Results are in for the Hansard Society's nationwide Mock Elections. Thousands of pupils have cast their ballots and the results show that Labour has won the election among pupils across the country, with 27.3% of the vote.
39,312 pupils right across the country have cast a vote in the nationwide Mock Election campaign, giving many of them a first taste of civic participation and learning vital lessons about the way the UK's democratic processes work.
The results of the Mock Election are quite different from the picture that is emerging of the General Election:
Labour: 10,340 (27.3%)
Green: 8,714 (23.0%)
Reform: 7,020 (18.6%)
Lib Dem: 4,872 (12.9%)
Conservative: 3,617 (9.6%)
Scottish National Party (SNP): 310 (0.8%)*
Plaid Cymru: 159 (0.4%)*
Other: 2,788 (7.4%)**
Spoilt Ballots: 1,492
*The SNP and Plaid Cymru results should be treated with caution. The timing of the school holidays in Scotland and Wales meant that only a few schools took part. ** Some schools required candidates to set up their own non-established parties. A portion of the vote for other parties therefore comes from schools where none of the main parties were fielding a candidate.
2024 Mock Election results • The proportion of votes cast for each party standing in the mock elections
One of the oldest civic education projects anywhere in the world, Mock Elections has been run by the Hansard Society at every UK General Election for over 50 years.
In 2024, the Hansard Society again made available a free download of all the resources teachers and pupils needed to run a mock poll.
Research has shown that participating in citizenship-related activities at school, such as mock elections, makes young people more likely to have positive attitudes towards political participation as adults and more likely to engage in political activity. This applies even when controlling for other relevant factors, such as higher levels of formal education.
In our latest ‘Whipping Yarn’, we talk with Simon Hart, former Conservative Chief Whip during Rishi Sunak’s Premiership. Hart opens up about his time in one of Westminster’s most demanding and discreet roles, chronicled in his new book, ‘Ungovernable: The Political Diaries of a Chief Whip’.
If a crisis or major national event occurs during a period when Parliament is adjourned, there are often demands from MPs, the media and the public for Parliament to be ‘recalled’. But the House of Commons Standing Orders stipulate that only Government Ministers - in reality, the Prime Minister - can ask the Speaker to recall the House. In recent years the House of Lords has generally been recalled at the same time as the House of Commons.
In response to the Modernisation Committee's call for views on 17 October 2024, we submitted evidence outlining key areas we believe the Committee should prioritise. Our submission recommended a focus on: strengthening legislative scrutiny, with particular emphasis on reforming the delegated legislation system; enhancing financial scrutiny, especially in relation to the Budget and the Estimates; addressing strategic gaps in parliamentary scrutiny; making more effective use of parliamentary time; and reviewing the Standing Orders, language and rituals of the House of Commons.
This briefing explains what to watch for during the Second Reading debate of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on 29 November. It outlines the procedural and legislative issues that will come into play: the role of the Chair in managing the debate and how procedures such as the 'closure' and 'reasoned amendments' work. It looks ahead to the Committee and Report stage procedures that will apply if the Bill progresses beyond Second Reading. It also examines the government's responsibilities, such as providing a money resolution for the Bill and preparing an Impact Assessment, while addressing broader concerns about the adequacy of Private Members’ Bill procedures for scrutinising controversial issues.
In this ninth instalment of our special mini-podcast series, we continue to explore the latest developments in the progress of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, often referred to as the assisted dying bill. We are joined by Dr Marie Tidball MP to discuss the amendments she has secured for a Disability Advisory Board and an independent advocate for people with learning disabilities.
