This blog summarises the result and provides analysis of the outcome of the UK general election which took place on Thursday 4 July 2024.
The election resulted in the election of a Labour Government led by new Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, who becomes the 58th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. This was just the fifth time since the end of the Second World War that a Labour leader has gone from opposition to Government (previous Labour wins from opposition took place in 1945 (Clement Attlee), 1964 (Harold Wilson), February 1974 (Wilson again) and 1997 (Tony Blair)).
The blog also discusses some of the possible implications of the change in UK government for Scotland, the Scottish Parliament and Scottish-UK Government relations.
The overall UK result
With the Conservatives having been in power since 2010, the result marked a dramatic changing of the guard, with Labour regaining power with a majority of 174. This compares with previous Labour majorities secured by Clement Attlee in 1945 of 147 seats and by Tony Blair in 1997 of 178 seats.
Party | Seats | Share of vote (%) |
Labour | 412 | 33.7 |
Conservative | 121 | 23.7 |
Liberal Democrats | 72 | 12.2 |
Scottish National Party | 9 | 2.5 |
Sinn Fein | 7 | 0.7 |
Independent | 6 | 2 |
Reform UK | 5 | 14.3 |
Democratic Unionist Party | 5 | 0.6 |
Green | 4 | 6.7 |
Plaid Cymru | 4 | 0.7 |
Social Democratic & Labour Party | 2 | 0.3 |
Alliance Party | 1 | 0.4 |
Ulster Unionist Party | 1 | 0.3 |
Traditional Unionist Voice | 1 | 0.2 |
The result in Scotland
The Scottish result also signalled a change in Scottish politics, with the Labour Party overtaking the SNP to regain its place as the largest party in both vote share and seat numbers relative to the last UK General election in 2019. This is the first time the Labour Party has won the most seats in Scotland in a UK General election since 2010.
In Scotland the Labour Party won 37 out of 57 seats. The Scottish National Party (SNP) came second with nine seats. The Liberal Democrats won six seats, while the Conservative and Unionist Party won five seats.
At the previous UK General Election in 2019, the SNP won 48 seats compared with one for Labour, four for the Liberal Democrats and six for the Conservatives. It is important to note that in the 2024 election, the number of seats in Scotland was reduced from 59 to 57 due to a number of boundary changes – indeed, only nine constituencies remained unchanged from 2019.
Share of the vote
The Labour party won the highest share of the vote in Scotland in 2024. This is the first time since 2010 it has received the most votes at a UK election in Scotland. It should be noted that while it received the highest share of the vote, it is still below the share it won in 2010, when its share of the vote was 42% compared to 35% in 2024.
The SNP won 30% of the vote in 2024. This is its lowest proportion of the vote since 2010, when it received 20% of the vote. In the 2015 general election the SNP received just under 50% of the vote.
The Conservative and Unionist Party received its lowest share of the vote since 1997, at 13%. Its share of the vote has fallen at each General Election since 2017 where it won 29% of the votes.
The Liberal Democrats won 10% of the vote in 2024, which is the same as in 2019. In 2005, they received 23% of the vote, which fell to 19% in 2010. Since then, support for the party has remained at or around 10% of the vote at UK general elections.
In 2024, the other parties received their highest share of the vote since 1997, at 12%. This is largely down to Reform UK, who stood in all 57 seats and received 7% of the vote, while the Scottish Green Party received 4% of the vote.
Turnout
The UK General election saw a turnout of 60% in the UK overall, while it was 59% in Scotland. This was the lowest turnout at a general election since 2001
Results by constituency
This tools allow you to look at the results by constituency and by the share of the vote each party won in each constituency.
Results by constituency: You can select an individual constituency, but when no constituencies are selected it will show the national result.
Share of the vote: You can select a party from the dropdown list at the top of the blog. Please note that not all parties had candidates in every constituency, for example Alba.
For both analysis we have provided data on parties which have received 10,000 or more votes across the whole of Scotland.
What are the key takeaways from the overall UK election result?
- The Labour Party won the most seats in all three nations of Great Britain.
- Labour’s share of the vote across the UK was 33.7%. The efficiency of this vote allowed the Party to win 63% of the seats available. This may result in calls for electoral reform. However, having just won such a handsome victory under the first past the post system, it seems unlikely Labour will be legislating to change the electoral system any time soon.
- The Liberal Democrats also played the electoral system efficiently and successfully, translating a vote share of 12.2% into 72 seats (11% of seats). This compares with Reform UK who won 14.3% of the vote but gained only five seats (0.8% of seats).
