Alistair McConnachie, ex-UKIP member with far-right connections party. - Left AllianceLeft Alliance (Scotland)The Left Alliance are a small political group in Fife, Scotland.They currently have two seats on Fife Council, out of a total of 78 councillors. They are William L. Clarke, who represents Ballingry and Lochore, and Alexander Maxwell, who represents Cowdenbeath Central...
, a party with council seats in FifeFifeFife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, Scotland. - Scotland Against Crooked LawyersScotland Against Crooked LawyersScotland Against Crooked Lawyers is a pressure group, registered as a political party, dedicated to exposing alleged corruption within the Scottish legal profession, Court System and the Scottish Government. Their stated main aim is to end the system of self-regulation for solicitors in Scotland...
, a party that looks to strictly regulate legal practitioners. - Scottish Christian PartyScottish Christian PartyThe Christian Party, also called the Scottish Christian Party and Welsh Christian Party, is a minor political organisation in Great Britain. Its leader is the Reverend George Hargreaves.-Operation Christian Vote:...
- the successor to Operation Christian Vote. - Scottish Pensioners Party, a party that focuses on aiding pensioners in Scotland.
- Scottish ProgressivesScottish ProgressivesThe Scottish Progressive Party is a centre-right political party active in Scotland. It is registered in the UK with the Electoral Commission under the name of 'The Progressive Party' and holds to the values of the Scottish Enlightenment.The party should not be confused with the former...
, in the tradition of the former ProgressivesProgressives (Scotland)The Progressive Party was the name of a defunct municipal political organisation that operated in several Scottish cities and towns in the 20th century but based around tacit anti-Labour co-operation between the Unionist Party, Scottish Liberals and Independents.National political parties were...
. - Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party, a party that focuses on aiding pensioners in Scotland.
- Scottish Socialist PartyScottish Socialist PartyThe Scottish Socialist Party is a left-wing Scottish political party. Positioning itself significantly to the left of Scotland's centre-left parties, the SSP campaigns on a socialist economic platform and for Scottish independence....
, far left party, which campaigns for a Scottish socialist republic. - Scottish VoiceScottish VoiceA new centre-right political party, provisionally named the Scottish Democrats or Scottish Voice, was launched in Scotland in February 2007. The founder of the party is wealthy businessman and landowner Archie Stirling...
, a centre-right party formed from ex-Conservatives. - SolidaritySolidarity (Scotland)Solidarity is a political party in Scotland, launched on September 3, 2006 as a breakaway from the Scottish Socialist Party in the aftermath of Tommy Sheridan's libel action...
, a socialist party created by ex SSP leader Tommy Sheridan.
Minor Welsh parties
- Communist Party of WalesCommunist Party of WalesThe Welsh Communist Party, is part of the Communist Party of Britain. The leader of the Communist Party of Britain, Robert Griffiths, is Welsh.-Activities:...
- also known as the Welsh Communist Party - Cymru AnnibynnolCymru AnnibynnolCymru Annibynnol, the Independent Wales Party is a small political party operating in Wales. They were formed as a splinter from Plaid Cymru in January 2000, when that party's leader Ieuan Wyn Jones distanced Plaid from supporting Welsh independence....
, in favour of Welsh independenceWelsh independenceWelsh independence is a political ideal advocated by some people in Wales that would see Wales secede from the United Kingdom and become an independent sovereign state. This ideology is promoted mainly by the Welsh nationalist party, Plaid Cymru.-History:... - Cymru RyddCymru RyddCymru Rydd are a minor political party in Wales. Their translated English title is "Free Wales". As of 2006 they have had no known electoral success.The party have been registered with the Electoral Commission since September 28, 2000...
- Welsh republican party - Llais GwyneddLlais Gwynedd' or Voice of Gwynedd is a small regionalist political party based in Gwynedd in North Wales. The party formed following the Plaid Cymru executive's proposal to more than halve the number of primary schools in Gwynedd by closing rural schools, many of the members being former members of Plaid...
- Gwynedd Regionalist party - Socialist Party WalesSocialist Party WalesThe Socialist Party Wales or Plaid Sosialaidd Cymru is the Welsh regional organisation of the Socialist Party of England and Wales, a section of the CWI.The SPW is a Trotskyist organisation that previously organised under the name Militant Tendency....
- Wales Green PartyWales Green PartyThe Wales Green Party is a semi-autonomous political party within the Green Party of England and Wales . It covers Wales, and is the only regional party with autonomous status within the GPEW....
- Welsh Christian Party - again the successor to Operation Christian Vote
Minor Northern Irish parties
- Fianna FáilFianna FáilFianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
(registered in NI since 10 December 2007) - Labour Party of Northern IrelandLabour Party of Northern IrelandThe Labour Party of Northern Ireland is a political party in Northern Ireland, formed in 1985 by a group around Paddy Devlin, a former Social Democratic and Labour Party councillor and Northern Ireland Assembly member, and Billy Blease, a member of the British House of Lords.-Progress:In 1987, the...
- Republican Sinn FéinRepublican Sinn FéinRepublican Sinn Féin or RSF is an unregisteredAlthough an active movement, RSF is not registered as a political party in either Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland. minor political party operating in Ireland. It emerged in 1986 as a result of a split in Sinn Féin...
- People Before Profit AlliancePeople Before Profit AllianceThe People Before Profit Alliance is an Irish political party formed in October 2005. It is active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.-Overview:It was established by the Socialist Workers Party...
- Socialist Party (Ireland)Socialist Party (Ireland)The Socialist Party is a socialist political party active in Ireland. It is a member of the Committee for a Workers' International .Formerly known as Militant Tendency, then Militant Labour, it adopted the name The Socialist Party in 1996. From their foundation in 1972 until the 1980s, members of...
- Traditional Unionist VoiceTraditional Unionist VoiceTraditional Unionist Voice is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland founded on 7 December 2007, as an anti-St Andrews Agreement splinter group from the Democratic Unionist Party . Its first and current leader is Jim Allister who, until 2009, sat as an independent Member of the European...
- Workers' Party of IrelandWorkers' Party of IrelandThe Workers' Party is a left-wing republican political party in Ireland. Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970 after a split within the party, adopting its current name in 1982....
