Support

Launch of 'Britain Votes 2017'

20 Mar 2018
Britain Votes 2017 cover image

On 20 March, Professor Sir John Curtice and a panel of leading commentators outlined their findings at the launch of the first major study of the 2017 general election, 'Britain Votes 2017'.

The general election was one of the most extraordinary contests of recent times. Widespread assumptions that it would be a one-sided election - a coronation rather than a contest - were confounded as Theresa May mislaid her majority and a hung Parliament emerged.

  • How did the Conservatives achieve the largest share of the vote by any party since the landslide election in 1997 but still not secure a majority?

  • Is any party likely to secure an overall majority in the future or are narrow or non-existent parliamentary majorities to become the norm not the exception?

  • Why was Labour’s left-wing manifesto not the ‘suicide note’ that most commentators anticipated?

  • In many respects it was a novel election campaign, but what made the difference? Was it the ability to deploy activists on the doorstep, provide favourable visuals of packed rallies for traditional media, or innovations in digital campaigning?

Join leading analysts and commentators to discuss these questions and more as they present the latest findings from their research on the dramatic election and assess what it all means for the future of British politics.

Copies of 'Britain Votes 2017' will be available for purchase at a special launch offer price. The event will be followed by a reception with drinks and light refreshments.

Chair: Carolyn QuinnBBC radio presenter across a range of political and current affairs programmes including Westminster Hour and PM

Professor Sir John CurticeProfessor of Politics at the University of Strathclyde and Chief Commentator at What UK Thinks: EU

Professor Tim BaleProfessor of Politics at Queen Mary University of London and Deputy Director of the Mile End Institute

Dr Kate DommettLecturer in the Public Understanding of Politics at the University of Sheffield

Dr Eunice GoesAssociate Professor of Politics at Richmond University and BBC Dateline London panelist

Professor Jonathan TongeCo-editor of 'Britain Votes 2017' and Professor of Politics at the University of Liverpool

'Britain Votes 2017' is a special edition of the Hansard Society's journal, Parliamentary Affairs. It has been co-edited by Professor Jon Tonge, Professor Cristina Leston-Bandeira and Dr Stuart Wilks-Heeg and is published in partnership with Oxford University Press.

News / 2024: The year our party system finally broke? - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 118

This week we spotlight our new book Britain Votes 2024, featuring research by leading political scientists such as public opinion expert Professor Sir John Curtice. We explore how Labour secured a landslide on just a third of the vote, why the election broke so many records, and what these reveal about the fragility of UK democracy. We also cover the Budget fallout, the role of the Treasury Committee in the appointment of the new head of the OBR, more backbench dissent, ex-MPs shifting to the Greens and Reform, and a brewing row over delayed mayoral elections.

05 Dec 2025
Read more

News / Parliament Matters Bulletin: What’s coming up in Parliament this week? 1-5 December 2025

The House of Commons enters the final two days of its Budget debate, culminating in votes on the Budget motions and presentation of the Finance Bill. The Treasury Committee hears from the OBR, IFS and Resolution Foundation. Peers also devote a full day’s debate to the Budget. The Foreign, Education and Wales Secretaries and Cabinet Office ministers face oral questions from MPs. In the Lords the assisted dying bill continues in Committee. The Sentencing Bill and Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill receive further Lords scrutiny. The Hillsborough Law begins clause-by-clause scrutiny in the Commons. West Midlands Police face Select Committee questions about their handling of the football match between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv.

30 Nov 2025
Read more

News / 101 resolutions and a Finance Bill. How the Budget becomes law - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 117

It’s Budget week, so we look at what happens after the Chancellor sits down and how the days announcements are converted into the Finance Bill. We speak to Lord Ricketts, Chair of the European Affairs Committee, about whether Parliament is prepared to scrutinise the “dynamic alignment” with EU laws that may emerge from the Government’s reset with Brussels. And we explore the latest twists in the assisted dying bill story, where a marathon battle is looming in the New Year after the Government allocated 10 additional Friday sittings for its scrutiny. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

28 Nov 2025
Read more

News / Is the House of Lords going slow on the assisted dying bill? - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 116

In this episode we look at the latest Covid Inquiry report addressing the lack of parliamentary scrutiny during the pandemic and the need for a better system for emergency law-making. With the Budget approaching, we explore how the Commons Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP, might discipline ministers who announce policies outside Parliament and why a little-known motion could restrict debate on the Finance Bill. Sir David Beamish assesses whether the flood of amendments to the assisted dying bill risks a filibuster and raises constitutional questions. Finally, we hear from Marsha de Cordova MP and Sandro Gozi MEP on their work to reset UK–EU relations through the Parliamentary Partnership Assembly. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

22 Nov 2025
Read more

Blog / The assisted dying bill: Is the number of Lords amendments a parliamentary record?

The assisted dying bill has attracted an extraordinary number of amendments in the House of Lords, prompting questions about whether the volume is unprecedented. This blog examines how its amendment count compares with other bills in the current Session, and what the historical data shows about previous amendment-heavy legislation.

20 Nov 2025
Read more