Time in government
35 years • 1 month • 2 weeks • 2 days
United Kingdom Labour: Latest polls, election results and positions
Election Trend
24.4 %
-9.3 since the last election
Last Election
33.7 %
Election 2024 · 411 Seats
3-Month Trend
+5.9
Three months ago: 18.5 %
Advertisement
Prefer ad-free? Get PolitPro+ now
Labour
United Kingdom
Social Democratic
Founded 1900
The Labour Party is a social democratic mainstream party in the United Kingdom. As one of the two dominant political forces, it traditionally represents the interests of the working population, advocating for a robust welfare state, social justice, and the reduction of economic inequality.
Values and Ideology
Labour's foundation is rooted in democratic socialism, which has evolved over decades into a modern social democratic pragmatism. The party believes in the state's transformative power to foster social mobility and opportunity. Its worldview is shaped by collectivism: wealth is generated by the community and should be fairly distributed. While historically deeply intertwined with the trade union movement, today it balances state intervention with an acknowledgement of market dynamics.
Political Priorities
Labour's agenda focuses on expanding public services, particularly the National Health Service (NHS), and investing in education and infrastructure. The party advocates for a more progressive taxation system and strengthening workers' rights. Its target audience has expanded beyond the traditional working class to increasingly include the urban middle class and younger voters. A core tension remains balancing radical redistribution policies with a pro-business approach to maintain the confidence of financial markets and industry.
Role in the Political System
Within the UK's majoritarian electoral system, Labour serves as the progressive counterweight to the Conservatives. Strategically, the party acts as a responsible governing force, defending the rule of law and parliamentary sovereignty, while simultaneously debating reforms to the House of Lords or the electoral system. Internally, it often faces the challenge of uniting its diverse factions – from the left-ideological core to the moderate centre – to remain electable and forge broad societal alliances.
Advertisement
Prefer ad-free? Get PolitPro+ now
Labour: Key issues and ideological profile
Labour
Other Parties
Advertisement
Topic
Salience
Position 2024
Position 2019
Question
Stance
Economy & State
Should income and wealth be redistributed?
Advocates moderate redistribution in favor of social justice.
Stance
How should the state manage its available budget?
Leans slightly more towards investment than saving.
Stance
Should the local economy be protected?
Advocates largely free trade with minor protective measures.
Stance
Society & Values
What is more important: freedom or security?
Seeks balance between freedom and security.
Stance
Should the equality of women be promoted?
Supports measures to promote equality.
Stance
Should LGBTQ+ equality be advanced?
Largely supports equality.
Stance
Should same-sex marriage be allowed?
Fully supports same-sex marriage.
Stance
What role should religions play in politics?
Views religion as a personal but socially relevant matter.
Stance
Should policy focus on urban or rural areas?
Favors urban development promotion.
Stance
Environment & Globalization
What is more important: environmental protection or economy?
Weights environmental protection slightly stronger than economic growth.
Stance
What is more important: climate protection or economy?
Weights climate protection slightly stronger than economic growth.
Stance
Migration & Integration
How should immigration policy be regulated?
Holds a balanced position between openness and control.
Stance
How should immigrant integration be shaped?
Supports integration while preserving cultural diversity.
Stance
Should ethnic minorities be granted more rights?
Supports additional rights for disadvantaged groups.
Stance
What role should nation-states play?
Advocates international cooperation beyond national interests.
Stance
Democracy & Institutions
How should power be distributed?
Holds a neutral stance on power distribution.
Stance
How independent should the judiciary be?
Advocates a completely independent judiciary without political influence.
Stance
How should the state be organized: centralized or federal?
Supports decentralization with clear regional competencies.