, evolved from Official Sinn Féin
Minor far-left parties
- Alliance for Green SocialismAlliance for Green SocialismThe Alliance for Green Socialism is a socialist and environmentalist political grouping operating across Britain...
- Alliance for Workers' LibertyAlliance for Workers' LibertyThe Alliance for Workers' Liberty , also known as Workers' Liberty, is a Trotskyist group in Britain. The group has a complex history but has always been identified with the theorist Sean Matgamna...
, stand as Socialist Unity in elections - Communist Party of BritainCommunist Party of BritainThe Communist Party of Britain is a communist political party in Great Britain. Although founded in 1988 it traces its origins back to 1920 and the Communist Party of Great Britain, and claims the legacy of that party and its most influential members Harry Pollitt and John Gollan as its...
- Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist)Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist)The Communist Party of Britain is a British communist political party. The small party was formed in 1968 by Reg Birch as a split from the Communist Party of Great Britain, siding with the Communist Party of China...
- Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist)Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist)The Communist Party of Great Britain is a British communist party which has a close relationship with the Workers' Party of Korea.-History:The party was founded on July 3, 2004 in London...
- Communist Party of Great Britain (Provisional Central Committee)Communist Party of Great Britain (Provisional Central Committee)The Communist Party of Great Britain is a political group which publishes the Weekly Worker newspaper. The party favours the creation of a unified "Communist Party of the European Union"...
- Democratic Labour PartyDemocratic Labour Party (UK)The Democratic Labour Party is a small British left-wing political party in Walsall, sometimes known as the Walsall Democratic Labour Party...
, party based in WalsallWalsallWalsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation and part of the Black Country.Walsall is the administrative...
, split off from local Labour Party in 1996 - Democratic Socialist AllianceDemocratic Socialist AllianceThe Democratic Socialist Alliance is a left-wing political organisation in the UK.The DSA name was adopted for public political work, in June 2005, by a group of members of the Socialist Alliance Democracy Platform who declared an intention to continue the SADP against what the DSA claims was a...
- Independent Working Class AssociationIndependent Working Class AssociationThe Independent Working Class Association is a minor working-class political party in the United Kingdom that aims to promote the political and economic interests of the working class, regardless of the consequences to existing political and economic structures...
, has councillors on OxfordOxfordThe city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
City Council - International Socialist GroupInternational Socialist GroupThe International Socialist Group was a Trotskyist organisation in Britain. It was the British section of the Fourth International until July 2009 when it dissolved into Socialist Resistance.- Origin :...
- Left ListLeft ListLeft Alternative was a UK political party resulting from the split within Respect – The Unity Coalition in late 2007. It operated in England and Wales. It was backed by the Socialist Workers Party...
- split from Respect - Unity Coalition - New Communist Party of BritainNew Communist Party of BritainThe New Communist Party of Britain is a communist political party in Britain. The origins of the NCP lie in the Communist Party of Great Britain from which it split in 1977.-Formation:...
- Peace and Progress PartyPeace and Progress PartyThe Peace and Progress Party is a British political party founded by Vanessa and Corin Redgrave to campaign for human rights. Combining the Redgraves, formerly leading figures in the Workers' Revolutionary Party and the Marxist Party, with others from the media and legal fields, the party campaigns...
- Permanent Revolution (UK)Permanent Revolution (UK)Permanent Revolution is a Trotskyist group formed by people expelled from the League for the Fifth International in 2006. It takes its name from Leon Trotsky's theory of permanent revolution.-History:...
- People's Party, was the People's Labour Party that split off from the local Labour Party in the Furness region.
- People Social Freedom Movement, is a new Revised Socialism, that opposes Marxism, Bolshevism, Capitalism and Zionism. It supports the Green Economy and a National Living Wage with the goal to destroy the class System in reality. It supports limited private sector involvement in a form of Socialist 'Mixed Market' Green Economics.
- Red PartyRed Party (UK)Red Star is a revolutionary socialist organisation in Britain formed by former members of the Communist Party of Great Britain , the Alliance for Workers' Liberty, and the Peace Party...
- Revolutionary Communist Group
- Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist)Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist)The Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain is a British communist political party. It was originally named the Communist Party of England , until it was reorganised after rejecting Maoism. The party's thinking is based on the politics of Hardial Bains, who died in 1997...
- Socialist AppealSocialist AppealSocialist Appeal is the publication of a British Trotskyist organisation operating within the Labour Party which was founded by Ted Grant and Alan Woods after they were expelled from the Militant tendency. The organisation is popularly known as the Socialist Appeal group, and publishes a monthly...
- Socialist Equality PartySocialist Equality Party (UK)The Socialist Equality Party is a Trotskyist group in Britain. It is part of the International Committee of the Fourth International, which publishes the World Socialist Web Site. The party's origins lie in the Workers Revolutionary Party until the majority of that party split from the ICFI in...
- Socialist Labour PartySocialist Labour Party (UK)The Socialist Labour Party is a far left socialist political party in the United Kingdom. The party is led by former trade union leader Arthur Scargill, who established it in 1996 as a breakaway from the Labour Party...
- Socialist Party (England and Wales)Socialist Party (England and Wales)The Socialist Party is a Trotskyist party active in England and Wales.It publishes the weekly newspaper The Socialist and the monthly magazine Socialism Today...
stands as Socialist Alternative in elections - Socialist Party of Great BritainSocialist Party of Great BritainThe Socialist Party of Great Britain , is a small Marxist political party within the impossibilist tradition. It is best known for its advocacy of using the ballot box for revolutionary purposes; opposition to reformism; and its early adoption of the theory of state capitalism to describe the...
- Socialist ResistanceSocialist ResistanceSocialist Resistance is a Trotskyist and ecosocialist organisation in Britain which publishes a Marxist periodical of the same name. In July 2009 the International Socialist Group merged into it, making SR the British Section of the Fourth International.-Origins:It was launched on 8 September...
- Socialist Workers PartySocialist Workers Party (Britain)The Socialist Workers Party is a far left party in Britain founded by Tony Cliff. The SWP's student section has groups at a number of universities...
