2024 United Kingdom general election

The 2024 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday, 2 May 2024. It resulted in a narrow Conservative victory, having received a small majority in the House of Commons, albeit one greatly reduced from their 80-seat majority in the previous election. The results were largely viewed as somewhat of an upset, as a Labour victory or hung parliament was widely expected by the vast majority of pundits and pollsters. As such, this election marked the fifth consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party.

The Conservatives won 342 seats, down 23 from their result in 2019 of 365, while Labour managed to secure an additional 8 seats, all of which were former "red wall" seats won by the Conservatives in 2019. Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats secured an additional 15 seats, primarily in the South-East, as well as an increase in vote share of over 5%. Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats lost their seats in Scotland to the SNP, reducing their net seat gains to 7 and 12 respectively

Foreign policy
The Conservatives promised a hardline stance against Russia and continued commitment to NATO, which included a continuation of economic sanctions and further support for Eastern European members of the Alliance. In addition, the Conservative Party set out in their manifesto their desire for "closer ties with the rest of the Anglosphere", and advaocated for a free-trade and free-movement union with Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

By contrast, Labour leader Keir Starmer decided to finesse the issue, concerned with regards to both the "anti-imperialist" nature of the Corbynite left-wing of the party and the desires of moderates. As such, the Labour manifesto dedicated only a small section to foreign policy, in contrast to the large emphasis the Conservatives placed on their own credentials.

The Liberal Democrats adopted a broadly similar stance to the Conservatives on Russia and NATO, but was opposed to their stance on the Anglosphere and the CANZUK Union, instead seeking closer ties with the European Union (although, notably, the promise to fully rejoin the EU that the party had maintained since 2016 was dropped).

Economic policy
The Conservatives pledged an across-the-board income tax cut of 5%, and sought to cut "EU red tape and bureaucracy" in order to help businesses. In addition, they advocated for a "streamlining" of the civil service in order to help maintain a balanced budget, although Johnson was keen to emphasise that such a policy was, in his words, "by no means a return to austerity". As well as this, the Conservatives promised infrastructure projects and targeted government spending as part of the party's levelling-up policy.

Labour meanwhile advocated for an increase of corporation tax to 30%, and budget increases to the NHS and other social programs. In addition, Labour promised the nationalisation of Royal Mail and the railways, and the abolition of zero-hour contracts.

The Liberal Democrats promised no increases to taxes, and advocated for additional funding for the public sector.