What’s Wrong with the UK’s Political Party System (and How to Fix It)

The UK’s political party system plays a huge role in how democracy works, but it’s far from perfect. A growing number of people feel that the system isn’t fair, doesn’t reflect their views, and is too focused on party elites rather than everyday voters. Add to that concerns about low voter turnout, party funding scandals, and the sense that politicians aren’t really listening, and it’s easy to see why there’s talk of change.

In this conversation, we take a closer look at what’s going wrong with the current system and what researchers say could be done to fix it. We cover big issues like unfair election results, lack of trust, and party power being too centralised.

Then we explore a range of ideas that could make things better. Such as switching to proportional representation, using open primaries to choose candidates, regulating party finances more strictly, or even legally recognising political parties in the UK’s constitution.

Each reform idea comes straight from academic studies and expert proposals, and we break them down in a clear, simple way. Whether you’re into politics or just want to understand how your vote could matter more, this is a deep dive into how UK democracy could be improved.

🧩 1. Lack of Representational Fairness and Electoral Distortion

Problem in Detail:

The UK’s First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) system often delivers highly distorted electoral outcomes. A party can win a majority in Parliament with a minority of the national vote, while smaller parties may receive a significant portion of the vote but win few or no seats. This undermines the principle of fair representation and encourages tactical voting.

Key Implications:

  • Vote wastage in safe seats discourages turnout.
  • Disproportionate power is granted to larger parties.
  • Underrepresentation of diverse political views weakens democratic pluralism.

Reform Suggestions:

  • ✅ Proportional Representation (PR): Adopting a PR system such as Single Transferable Vote (STV) or Mixed-Member Proportional (MMP) would ensure that seats more accurately reflect vote shares, empowering smaller parties and marginalised voices (Webb & Bale, 2021), (Quinn, 2023).
  • ✅ Votes-Weighted Representation (VWR): A novel system in which MPs’ voting power is proportional to the number of votes they received. It also allows voters to delegate their “second vote” dynamically on individual issues—promoting real-time accountability (Major & Preminger, 2023).

🧠 2. Crisis of Public Trust and Participation

Problem in Detail:

Public confidence in political parties is low. Many citizens feel disillusioned, disengaged, or unrepresented by existing parties. Voter turnout, particularly among young people, has declined, and party memberships are aging and shrinking.

Key Implications:

  • Weakened legitimacy of the political system.
  • Alienation of voters, especially minorities and the youth.
  • Growing populist sentiment and distrust in institutions.

Reform Suggestions:

  • ✅ Deliberative Democracy Mechanisms: Introducing tools like citizens' assemblies, public consultations, and participatory budgeting can help restore public engagement and build consensus on key issues (Dunleavy & Kippin, 2018), (Steven, 2008).
  • ✅ Proportional Representation (again): PR systems reduce vote wastage and increase the sense that each vote counts - important for rebuilding trust (Webb, 2009).

🏛️ 3. Weak Internal Party Democracy

Problem in Detail:

Many UK parties operate with centralised leadership and weak grassroots influence. Ordinary members have limited power over candidate selection or policymaking, creating a gap between party elites and the public.

Key Implications:

  • Disengagement among party members.
  • Policy disconnection from public concerns.
  • Overrepresentation of career politicians rather than community leaders.

Reform Suggestions:

  • ✅ Open Primaries: Letting the public help select party candidates - used widely in the US - can democratise parties, reduce elite gatekeeping, and improve representation (Schleicher, 2010).
  • ✅ Constitutionalising Political Parties (intra-party democracy): Legally mandating fair, open leadership elections and policy decision-making processes would create greater accountability and responsiveness within parties (Kim, 1998).
  • ✅ PR Systems Encourage Reform: Proportional systems reduce winner-takes-all pressure, allowing parties to reflect a wider range of views internally (Wolkenstein, 2019).

💰 4. Party Financing and Corruption Risks

Problem in Detail:

UK political parties receive large donations from individuals, corporations, and trade unions, often with little transparency. There are weak limits on campaign spending and loopholes for foreign or hidden funding.

Key Implications:

  • Perception of political influence being “for sale”.
  • Risk of corruption or policy capture.
  • Erosion of democratic legitimacy.

Reform Suggestions:

  • ✅ Donation Caps and Spending Limits: These would prevent wealthy donors from dominating the political agenda.
  • ✅ Transparency Laws: Requiring real-time public disclosure of donations and campaign spending.
  • ✅ Public Funding: Government subsidies (e.g. matched donations) can help level the playing field and reduce dependence on private money (Webb & Bale, 2021), (Kim, 1998).

⚖️ 5. Lack of Legal Oversight and Party Regulation

Problem in Detail:

Unlike many democracies, the UK lacks formal constitutional or legal recognition of political parties. Parties are self-regulated, which allows them to operate without standardised democratic procedures or financial scrutiny.

Key Implications:

  • Inconsistent democratic standards across parties.
  • Weak enforcement of transparency or accountability.
  • No public mechanism to ensure fair internal operations.

Reform Suggestions:

  • ✅ Constitutionalising Political Parties: Enshrine parties in UK law with clearly defined roles, responsibilities, and obligations. This could mandate intra-party democracy, transparent finances, and standardised governance (Kim, 1998).
  • ✅ This approach would modernise the UK’s democratic infrastructure and ensure that all parties meet basic standards of openness and fairness.

Conclusion

The UK’s political party system, while historically central to democratic governance, faces deep-rooted structural challenges. From disproportionate electoral outcomes and declining public trust, to centralised party control and unregulated financing, the current system often fails to deliver on the democratic ideals of fairness, transparency, and accountability.

However, these shortcomings are neither inevitable nor unfixable. A wealth of research highlights a range of practical, evidence-based reforms that could revitalise the UK’s democracy.

Shifting to proportional representation, introducing votes-weighted or open primary systems, enhancing intra-party democracy, enforcing stricter party finance laws, and legally recognising political parties as constitutional actors would go a long way in making the political system more representative and resilient.

Ultimately, reforming the UK party system is not just about changing how parties operate. It’s about restoring public confidence, empowering voters, and ensuring that political institutions genuinely reflect the diversity and complexity of society.

By embracing these reforms, the UK has an opportunity to build a more participatory, responsive, and trustworthy democracy for the future.

Why we're talking about this

We support charities and political parties helping fight corruption, pollution and the climate crisis. It's important to understand what you can and can't do, the tools you can and can't use.

This includes building a better grasp on tech stacks, online campaigning and digital strategies.

So we're starting a series of articles on the topic to help out organisations. Do get in touch if you want to have a 1-1 conversation with us about improving your online presence, creating impactful campaigns or making the most of fundraising tools.

We also advise newly formed groups on social and environmental justice on the best kind of operational structure for them. It's not legal advice but based on our experience of working with over 60 different not-for-profit organisations and startups.

📚 References

  1. (Webb & Bale, 2021) – Parties and the Political System
  2. (Webb, 2009) – The Failings of Political Parties
  3. (Dunleavy & Kippin, 2018) – The Political Parties and Party System
  4. (Quinn, 2023) – What Would the British Party System Look Like under PR?
  5. (Major & Preminger, 2023) – Democratising Democracy
  6. (Wolkenstein, 2019) – Proportional Representation and Party Reform
  7. (Kim, 1998) – Constitutionalising Political Parties in Britain
  8. (Schleicher, 2010) – Primaries as a Reform Option
  9. (Steven, 2008) – Electoral Reform and Democratic Engagement