, the party currently forms part of Left Alternative. - Spartacist League of BritainSpartacist League of BritainThe Spartacist League of Britain is a Trotskyist political party in Britain. It is the British section of the International Communist League ....
- Workers Power
- Workers' Revolutionary PartyWorkers' Revolutionary Party (UK)The Workers Revolutionary Party is a minute Trotskyist group in Britain. In the mid-1980s, it split several ways.-The Club:The WRP grew out of the faction Gerry Healy and John Lawrence led in the Revolutionary Communist Party which urged that the RCP enter the Labour Party. This policy was also...
Minor far-right parties
- British Peoples Party
- British First PartyNovember 9th SocietyThe British First Party is a British neo-Nazi group, formed in 1977 by Terry Flynn.-History:...
- England First PartyEngland First PartyThe England First Party is a minor English nationalist political party. It had two councillors on Blackburn with Darwen council between 2006 and 2007.-Formation and policies:...
- National Front
- Nationalist AllianceNationalist AllianceThe Nationalist Alliance is a far right movement in British politics, that aims to serve as an umbrella group for the various White nationalist groups in Britain...
(2005–, deregistered in 2008, but website still active) - British National Socialist MovementNational Socialist Movement (United Kingdom)The National Socialist Movement was a British neo-Nazi group active during the late 1990s. The group is not connected to the earlier National Socialist Movement of Colin Jordan.-Origins:...
Minor religious parties
- Christian Peoples AllianceChristian Peoples AllianceThe Christian Peoples Alliance is a Christian democratic political party in the United Kingdom. Founded in its present form in 1999; it grew out of a cross-party advocacy group known as the Movement for Christian Democracy. The party is active throughout England and has fledgling groups specific...
- The Common Good
- Operation Christian Vote - The Reverend George Hargreaves and David Braid. Now the Christian Party (aka Scottish Christian Party and Welsh Christian Party)
- Christian Democratic Party (UK)Christian Democratic PartyChristian democratic parties are those political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social teaching, and it continues to be influential in Europe and...
Joke parties
- See Joke political parties in the United Kingdom
- Church of the Militant Elvis (2001–)
- Death, Dungeons and Taxes PartyDeath, Dungeons and Taxes PartyThe Death, Dungeons and Taxes Party is a satirical British political party. It fielded candidates in two constituencies in the United Kingdom general election, 2005. They were Brett Harris in Edinburgh East, and Damien Fleck in the City of York. Neither candidate won their election...
- Fancy Dress PartyFancy Dress PartyThe Fancy Dress Party is a political party in England. They were formed in 1979 as a frivolous alternative to the mainstream electoral parties, and can be seen as a forerunner of the more prominent Official Monster Raving Loony Party...
- Official Monster Raving Loony PartyOfficial Monster Raving Loony PartyThe Official Monster Raving Loony Party is a registered political party established in the United Kingdom in 1983 by musician and politician David Sutch , better known as Screaming Lord Sutch.-History:...
, the most well-known joke party, who have run AshburtonAshburton, DevonAshburton is a small town on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon, adjacent to the A38 Devon Expressway.It was formerly important as a stannary town , and remains the largest town within the National Park, with a population of around 3,500...
town councilTown councilA town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or civil parishes. A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch....
(in DevonDevonDevon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
) in the past
Defunct and historical parties in the United Kingdom
- Campaign for Social DemocracyCampaign for Social DemocracyThe Campaign for Social Democracy was a minor political party operating in the United Kingdom in the 1970s.They were formed in September, 1973 by Dick Taverne, who had resigned from the Labour Party, after falling out with his Constituency Labour Party over the European Economic Community.He had...
(1973–1974) - Countryside PartyCountryside Party (UK)The Countryside Party was a minor political party operating in the United Kingdom. It was formed in May 2000 by Jim Crawford who was the Northern Director of the Countryside Alliance...
(2000–2008) - Democratic LabourDemocratic LabourThis party is not to be confused with any of the other Democratic Labour partiesDemocratic Labour was a minor political party operating in the United Kingdom in the 1970s. They were formed by the Labour MP, Dick Taverne when his Constituency Labour Party asked him to stand down as their candidate...
(1972–1979) - Democratic PartyDemocratic Party (UK, 1998)The Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom, founded in November 1998 by Malvern businessman Geoff Southall, who also funded the party. It was described as "right wing" or "hard right" in news reports, but claimed to occupy the centre-ground of British politics...
(1998–2010) - Green Party (UK)Green Party (UK)The Green Party was a Green political party in the United Kingdom. It has been succeeded by three political parties:* the Green Party of England and Wales* the Green Party in Northern Ireland* the Scottish Green Party- PEOPLE, 1973–1975 :...
, formed as PEOPLE, or the Ecology Party, in 1973 and succeeded in 1990 by the Green Party of England and WalesGreen Party of England and WalesThe Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
, the Green Party in Northern IrelandGreen Party in Northern IrelandThe Green Party in Northern Ireland is the Northern Ireland subdivision of the Irish Green Party, based on the principles of Green politics. It works in co-operation with Green parties across Europe, and was formerly a party in its own right...
and the Scottish Green PartyScottish Green PartyThe Scottish Green Party is a green party in Scotland. It has two MSPs in the devolved Scottish Parliament, Alison Johnstone, representing Lothian, and Patrick Harvie, for Glasgow.-Organisation:... - Fellowship PartyFellowship PartyThe Fellowship Party was the oldest environmentalist political party in England. It opposed nuclear power and all weapons. Its national petition against nuclear weapons tests led to the forming of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament....
(1955–2007). Environmentalist, pacifist and socialist party. - Islamic Party of BritainIslamic Party of BritainThe Islamic Party of Britain is a defunct political party in the United Kingdom that was active from its formation in 1989 until 2006. The IPB was Islamist, opposed to both capitalism and communism. David Musa Pidcock, a convert to Islam, founded and led the party.They had limited electoral success...
(1989–2006) - Legalise Cannabis Alliance (1999–2006). Party campaigning for the legalisation of cannabis, deregistered and became a pressure group in 2006.
