How First-Past-The-Post Amplified Labour and Tory Setbacks

Fewer than 60% of voters supported the Conservative or Labour parties in the 2024 general election—a historic low not seen since 1922, when Labour first emerged as the main rival to the Conservatives. This seismic shift signals a profound challenge to the traditional winner-takes-all voting system that once discouraged backing smaller parties.

Getty Images Verification of ballots gets underway at Barnsley Metrodome. There are rows of long white tables stretching diagonally across the picture with count officials sat at them. — First-past-the-post is used in both general elections and local elections in England, such as in the contest in Barnsley

The Rise of Third Parties Breaks the Two-Party Grip

For decades, Conservative and Labour politicians warned that voting for third parties was a “wasted vote.” That narrative has crumbled as Reform and the Green Party now prove that their supporters can translate votes into actual seats. With just a few local election results pending, Reform and the Greens have collectively secured 2,063 council seats—nearly 200 more than the combined 1,864 won by the two main parties. The Liberal Democrats, long established as Britain’s traditional third party, have also claimed 842 seats.

Getty Images Reform UK councillors react after winning seats in all of the 12 contested wards in the Hartlepool Local election. They are pictured from slightly above and many of them have a hand in the air in celebration. — The BBC’s projected national vote share put Reform in the lead on 26%

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This stark contrast exposes the limitations of first-past-the-post. While the 2024 general election saw Conservatives and Labour claim 533 parliamentary seats, Reform and Greens managed only nine seats between them despite capturing over 20% of the national vote.

Bloomberg via Getty Images Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, and local councilors outside Havering Town Hall following the local election in Romford. Most are carrying placards that in blue say "Britain voted Reform" — Reform won a number of councils despite winning less than half the vote in them

First-Past-The-Post Exaggerates Labour and Tory Declines

Rather than shielding Labour and the Conservatives from the rise of new challengers, the voting system intensified the perception of their losses. The parties’ declines were most pronounced in the very wards where they had to defend their seats.

Getty Images Keir Starmer speaks to supporters and councillors following local elections at Kingsdown Methodist Church. The prime minister and those he is talking to are seated. There are around 15 people in shot. — Sir Keir Starmer visited Ealing in west London after the party took 66% of the borough’s seats on just a 29% share of the vote

Analysis of over 1,000 wards with detailed voting data reveals that Labour’s vote share dropped by an average of 25 percentage points in defended wards compared to 2022, when most of these seats were last contested. In wards Labour did not defend, the decline was only 12 points. The Conservatives experienced a 14-point drop in defended wards versus a 10-point decline in other areas.

Impact on Political Landscape

This dynamic underlines how first-past-the-post no longer functions as a simple barrier against third parties. Instead, it magnifies losses for major parties trying to hold ground, while allowing emerging parties to capitalize on shifting voter loyalties. The results challenge the entrenched two-party dominance and signal a more fragmented political future for Britain.