Two Years On: Measuring Labour’s Vote on 12th December 2019
Labour suffered a significant Electoral defeat on 12th December 2019 while the Tories achieved a large majority, their first for three decades.
With the Tories in crisis and Labour taking a poll lead for the first time in a good while, now is not the time to spend too much time on lost Elections (of which there are many in Labour history). The task now is to mobilise to get the Tories out and Labour elected. Whatever you may or may not think of the current Labour leadership there is a wider purpose and agenda too that.
At the same time because 2019 seems to be a continuing benchmark for the media and some politicians who don’t specialise too much in history, even very recent history, its worth a brief review of what happened 2 years ago today.
The media noted that the 203 seats won was the lowest total since 1935. Of course there are always other figures. One was that Labour now has the largest number of female MPs in its Parliamentary history.
One interesting wider measure is the total number of votes cast for Labour. This (fairly obviously) is not a guarantee of Electoral success but it does in a very broad way reflect a class or anti-Tory vote and the depth of a Party’s support.
Here Labour’s 10.3 million was well down on what Corbyn achieved in 2017 but beyond that the second highest Labour total since 2001, Tony Blair’s 2nd Election victory.
One thought might be that this support still needs to further engaged with and organised to help secure a future Labour win. Its surely not about Westminster but about the grassroots in workplaces and communities across the country.
Labour General Election votes
2019 10.3m
2017 12.88m
2015 9.35m
2010 8.61m
2005 9.55m
2001 10.72m
1997 13.52m
1992 11.56m
1987 10.03m
1983 8.46m
Comparison to past GEs must also take account of the rise of the (scandalously lowly bearded) SNP wiping out so many previously safe Labour Scottish FTP constituencies. Plaid Cymru has had a minor impact too.