- Liberal PartyLiberal Party (UK)The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
(1839–1988) - Liberal Unionist PartyLiberal Unionist PartyThe Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington and Joseph Chamberlain, the party formed a political alliance with the Conservative Party in opposition to Irish Home Rule...
(1886–1912) - Make Politicians History (2005–2009)
- Men's Representative Party (2006–2008)
- Miss Great Britain PartyMiss Great Britain PartyThe Miss Great Britain Party is a political party in the United Kingdom founded in 2008, whose candidates are mostly women who have entered the Miss Great Britain beauty contest. The party claims that the main purpose of the party is, "To make Westminster sexy not sleazy"...
(2008–2009) - National Democratic and Labour PartyNational Democratic and Labour PartyThe National Democratic and Labour Party, usually abbreviated to National Democratic Party , was a political party in the United Kingdom....
(1918–1923) - National Liberal PartyNational Liberal Party (UK, 1922)The National Liberal Party was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1922 to 1923. It was led by David Lloyd George and was, at the time, separate to the original Liberal Party.-History:...
(1922–1923) - National Liberal PartyNational Liberal Party (UK, 1931)The National Liberal Party, known until 1948 as the Liberal National Party, was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1931 to 1968...
(1931–1968) - National Socialist PartyNational Socialist Party (UK)The National Socialist Party was a small political party in the United Kingdom, founded in 1916. It originated as a minority group within the British Socialist Party who supported British participation in World War I; while historically linked with the Marxist left, the party grew more moderate...
(1916–1919) - Natural Law PartyNatural Law PartyThe Natural Law Party was a transnational party based on the teachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. It was active in up to 74 countries, and ran candidates in at least ten. Founded in 1992, it was mostly disbanded in 2004 but continues in India and in some U.S. states.The NLP viewed "natural law" as...
(1992–2004) - New PartyNew Party (Oswald Mosley)The New Party was a political party briefly active in the United Kingdom in the early 1930s. It was formed by Sir Oswald Mosley, an MP who had belonged to both the Conservative and Labour parties, quitting Labour after its 1930 conference narrowly rejected his "Mosley Memorandum", a document he...
(1931–1932) - No2EU:Yes to Democracy, a left-wing, Eurosceptic electoral alliance that stood in the 2009 European elections, succeeded by the Trade Unionist and Socialist CoalitionTrade Unionist and Socialist CoalitionTrade Unionist and Socialist Coalition is a socialist electoral alliance launched in Britain for the 2010 General Election.The coalition was negotiated between groups which had taken part in the No2EU coalition that fought the June 2009 European elections...
in 2010 - ProLife AllianceProLife AllianceProLife Alliance is an advocacy group in the United Kingdom, formed in October 1996. It is opposed to human cloning and abortion, opposes experiments on human embryos and also opposes any form of euthanasia. It supports anti-abortion taxation policies and guaranteed maternity and paternity leave...
. Still operating as a pressure group, ProLife deregistered as a political party in 2004. - Referendum PartyReferendum PartyThe Referendum Party was a Euro-sceptic, single issue party in the United Kingdom formed by Sir James Goldsmith to fight the 1997 General Election. The party called for a referendum on aspects of the UK's relationship with the European Union.-Policy:...
(1997 electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1997The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
) - Social Credit Party of Great Britain and Northern IrelandSocial Credit Party of Great Britain and Northern IrelandThe Social Credit Party of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was a political party in the United Kingdom. It grew out of the Kibbo Kift, which was established in 1920 as a more craft-based alternative for youth to the Boy Scouts....
(1931–1951, 1965–1978) - Social Democratic PartySocial Democratic Party (UK)The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...
(1981–1990) - Trust PartyTrust (political party)Trust was a minor political party in the United Kingdom formed on 26 March 2010 by Stuart Wheeler in the wake of the Westminster expenses scandal...
(2010–2011) - Women's PartyWomen's Party (UK)The Women's Party was a minor political party in the United Kingdom. It was founded by Christabel and Emmeline Pankhurst when they dissolved the Women's Social and Political Union in November 1917....
(1917–1919) - Your Party (UK) (January 2004–April 2006). Founded by four dotcom entrepreneurs, this online party sought to canvass ideas from online "participants" before formulating a set of policies, a form of direct democracyDirect democracyDirect democracy is a form of government in which people vote on policy initiatives directly, as opposed to a representative democracy in which people vote for representatives who then vote on policy initiatives. Direct democracy is classically termed "pure democracy"...
. It contested two seats at the UK general election in 2005, then deregistered in April 2006.
Defunct English parties
- Corrective Party (1988–1990s) - the electoral vehicle for Lindi St ClairLindi St ClairLindi St Clair is an author, leader of the Corrective Party, and campaigner for prostitutes' rights.Formerly Britain's most famous 20th Century prostitute but now retired and confirmed as a Christian, St Clair achieved recognition when she accused the Inland Revenue in the High Court of England...
(aka Miss Whiplash) to campaign on the liberalisation of sex laws. - Free England PartyFree England PartyThe Free England Party was a centrist political party in the United Kingdom, which campaigned for English independence. Founded in 2008, and registered with the Electoral Commission in February of that year, it was at the time the largest English Civic Nationalist party in the United Kingdom...
(2008–2009) - Liverpool Protestant PartyLiverpool Protestant PartyThe Liverpool Protestant Party was a minor political party operating in the city of Liverpool in northwest England.-Origins and Context:...
- New England PartyNew England PartyThe New England Party was a political party in the United Kingdom, based in Dartford. According to its registration with the Electoral Commission, its leader, nominating officer, and treasurer was Michael Tibby while Sheila Tibby was its campaigns officer....
(2005–2007, merged with the English Democrats) - One LondonOne LondonOne London was a small British political party formed on September 1, 2005 by Damian Hockney and Peter Hulme-Cross. Both of them were originally elected to the London Assembly in June 2004 as United Kingdom Independence Party representatives, but in February 2005 announced the formation of the...
(November 2005–November 2008). A LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
political party formerly with two seats on the London AssemblyLondon AssemblyThe London Assembly is an elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds majority, to amend the mayor's annual budget. The assembly was established in 2000 and is headquartered at City Hall on the south...
