The Development of British Political Parties and the British Party System

Abstract

Political parties in Britain are relatively recent phenomena. While their position at the core of today’s political scene is undeniable, development in their current form has been comparatively recent. There are various reasons for this, but the expansion of the franchise in 1867 which increased the electorate by around one million to 2230000 (Pinto-Duschinsky, 1981:24), a third of the adult male population, coupled with a greater element of competition within British elections in the last century would certainly help to account for the growth. It is quite remarkable that in the four General Elections prior to the reform act of 1867, between 43 per cent and 60 per cent of seats were uncontested. By 1880 the figure was only 17 per cent (Pinto-Duschinsky, 1981:19–24). One effect of this was that electoral success became less assured, and men of independent means became less willing to stand for election where the outcome was not predetermined. Moreover, the passing of the Corrupt and Illegal Practices (Prevention) Act 1883 limited the scope further for local political corruption, since not only did it outlaw bribery, it also placed limits upon local campaign spending altogether.