School politics class: An unwelcome surge of rightwing populism in Britain

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Specification:

• Edexcel Component 1, Section 2.4: UK political parties in context: the development of a multi-party system and its implications for government

• AQA Component 3.1.2.3: Political parties: development towards a multi-party system and its impact on government and policy

Background: what you need to know

This article, about the success of Reform UK in the local and mayoral elections on 1 May, draws parallels with earlier cases where a third party made initial inroads in elections but failed to achieve a lasting breakthrough, such as the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the early 1980s.

This time, however, it may be different. Reform UK has established a viable electoral base with its combination of right-wing populism on immigration policy and its support for left-wing economic intervention (for example, calling for the nationalisation of the ailing Scunthorpe steel plant). It has benefited from the decline of traditional class-based voting, with Labour no longer the unquestioned party of the industrial working class.

But Reform in turn faces challenges: it must stand up to scrutiny as it attempts to govern in the areas where it has won control, whilst also competing with other smaller parties, notably the Liberal Democrats and Greens, for the support of discontented voters.

Click the link below to read the article and then answer the questions:

An unwelcome surge of rightwing populism in Britain

Question in the style of AQA Politics Paper 1

• ‘The UK no longer has a two-party system.’ Analyse and evaluate this statement [25 marks]

Question in the style of Edexcel Politics Paper 1

• Evaluate the view that the UK no longer has a two-party system. You must consider this view and the alternative to this view in a balanced way. [30 marks]

TIP: Keep an eye on how Labour and the Conservatives respond to the rise of Reform UK over the next few years. We won’t know whether the two-party system is truly doomed until we see how the various parties perform at the next general election in 2028-29.

Graham Goodlad, Portsmouth High School