, a split from UK Independence Party. - SOS! Voters Against Overdevelopment of Northampton (? - November 2009). The Save Our Soil party campaigned on planning issuesTown and country planning in the United KingdomTown and Country Planning is the land use planning system governments use to balance economic development and environmental quality. Each country of the United Kingdom has its own planning system that is responsible for town and country planning devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly, the...
in the NorthamptonNorthamptonNorthampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
area. - Vectis National PartyVectis National PartyThe Vectis National Party was a minor political party operating on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s. Formed in 1969, the party sought the same status for Wight as the Isle of Man has...
(1970s) - Isle of Wight regionalist party.
Defunct Scottish parties
- Fife Socialist LeagueFife Socialist LeagueThe Fife Socialist League was a left-wing political party founded in Fife, Scotland in 1953. Led by the miners' activist Lawrence Daly, they contested the West Fife constituency in the 1959 general election, polling 4,886 votes, more than the total received by the candidate of the Communist Party...
(1950s–1960s) - Fishing Party (Scotland)Fishing Party (Scotland)The Fishing Party was a political party in Scotland. Largely a single-issue party, their formation was prompted by those involved in the fishing industry angry at cuts in the amount of fish they were being allowed to catch as a result of the European Union Single Fisheries Policy...
(?–2003) - Highland Land LeagueHighland Land LeagueThe first Highland Land League emerged as a distinct political force in Scotland during the 1880s, with its power base in the country's Highlands and Islands. It was known also as the Highland Land Law Reform Association and the Crofters' Party...
(1909–1920s) - Highlands and Islands AllianceHighlands and Islands AllianceThe Highlands and Islands Alliance was formed to contest the first election to the Scottish Parliament....
- Labour Party of ScotlandLabour Party of ScotlandThe Labour Party of Scotland were a small political party active in Dundee, Scotland. They were formed as a left-wing breakaway from the Scottish National Party and contested the Dundee East by-election, 1973, where the number of votes they gathered, 1409 for their candidate George McLean, were...
- National Party of ScotlandNational Party of ScotlandThe National Party of Scotland was a political party in Scotland and a forerunner of the current Scottish National Party.The NPS was formed in 1928 after John MacCormick of the Glasgow University Scottish Nationalist Association called a meeting of all those favouring the establishment of a party...
(1928–1934) - Orkney and Shetland MovementOrkney and Shetland MovementThe Orkney and Shetland Movement was an electoral coalition formed for the 1987 general election. The pro-devolution Orkney Movement and Shetland Movement agreed on selecting John Goodlad, the secretary of the Shetland Fishermen's Association, as a joint candidate for the Orkney and Shetland...
- ProgressivesProgressives (Scotland)The Progressive Party was the name of a defunct municipal political organisation that operated in several Scottish cities and towns in the 20th century but based around tacit anti-Labour co-operation between the Unionist Party, Scottish Liberals and Independents.National political parties were...
(1920s–1970s) - Publican PartyPublican PartyThe Publican Party was a minor political party in Scotland. The party was founded in March 2005 in Inverness, Highland by two publicans, Kit Fraser and Don Lawson....
(2005–2007), campaigned against the smoking ban in pubs and bars. - Scottish Enterprise PartyScottish Enterprise PartyThe Scottish Enterprise Party was a Scottish centre-right party supportive of Scottish independence. It was formed in July 2004 to provide an alternative for centrist and right-of-centre voters who support independence....
(2004–2009), a centre-rightCentre-rightThe centre-right or center-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals, political parties, or organizations whose views stretch from the centre to the right on the left-right spectrum, excluding far right stances. Centre-right can also describe a coalition of centrist...
party in favour of Scottish independenceScottish independenceScottish independence is a political ambition of political parties, advocacy groups and individuals for Scotland to secede from the United Kingdom and become an independent sovereign state, separate from England, Wales and Northern Ireland.... - Scottish Independence Party
- Scottish Jacobite PartyScottish Jacobite PartyThe Scottish Jacobite Party is registered as a political party with the UK Electoral Commission.Formed on 8 July 2005, it favoured the establishment of an independent Scottish republic based on the concept of a "unifying political theory" that "the citizen is king"...
(July 2005–July 2007), a semi-serious independence party. - Scottish Labour Party (1888–1893)
- Scottish Labour Party (1976–1981)
- Scottish Militant LabourScottish Militant LabourScottish Militant Labour was a minor political party operating in Scotland in the 1990s and was part of the Committee for a Workers' International...
(1990s) - Scottish PartyScottish PartyThe Scottish Party was formed in 1930 by a group of members of the Unionist Party who favoured the establishment of a Dominion Scottish Parliament within the British Empire and Commonwealth...
(1932–1934) - Scottish Prohibition PartyScottish Prohibition PartyThe Scottish Prohibition Party was a minor Scottish political party which advocated alcohol prohibition.The party was founded in 1901. In its early years, Bob Stewart acted as the party's full-time organiser...
(1901–1935) - Scottish Republican Socialist PartyScottish Republican Socialist PartyThe Scottish Republican Socialist Party was a political party operating in Scotland. They were formed out of the Scottish Republican Socialist Clubs, formed in 1973 to introduce socialism to the Scottish National Party and grow support for Scottish independence amongst left-wingers who supported...
(1982–1998) - Scottish Separatist Group, party with former links to both the Scottish National Liberation ArmyScottish National Liberation ArmyThe Scottish National Liberation Army , sometimes dubbed the 'Tartan Terrorists', is a militant group, which aims to bring about Scottish independence from the United Kingdom. The SNLA has been proscribed by the British government...
and the Maoist International Movement - Scottish Socialist Alliance
- Scottish Socialist FederationScottish Socialist FederationThe Scottish Socialist Federation was a Scottish political party founded by supporters of the Social Democratic Federation in Edinburgh in December 1888....
- Scottish Socialist Party (1987–1990)
- Scottish Unionist Party (modern)Scottish Unionist Party (modern)The Scottish Unionist Party is a minor political party in Scotland. It is ideologically a Unionist party, supporting the continuation of Scotland as a part of the United Kingdom...
