Tactical Voting
Under the First Past the Post electoral system, the candidate(s) receiving the highest number of votes in each constituency are elected. This system is used in the UK during general elections and in some local elections, such as those recently conducted in England. An alternative approach is the system of proportional representation, which aims to allocate seats in a manner that reflects the popularity of various parties. Both the Scottish Parliament and the Senedd in Wales employ systems of Proportional Representation. Historically, first-past-the-post has been seen as advantageous for the Conservative and Labour parties. It poses challenges for smaller parties whose votes are distributed evenly across different regions, making it difficult for them to secure seats. This dynamic effectively prevents potential competitors to the Conservatives and Labour from succeeding electorally. Consequently, due to this situation, voters may hesitate to support these smaller parties from the outset.
Under the First Past the Post electoral system, the candidate(s) receiving the highest number of votes in each constituency are elected. This system is used in the UK during general elections and in some local elections, such as those recently conducted in England. An alternative approach is the system of proportional representation, which aims to allocate seats in a manner that reflects the popularity of various parties. Both the Scottish Parliament and the Senedd in Wales employ systems of Proportional Representation. Historically, first-past-the-post has been seen as advantageous for the Conservative and Labour parties. It poses challenges for smaller parties whose votes are distributed evenly across different regions, making it difficult for them to secure seats. This dynamic effectively prevents potential competitors to the Conservatives and Labour from succeeding electorally. Consequently, due to this situation, voters may hesitate to support these smaller parties from the outset.
Therefore, as voting the way you wish to can be rendered pointless under the First Past the Post electoral system, the only other means available to the electorate to have any meaningful agency is to vote tactically. Tactical voting is a strategy where voters support a candidate other than their first preference to prevent an undesirable candidate or party from winning, It provides an option in which one does not feel you’ve “wasted your vote” upon parties and candidates that are unlikely to win in a specific constituency. However, it is an act couched often in negativity and is a tacit admission that votes in certain constituencies and wards do not count as much as others. Groups like the Electoral Reform Society argue tactical voting is a “symptom of a failing system” and hence advocate for a replacement electoral system such as Proportional Representation (PR), to make tactical manoeuvring unnecessary.
Last Thursdays local elections in the UK saw a large degree of tactical voting. Dissatisfaction with the current Labour government has lead to a significant surge in votes for Reform UK. However, voting in Council Elections during midterm is often perceived as a protest, hence this can be interpreted as a tactical vote. It sends a message to the government but such a vote may not be repeated during a General Election. There has also been tactical voting to prevent Reform UK candidates from gaining office locally. Reform UK generates strong negative feelings among some quarters of the electorate, who are willing to set aside their own party loyalties to block them. Reform UK is more susceptible to effects of tactical voting as their support is spread unevenly across the country, rather than concentrated in “safe” political strongholds. It is also something the party is particularly truculent about calling tactical voting a “conspiracy of the establishment”.
I voted tactically in last weeks local elections. I have no love for the Conservatives or any other political party, considering them all unfit for purpose. However, I did not want the local council, which is run relatively efficiently, falling to into the hands of Reform UK who are ill equipped in all respects to run a civic institution. So I voted for the incumbent party as it was the “least worst” option. Had I spoilt my ballot in a self-indulgent act of “ideological purity” the loss of the vote could have allowed a Reform UK candidate to gain a seat. There literally was only a few votes in it. However, the outcome affords me no pleasure whatsoever. It’s a deplorable situation when I have to cast my vote based upon what is the least awful option, rather than voting for a candidate or party in which I am genuinely invested. I am reminded of the words of Winston Churchill.
“Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”
UK Local Elections 2026
There are local elections being held across the UK today. Voters in Scotland and Wales will elect representatives to their respective national parliaments, while in England the voting is for local councils and regional mayors. These are the first major elections to be held in the UK since the 2024 General Election which saw the Conservative government of fourteen years, fall to the Labour Party. Midterm elections are often a litmus test for how the electorate think the national government are performing although local issues are also a major factor. The consensus among political journalists and commentators is that the incumbent government is polling extremely poorly and will subsequently face a backlash. In recent years the UK has seen a decline in traditional two party voting with Reform UK and the Greens gaining significant traction among the electorate. Hence today’s elections may well see both these parties make significant gains.