Stance
Election
Vote share
Seats
2024
July 5, 2024
Vote share
33.7 %
+1.5
Seats
411
+208
2019
December 12, 2019
Vote share
32.2 %
-7.8
Seats
203
-59
2017
June 8, 2017
Vote share
40.0 %
+9.5
Seats
262
+30
2015
May 7, 2015
Vote share
30.5 %
+1.5
Seats
232
-26
2010
May 6, 2010
Vote share
29.0 %
-6.2
Seats
258
-97
2005
May 5, 2005
Vote share
35.2 %
-5.5
Seats
355
-57
2001
June 7, 2001
Vote share
40.7 %
-2.5
Seats
412
-7
1997
May 1, 1997
Vote share
43.2 %
+8.3
Seats
419
+148
1992
April 9, 1992
Vote share
34.9 %
+4.1
Seats
271
+42
1987
June 11, 1987
Vote share
30.8 %
+3.2
Seats
229
+20
1983
June 9, 1983
Worst result
Vote share
27.6 %
-9.3
Seats
209
-60
1979
May 3, 1979
Vote share
36.9 %
-2.3
Seats
269
-50
1974
October 10, 1974
Vote share
39.2 %
+2.0
Seats
319
+18
1974
February 28, 1974
Vote share
37.2 %
-5.9
Seats
301
+13
1970
June 18, 1970
Vote share
43.1 %
-4.9
Seats
288
-76
1966
March 31, 1966
Vote share
48.0 %
+3.9
Seats
364
+47
1964
October 15, 1964
Vote share
44.1 %
+0.3
Seats
317
+59
1959
October 8, 1959
Vote share
43.8 %
-2.6
Seats
258
-19
1955
May 26, 1955
Vote share
46.4 %
-2.4
Seats
277
-18
1951
October 25, 1951
Best result
Vote share
48.8 %
+2.7
Seats
295
-20
1950
February 23, 1950
Vote share
46.1 %
-1.9
Seats
315
-78
1945
July 5, 1945
Vote share
48.0 %
Seats
393
All elections since 1945 in which Labour participated. Click a row to see election details.
1945
1960
1980
2000
2020
Today
Led government
Involved in government
Not in government
Share since 1945
40 %
Cabinets led
13
35 years • 1 month • 2 weeks • 2 days
Coalition involvements
0
-
Andy Burnham
Burnham
July 20, 2026 – Today · 30 days 5 hours
Sir Keir Starmer
Starmer
July 5, 2024 – Today · 2 years 1 month
203 of 650 seats
Brown
June 27, 2007 – May 11, 2010 · 2 years 10 months
355 of 646 seats
Blair III
May 6, 2005 – June 27, 2007 · 2 years 1 month
355 of 646 seats
Blair II
June 7, 2001 – May 6, 2005 · 3 years 10 months
412 of 659 seats
Blair I
May 2, 1997 – June 7, 2001 · 4 years 1 month
419 of 659 seats
Callaghan
April 5, 1976 – May 4, 1979 · 3 years 29 days
319 of 635 seats
Wilson IV
October 10, 1974 – April 5, 1976 · 1 year 5 months
319 of 635 seats
Wilson III
March 4, 1974 – October 10, 1974 · 7 months 6 days
301 of 635 seats
Wilson II
April 5, 1966 – June 19, 1970 · 4 years 2 months
364 of 630 seats
Wilson I
October 16, 1964 – April 5, 1966 · 1 year 5 months
317 of 630 seats
Attlee II
February 28, 1950 – October 26, 1951 · 1 year 7 months
315 of 625 seats
Attlee I
July 26, 1945 – February 28, 1950 · 4 years 7 months
393 of 640 seats
More from PolitPro
API & Data Access
Access our data programmatically – for editorial teams, think tanks, and teams that need Election Trends directly in their workflow.
Research Data
Use our prepared datasets for research and teaching.
App & Community
Discuss current polls in a growing, respectful political community.
Data & Feedback
Political data changes daily. Noticed outdated info, a number, or a date? Write to us – preferably with a source, so we can quickly verify the change.
Support PolitPro
Your support protects PolitPro from the influence of lobby groups and parties.
Data Basis & Transparency
PolitPro
PolitPro combines scientific data and current poll values to make politics tangible for everyone. We use datasets from leading research projects and supplement them with our own research, analyses, and algorithms. This way, we make complex political contexts understandable and accessible to all. Supported by AI.
Advertisement
Prefer ad-free? Get PolitPro+ now