(1986–2009), campaigned to prevent the dissolution of the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Had strong links with the Orange Order. - Scottish Workers' Representation CommitteeScottish Workers' Representation CommitteeScottish Workers' Representation Committee was the parliamentary outfit of the Scottish Trades Union Congress 1899-1909. It was known as the Scottish Workers Parliamentary Elections Committee until 1903...
(1899–1909) - Scottish Workers Republican PartyScottish Workers Republican PartyThe Scottish Workers Republican Party was formed by the Scottish Marxist activist John Maclean in the 1910s. It advocated the political doctrine of communism, whilst also supporting Scottish independence...
- Unionist Party (1912–1965)
- Workers Party of ScotlandWorkers Party of ScotlandThe Workers Party of Scotland, also known as the Workers Party of Scotland was a small Marxist-Leninist political party based in Scotland. It was founded in 1967 and campaigned for Scottish independence. Many of its founder members had previously belonged to the Committee to Defeat Revisionism,...
Defunct Welsh parties
- Balchder CymruBalchder CymruBalchder Cymru is a Welsh political campaigning group first formed in 2000. It was led by Dennis Coslett as a figurehead. A meeting took place in Flintshire on 10 January 2004 between representatives of Balchder Cymru, Cymru 1400, Medi 16, and the RDM...
- Blaenau Gwent People's Voice (2005–2010)
- Communist Party of South Wales and the West of EnglandCommunist Party of South Wales and the West of EnglandThe Communist Party of South Wales and the West of England was a political party in Britain, formed in September 1920. The group was formed by a minority with the South Wales Socialist Society, that did not support merging into the Communist Party of Great Britain.The group was sympathetic to the...
- Cymru GochCymru GochCymru Goch was a left wing nationalist organisation in Wales. It was founded in 1987 and fought for what it described as a Free Socialist Wales...
- John Marek Independent PartyJohn Marek Independent PartyThe John Marek Independent Party was a political party in North Wales which eventually evolved into Forward Wales. It was formed in March 2003 by John Marek, who was deselected by Labour over his criticisms of its perceived rightward march...
(2003), evolved into Forward Wales - South Wales Socialist SocietySouth Wales Socialist SocietyThe South Wales Socialist Society was a federation of communist groups in Wales, with many of its members being coal miners. It was formed as the Rhondda Socialist Society in 1911 by participants in the Miners Reform Movement, which opposed right-wing trade union leaders., It enthusiastically...
- Welsh Republican MovementWelsh Republican MovementThe Welsh Republican Movement was a Welsh nationalist political party.It was founded in 1949 as a split from Plaid Cymru. The group, some of whom had previously been members of the Labour Party aimed to build a base in industrial south east Wales by focusing on socialism and republicanism rather...
- Forward Wales
Defunct Northern Irish parties
- All-for-Ireland PartyAll-for-Ireland LeagueThe All-for-Ireland League , was an Irish, Munster-based political party . Founded by William O'Brien MP, it generated a new national movement to achieve agreement between the different parties concerned on the historically difficult aim of Home Rule for the whole of Ireland...
(1910–1918) - British Ulster Dominion PartyBritish Ulster Dominion PartyThe British Ulster Dominion Party was a minor political party in Northern Ireland during the 1970s.The party began in 1975 as the Ulster Dominion Group, when Professor Kennedy Lindsay broke from the United Ulster Unionist movement , itself a breakaway from the Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party to...
- Irish Independence PartyIrish Independence PartyThe Irish Independence Party was an nationalist political party in Northern Ireland, founded in October 1977 by Frank McManus and Fergus McAteer...
- Irish Parliamentary PartyIrish Parliamentary PartyThe Irish Parliamentary Party was formed in 1882 by Charles Stewart Parnell, the leader of the Nationalist Party, replacing the Home Rule League, as official parliamentary party for Irish nationalist Members of Parliament elected to the House of Commons at...
- Nationalist PartyNationalist Party (Northern Ireland)The Nationalist Party† - was the continuation of the Irish Parliamentary Party, and was formed after partition, by the Northern Ireland-based members of the IPP....
- Northern Ireland Labour PartyNorthern Ireland Labour PartyThe Northern Ireland Labour Party was an Irish political party which operated from 1924 until 1987.In 1913 the British Labour Party resolved to give the recently formed Irish Labour Party exclusive organising rights in Ireland...
- Northern Ireland Women's CoalitionNorthern Ireland Women's CoalitionThe Northern Ireland Women's Coalition was a minor political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1996 by Catholic academic Monica McWilliams and Protestant social worker Pearl Sagar to contest the elections to the Northern Ireland Forum, the body for all-party talks which led to the...
- People's DemocracyPeople's DemocracyPeople's Democracy was a political organisation that, while supporting the campaign for civil rights for Northern Ireland's Catholic minority, stated that such rights could only be achieved through the establishment of a socialist republic for all of Ireland...
- Protestant Unionist PartyProtestant Unionist PartyThe Protestant Unionist Party was a unionist political party operating in Northern Ireland from 1966 to 1971. It was set up by Ian Paisley, and was the forerunner of the modern Democratic Unionist Party and emerged from the Ulster Protestant Action movement.The UPA had two councillors elected,...
- Republican Labour PartyRepublican Labour PartyThe Republican Labour Party was a political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1964, with two MPs at Stormont, Harry Diamond and Gerry Fitt...
- Ulster Democratic PartyUlster Democratic PartyThe Ulster Democratic Party was a small loyalist political party in Northern Ireland. It was established in June 1981 as the Ulster Loyalist Democratic Party by the Ulster Defence Association to replace their New Ulster Political Research Group...
- Ulster Independence MovementUlster Independence MovementThe Ulster Independence Movement was an Ulster nationalist political party founded on 17 November 1988. The group emerged from the Ulster Clubs, after a series of 15 public meetings across Northern Ireland...
- Ulster Liberal PartyUlster Liberal PartyThe Ulster Liberal Party was a liberal political party in Northern Ireland, supporting a unionist position and linked to the British Liberal Party....