There are local elections being held across the UK today. Voters in Scotland and Wales will elect representatives to their respective national parliaments, while in England the voting is for local councils and regional mayors. These are the first major elections to be held in the UK since the 2024 General Election which saw the Conservative government of fourteen years, fall to the Labour Party. Midterm elections are often a litmus test for how the electorate think the national government are performing although local issues are also a major factor. The consensus among political journalists and commentators is that the incumbent government is polling extremely poorly and will subsequently face a backlash. In recent years the UK has seen a decline in traditional two party voting with Reform UK and the Greens gaining significant traction among the electorate. Hence today’s elections may well see both these parties make significant gains.
Bexley Borough, of which I am a resident, has been a Conservative stronghold for decades. It has always returned a Conservative MP in General Elections and the local council has been Conservative controlled for the last twenty years. However, it has been targetted by Reform UK who see it as a potential beachhead into Greater London. Hence they have been actively campaigning on such issues as road maintenance, protecting the Greenbelt and addressing the existing council budget gap which is forecast to reach £17.8m by 2029/30. Houses in Multiple Occupation have also become a political football, in which residential properties are converted into individual rentable rooms with shared kitchen and bathroom faculties. These can and have been on occasion rented by the Home Office and used to house asylum seekers and refugees, although the “official” argument is made that these take local property out of the housing market.
Due to the potential for immediate gain and long term political capital, 192 candidates are standing in the Bexley Borough this year, meaning many wards are now in a three-way battle between the Conservatives, Labour and Reform UK. The latter is projected to gain 20 council seats, potentially becoming the largest party. This would leave Bexley Council with no party in overall control, leading to all the associated “horse trading” that comes with no definitive “winner”. Despite the political stakes, Local Elections seldom see a large voter turnout and there are concerns that substantial political changes could be made across the UK on very small shares of votes cast. Then there are the wider ramifications of such a political sea change and the immediate consequences they could have on the incumbent Labour government.
Bexley Council Offices
Many among the political commentariat see today’s elections as the moment Britain broke with the traditional two party system of past century (although it has not always been that way). Where the focus in Bexley Borough is on the performance of Reform UK, nationally there is a great deal of interest in the performance of the Green Party. Especially with regard to their popularity with younger voters and ethnic minorities. However, the biggest story could be Labour’s worst ever local election performance, as voters give their verdict on two years of Keir Starmer’s premiership. If such results come to pass, then there is strong chance of a leadership challenge within the Labour Party. Such a possibility would not be well received by the electorate, as the continuous infighting and changes of leadership within the last government was one of the reasons cited for them being voted out of office.
I completed my postal ballot two weeks ago. I am a floating voter with no affiliation with any of the parties, seeing none of them as fit for purpose. I am not alone in my current exhaustion with politics, the way it is conducted and reported. Both the political class and the legacy media inhabit a curious societal adjacent bubble where they assume that the public are equally as engrossed and enthralled by their esoteric machinations. Sadly the opposite is true. Both groups are blissfully unaware of the contempt in which they are held by the public, who find their indulgences tedious and exhausting. The electorate are desperate for some old school, “bread and butter” politics in which essential issues such as the economy, the funding of public services and law and order are addressed. Sadly all parties seem more concerned about “the optics”, rather than offering tangible plans and policies. I await today’s election result with a sense of resigned disappointment.
Thoughts on the 2018 Local Elections
There are numerous local elections taking place in England today (not Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). 150 councils are electing new councillors, and there are six mayoral contests. They include all the seats in all 32 London boroughs, as well as every seat in the metropolitan districts of Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle. Specific seats are also being contested in areas such as Liverpool, Sheffield, Sunderland and Wigan. All the major UK political parties are fielding candidates with an aim of gaining the majority of seats in a specific area and thus controlling the local councils. These local authorities then subsequently control and administer the borough budget for services such as policing, local schools, refuse collection and such like. The budget is raised through a borough council tax, which is based upon property banding.
