Who they are
The six parties
Ordered by current polling average. Each dossier covers leadership, stated policy, where the party sits on the spectrum, what it can credibly claim, and what is fairly held against it.
The spectrum at a glance
The Labour Party
Andy Burnham · Leader and Prime Minister
The party of government since July 2024, and since 20 July 2026 led by Andy Burnham following Keir Starmer's resignation. Burnham inherited a party that had fallen to 16% in some polls in May 2026 and has recovered to the low-to-mid twenties, leading most published averages again.
411 seats won at the 2024 general electionFounded 1900Polling
25.4%
Reform UK
Nigel Farage · Leader
Led by Nigel Farage, Reform UK topped national polls from early 2025 through much of 2026 and absorbed a run of senior Conservative defectors — Nadhim Zahawi, Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman all crossed in January 2026. It has slipped behind Labour in the most recent averages.
5 at the 2024 general election, since increased by defections from the ConservativesFounded 2018 (as the Brexit Party; renamed 2021)Polling
23.6%
The Conservative and Unionist Party
Kemi Badenoch · Leader of the Opposition
The Official Opposition, led by Kemi Badenoch since November 2024. The party suffered its worst general election defeat in 2024 and has since lost senior figures to Reform UK, running third in most 2026 averages while remaining within a few points of first.
121 seats won at the 2024 general election, reduced since by defectionsFounded 1834Polling
20.7%
The Green Party of England and Wales
Zack Polanski · Leader
The fastest-growing party in British politics by membership. Zack Polanski won the leadership in September 2025 on an eco-populist platform, and in February 2026 the Greens took Gorton and Denton — their first Westminster by-election win ever, in a seat where the party had never previously passed 10%.
5 — four elected in 2024 plus the Gorton and Denton by-election gainOver 200,000 membersFounded 1990 (in its present form; predecessors from 1973)Polling
12.0%
The Liberal Democrats
Sir Ed Davey · Leader
Led by Sir Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrats won 72 seats in 2024, their strongest showing since the party was formed. Through 2026 they have made opposition to Nigel Farage the centre of their messaging, with Davey pledging to "stop Trump's America becoming Farage's Britain".
72 seats won at the 2024 general election — the party's best ever resultFounded 1988Polling
10.0%
Restore Britain
Rupert Lowe · Founder and Leader
Founded by Rupert Lowe after his departure from Reform UK, Restore Britain registered as a party in February 2026 and polls at around 4%. It is the newest of the six parties tracked here and the only one whose classification is itself contested: academics describe it as far-right and ethno-nationalist, and the party calls that a smear.
1 — Rupert Lowe130,000 (June 2026) membersFounded Pressure group 30 June 2025; registered as a party 13 February 2026Polling
4.0%