- Ulster Popular Unionist PartyUlster Popular Unionist PartyThe Ulster Popular Unionist Party was a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1980 by James Kilfedder, independent Unionist Member of Parliament for North Down, who led the party until his death in 1995....
(1980–1995) - United Kingdom Unionist PartyUK Unionist PartyThe UK Unionist Party was a small unionist political party operating in Northern Ireland from 1995 to 2008. It was nominally formed by Robert McCartney, formerly of the Ulster Unionist Party, to contest a by-election the North Down by-election, 1995 and then further constituted to contest the 1996...
(1995–2008) - United Ulster Unionist PartyUnited Ulster Unionist PartyThe United Ulster Unionist Party was a unionist political party which existed in Northern Ireland between 1975 and 1984.It emerged from a division in the Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party in the late 1970s...
(1977–1984) - Unionist Party of Northern IrelandUnionist Party of Northern IrelandThe Unionist Party of Northern Ireland was a political party founded by Brian Faulkner in September 1974.-Formation:The party emerged following splits in the Ulster Unionist Party in 1973 and 1974 over the British government's white paper Northern Ireland Constitutional Proposals, the Northern...
- Vanguard Progressive Unionist PartyVanguard Progressive Unionist PartyThe Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party , informally known as Ulster Vanguard, was a unionist political party which existed in Northern Ireland between 1973 and 1978...
(1973–1978)
Defunct far-left and communist parties
- British Socialist PartyBritish Socialist PartyThe British Socialist Party was a Marxist political organisation established in Great Britain in 1911. Following a protracted period of factional struggle, in 1916 the party's anti-war forces gained decisive control of the party and saw the defection of its pro-war Right Wing...
(1911–1920) - Common Wealth PartyCommon Wealth PartyThe Common Wealth Party was a socialist political party in the United Kingdom in the Second World War. Thereafter, it continued in being, essentially as a pressure group, until 1993.-The war years:...
(1942–1945) - Communist Party of Great BritainCommunist Party of Great BritainThe Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991.-Formation:...
(1920–1991) - Independent Labour PartyIndependent Labour PartyThe Independent Labour Party was a socialist political party in Britain established in 1893. The ILP was affiliated to the Labour Party from 1906 to 1932, when it voted to leave...
(1893–1975) - International Marxist GroupInternational Marxist GroupThe International Marxist Group was a Trotskyist group in Britain between 1968 and 1982. It was the British Section of the Fourth International. It and its youth organisation had had around 1,000 members and supporters in the late 1970s...
(1968–1981) - Labour Party of ScotlandLabour Party of ScotlandThe Labour Party of Scotland were a small political party active in Dundee, Scotland. They were formed as a left-wing breakaway from the Scottish National Party and contested the Dundee East by-election, 1973, where the number of votes they gathered, 1409 for their candidate George McLean, were...
(1973) - Revolutionary Communist League of BritainRevolutionary Communist League of BritainThe Revolutionary Communist League of Britain was a Maoist political party in Great Britain. Its origins lie in the Joint Committee of Communists, founded in 1968 by former Communist Party of Great Britain members and from various youth organisations...
(1968–1998) - Revolutionary Communist Party (1944–50)
- Revolutionary Socialist LeagueRevolutionary Socialist League (UK, 1938)The first RSL was formed in early 1938 with the merger of two different parties, the Marxist League led by Harry Wicks and the Marxist Group led by C. L. R. James....
(1938–44) - Socialist AllianceSocialist Alliance (England)The Socialist Alliance was a left-wing electoral alliance in England between 1992 and 2005.In late 2005, a small group reformed with the name "Socialist Alliance", with a mutual affiliation with the larger Alliance for Green Socialism.-Origins:...
(1994–2005) - Social Democratic FederationSocial Democratic FederationThe Social Democratic Federation was established as Britain's first organised socialist political party by H. M. Hyndman, and had its first meeting on June 7, 1881. Those joining the SDF included William Morris, George Lansbury and Eleanor Marx. However, Friedrich Engels, Karl Marx's long-term...
(1884–1911) - Socialist Labour PartySocialist Labour Party (UK, 1903)The Socialist Labour Party was a socialist political party in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1903 as a splinter from the Social Democratic Federation by James Connolly, Neil Maclean and SDF members impressed with the politics of the American socialist Daniel De Leon, a Marxist...
(1903–1980) - Socialist LeagueSocialist League (UK, 1885)The Socialist League was an early revolutionary socialist organisation in the United Kingdom. The organisation began as a dissident offshoot of the Social Democratic Federation of Henry Hyndman at the end of 1884. Never an ideologically harmonious group, by the 1890s the group had turned from...
(1886–1903) - Workers International League (1937–1944)
- Workers Socialist FederationWorkers Socialist FederationThe Workers' Socialist Federation was a socialist political party in the United Kingdom, led by Sylvia Pankhurst. Under many different names, it gradually broadened its politics from a focus on women's suffrage to eventually become a left communist grouping....
(1914–1921)
Defunct far-right and fascist parties
- British Democratic PartyBritish Democratic PartyThe British Democratic Party was a short-lived far-right political party in the United Kingdom. A breakaway group from the National Front the BDP was severely damaged after it became involved in a gun-running sting and was absorbed by the British National Party.-Formation and naming...
(1979–1982) - British Fascisti (1920s–1930s)
- British MovementBritish MovementThe British Movement , later called the British National Socialist Movement , is a British neo-Nazi organisation founded by Colin Jordan in 1968. It grew out of the National Socialist Movement , which was founded in 1962...
(1968–1983) - British National PartyBritish National Party (1960s)The British National Party was a far right political party that operated in the United Kingdom from 1960 to 1967. Led by John Bean the group, which was subject to internal divisions during its brief history, established some areas of local support before helping to form the National Front in...
(1960–1967) - British People's PartyBritish Peoples Party (1940s)The British People's Party was a British far right political party founded in 1939 and led by ex-British Union of Fascists member and Labour Party Member of Parliament John Beckett.-Origins:...
(1940s) - British Union of FascistsBritish Union of FascistsThe British Union was a political party in the United Kingdom formed in 1932 by Sir Oswald Mosley as the British Union of Fascists, in 1936 it changed its name to the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists and then in 1937 to simply the British Union...