There are numerous local elections taking place in England today (not Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). 150 councils are electing new councillors, and there are six mayoral contests. They include all the seats in all 32 London boroughs, as well as every seat in the metropolitan districts of Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle. Specific seats are also being contested in areas such as Liverpool, Sheffield, Sunderland and Wigan. All the major UK political parties are fielding candidates with an aim of gaining the majority of seats in a specific area and thus controlling the local councils. These local authorities then subsequently control and administer the borough budget for services such as policing, local schools, refuse collection and such like. The budget is raised through a borough council tax, which is based upon property banding.
Local elections are often considered a litmus test of public opinion for the incumbent national government. If the Prime Minister and their party is perceived to be failing in its duties or suffering any major political set backs or scandals, then voters can and will punish party candidates at a local level to show their displeasure. However, this is not always the case and voter turnout for local elections can at times be very low, due to apathy or the fact that a local borough has a strong majority favouring a specific party. Where I live in Bexley Borough, in Greater London, there is an inherent leaning towards the Conservative Party, due to the demographics of the area. The borough is still perceived as a leafy suburb where the professional middle classes go to raise a family. It is also a relatively affluent borough which is often an indicator of political affiliation in the UK.
However, local elections are frequently determined by unique local factors and issues. The closure of a school or fire station can galvanise the electorate. Again, where I live, the sale of several public parks to property developers has been a contentious issue for several years. The poor handling of this matter by the majority Conservative held council has been strongly contested by local residents and some have even gone so far as to stand as independent candidates in today’s elections. Similarly, across the country various smaller parties are either collaborating or deciding not to stand against each other in an attempt to maximise the number of seats they can win and thus work collectively against the larger parties. Often at a local level, tactical voting becomes far more effective and it will be interesting to see if and how it is used when the results of today’s vote are known over the course of the next 48 hours.
From my own perspective, local politics has declined as much as national politics over the course of my life. My local council has demonstrated in recent years the exact same failings as the national government. Political discussion has become trivialised and infantilised, focusing on trite soundbites and disseminating false information. Councillors often inhabit a completely different “world” and have no conception or interest in the reality of constituents’ lives. Policies are frequently self-serving or driven by “lobbying culture” and all its iniquities. Furthermore, having visited the council chamber and watched proceedings from the gallery, I can confidently say that many councillors lack any debating and public speaking skills. They are often ill-mannered, bellicose and generally over enamoured with themselves. Remember these are not professional career politicians, with degrees in the subject and media training under their belt. Most councillors are simply local residents from varied backgrounds and professions.
Perhaps what I find most galling about today’s local elections is the total lack of credible campaigning by any of the major parties. The only candidate that has had the courage to knock on doors in my street is an independent. The rest have just taken the path of least resistance and simply attended minor rallies at local church hall’s populated by a handful of the party faithful. There have been no debates, no concerted efforts to meet and engage with the electorate, no discussion of policies and future planning. Instead we are left with conspicuous displays of hubris and entitlement along with a barely suppressed contempt for the electorate. It would appear that many that currently hold office seem to be oblivious to the mood for change that is currently abroad in the country and are merely focused on business as usual and all the financial benefits that go along with it. All too often the aspirational and ideological aspects of party politics are lost over time, leaving just a self-serving imperative to maintain the status quo.
However, the UK has had a noticeable falling out with the status quo and is currently enduring a period of major political upheaval and societal divide along with a general disliking of most establishment institutions. Regardless of where you stand politically at present, a new “wild card” approach has been introduced into contemporary politics. Subsequently, traditional political certainties are not so reliable. The electorate has shown that it will upset the existing “apple cart” if it sees fit, even if that is ultimately an act of self-harm. Therefore, we may well see some interesting results and political fallout by the weekend. These elections may well be the final nail in UKIPs coffin. Brexit, The Windrush Scandal and a multitude of bespoke local issues could result in the government being punished and the Conservative Party losing control of several “safe” councils. We will also finally find out if Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership has any impact upon Labour support at council level. On a positive note, perhaps this set of elections will mark the beginning of a cultural shift away from traditional bi-partisan politics towards a broader system with more independent and minority party candidates.