(1930s) - Constitutional MovementConstitutional MovementThe Constitutional Movement was a right wing political group in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1979 by Andrew Fountaine as the National Front Constitutional Movement, a splinter group from the National Front...
(1979–1984) - Flag GroupFlag GroupThe Flag Group was a British political party, formed from one of the two wings of the National Front in the 1980s. Formed in opposition to the Political Soldier wing of the Official National Front it took its name from The Flag, a newspaper the followers of this faction formed after leaving and...
(1980s) - Freedom PartyUK Freedom PartyThe Freedom Party was a right wing political party in the United Kingdom.The party was founded in December 2000 by former members of the British National Party , dubbed "ultra-Tories" by BNP leader Nick Griffin, who were disaffected with the party's refusal to moderate its position on race...
(2000–2006) - Greater Britain MovementGreater Britain MovementThe Greater Britain Movement was a British far right political group formed by John Tyndall in 1964 after he split from Colin Jordan's National Socialist Movement...
(1964–1967) - Imperial Fascist LeagueImperial Fascist LeagueThe Imperial Fascist League was a British fascist political movement founded by Arnold Leese in 1929.-Origins:Leese had originally been a member of the British Fascists and indeed had been one of only two members ever to hold elected office for them...
(1929–1939) - National Democratic Party (1960s–1970s)
- National Democrats (1995–2011)
- National FascistiNational FascistiThe National Fascisti were a splinter group from the British Fascisti formed in 1924. In the early days of the British Fascisti the movement lacked any real policy or direction and so this group split away with the intention of pursuing a more definite path towards a fascist...
(1920s) - National Independence Party (1970s)
- National Labour Party (1957–1960)
- National PartyNational Party (UK, 1976)The National Party was a short-lived British far right political party formed on 6 January 1976 and which dissolved before the 1979 general election...
(1975–1977) - National Socialist LeagueNational Socialist LeagueThe National Socialist League was a short lived Nazi political movement in the United Kingdom immediately before the Second World War.-Formation:...
(1937–1939) - National Socialist MovementNational Socialist Movement (1960s)The National Socialist Movement was a British Neo-Nazi group formed on 20 April 1962, Adolf Hitler's birthday, by Colin Jordan, with John Tyndall as his deputy as a splinter group from the original British National Party of the 1960s.-Formation:...
(1962–1967) - New Britain PartyNew Britain PartyNew Britain was a minor British right wing political party founded by Dennis Delderfield in 1976. The party was de-registered in November 2008.-Founding:...
(1976–2008) - New Nationalist Party (2006–2007/8)
- Official National FrontOfficial National FrontThe Official National Front was one of two far-right groups to emerge in the United Kingdom in 1986 following a split within the National Front...
(1980s) - Union MovementUnion MovementThe Union Movement was a right-wing political party founded in Britain by Oswald Mosley. Where Mosley had previously been associated with a peculiarly British form of fascism, the Union Movement attempted to redefine the concept by stressing the importance of developing a European nationalism...
(1948–1973) - United Country PartyUnited Country PartyThe United Country Party was a minor political party in the United Kingdom during the late 1970s. The Party was against immigration, inflation and the excesses of the 'Winter of Discontent', claiming to represent 'people with common sense'....
(1970s) - White Defence LeagueWhite Defence LeagueThe White Defence League was a British far-right political group. Using the provocative marching techniques popularised by Oswald Mosley, its members included a young John Tyndall.-Formation:...
(1958–1960) - White Nationalist PartyWhite Nationalist PartyThe White Nationalist Party was a neo-fascist British political party, founded in May 2002 as "the British political wing of Aryan Unity"...
(2002–2005)
Defunct joke parties
- Adam Lyal's Witchery Tour PartyAdam Lyal's Witchery Tour PartyAdam Lyal's Witchery Tour Party was a Scottish political party registered by Robin Mitchell in 1999, and deregistered in 2009. The "publicity-seeking" party stood candidates in the Lothian Region for the Scottish Parliament elections, appearing a highwayman named Adam Lyal and pledging to "Wear...
(1999–2009) - MP3 PartyMP3 PartyThe MP3 Party was a British political party founded in 2002 that promised to "delete one regulation per day, one law per week, one subsidy per month and one tax per year". This was based on the idea that when social, legal and administrative systems reach a certain level of complexity they cease...
(2002–2007) - Rock 'n' Roll Loony PartyRock 'n' Roll Loony PartyThe Rock 'n' Roll Loony Party was a minor political party in the United Kingdom. It split from the Official Monster Raving Loony Party after the death of Screaming Lord Sutch. In elections to Swale Borough Council in 2003, one of its candidates polled more than a member of the Liberal Democrats...
(?–2007)
See also
- Timeline of political parties in the United KingdomTimeline of political parties in the United KingdomThe following timeline of political parties in the United Kingdom shows the period during which various parties were active, from their date of establishment to their date of dissolution. Defunct parties are shown in green, and currently active parties are shown in pink. An asterisk or dagger...
- List of political parties in the United Kingdom by representation
- Political make-up of local councils in the United KingdomPolitical make-up of local councils in the United KingdomThis is a list of the political make-up of principal local and regional authorities, commonly known as local councils, in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, following the May 2011 local government elections...
- List of political parties by country
- Politics of the United KingdomPolitics of the United KingdomThe politics of the United Kingdom takes place within the framework of a constitutional monarchy, in which the Monarch is the head of state and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government...
- List of political parties in Northern Ireland
- List of political parties in Scotland
- List of political parties in Wales
- List of political parties in the Isle of Man (a British Crown dependencyCrown dependencyThe Crown Dependencies are British possessions of the Crown, as opposed to overseas territories of the United Kingdom. They comprise the Channel Island Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey in the English Channel, and the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea....
) - List of political parties in Gibraltar (a British overseas territory)
- United Kingdom Election ResultsUnited Kingdom Election ResultsUnited Kingdom Election Results is a website and e-book by author David Boothroyd, published in 1994. Boothroyd also authored The History of British Political Parties, published in 2001. The site includes material on elections in the United Kingdom including election results and resources for...
- Index of UK party meta attributes