- Alongside the gains made by the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats, a number of smaller parties also won new or increased representation in the House of Commons. As well as five MPs for Reform UK, there are also four MPs for the Green Party.
- In addition, unusually for a UK Parliament, six Independents were elected. Some of these Independents were elected in constituencies with a proportionally high level of Muslims within the electorate. Dissatisfaction with the Labour Party position on the Israel and Gaza dispute, along with rows about whether candidates could stand under the Labour ticket, led to a number of candidates standing as Independents and six winning. In addition, Labour MPs such as Wes Streeting and Jess Phillips saw their majorities sharply reduced due to challenges from Independents.
- Following the SNP’s loss of 38 seats, John Swinney MSP said that his party had “failed to convince people of the urgency of independence” during the campaign. The party’s leader at Westminster, Stephen Flynn MP, said that the mandate for an independence referendum “continues (to) exist within the Scottish parliament itself” and that the next eighteen months in the run up to the Scottish Parliament election in 2026 would be crucial to advancing the cause of independence.
What might this result mean for Scotland, the Scottish Parliament and Scottish-UK Government relations?
What did the Labour manifesto say?
The Labour Party manifesto included a number of commitments related to the constitution and resetting the relationships between the UK and devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In addition, the manifesto also committed to a recommendation from the Report of the Commission on the UK’s Future (‘the Brown Commission’) – the establishment of a new Council of the Nations and Regions which will bring together the Prime Minister, the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales, the First and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, and the Mayors of Combined Authorities.
On intergovernmental relations, the Labour manifesto stated:
“Labour will ensure the structures and institutions of intergovernmental working improve relationships and collaboration on policy.”
On Scottish devolution, the Labour manifesto said:
“Labour will strengthen Scottish democracy and devolution, championing Scotland at home and abroad. We will ensure the devolution settlement for Scotland enables collaboration on Labour’s national missions for government.“
On the issue of legislative consent from devolved parliaments for UK Parliament legislation impacting devolved policy areas, the Labour manifesto said:
“Labour will strengthen the Sewel Convention by setting out a new memorandum of understanding outlining how the nations will work together for the common good.”
How the new UK Government will deliver on these commitments is not clear at this stage.
On the role of the Scotland Office, the Labour manifesto stated:
“The Scotland Office will maximise Scotland’s influence, and with Labour it will once again become an advocate for Scotland, both at home and abroad. The Scotland Office will ensure the voice of Scotland is properly heard on issues under the competence of the UK Government. Scotland has an enviable international reputation. Its culture, products and services are internationally renowned – from whisky and salmon to computer game development, bioscience and financial services. Labour will champion ‘Brand Scotland’ across the world through the Scotland Office, and our diplomatic and trade networks.”
What has the new Prime Minister said and done?
In his speech outside 10 Downing Street, surrounded by supporters holding Scottish, Welsh and Union flags, the new Prime Minister talked of the four nations of the UK standing together again. This signalled an intention to reset relations between the UK government and the devolved nations and administrations, reflecting the commitment made in the Labour Party manifesto.
The new Prime Minister’s visit to Scotland
The First Minister, John Swinney MSP, hosted the Prime Minister at Bute House on the evening of 7 July 2024. According to the Scottish Government’s news release, they discussed “a range of issues and areas where both the governments can work together, including advancing the Scottish Government’s core priorities of eradicating child poverty, growing the economy, prioritising net zero, and ensuring the delivery of effective public services”. Following the meeting, the First Minister was quoted as saying:
“Following our talks, I am confident we have established the foundation for a productive relationship between our two governments based on renewed respect for the devolution settlement.”
Implications for the Scottish Parliament
The indication from the Prime Minister and the First Minister of a reset in UK-Scottish Government relations may signal an opportunity for the two Governments to co-operate more closely in areas such as common frameworks, the potential impact of the UK Internal Market Act on Scottish Parliament legislation, and the exercise of powers by UK Ministers in devolved policy areas. Closer co-operation at intergovernmental level may present challenges for the Scottish Parliament from a transparency and scrutiny perspective, as has previously been highlighted by Scottish Parliament Committees, particularly the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee (CEEAC). In its report on How devolution is changing post-EU, CEEAC said:
“But even where there is consensus at an intergovernmental level there remains a risk that the Scottish Parliament’s core functions are diluted. As we have noted previously the increased significance of intergovernmental relations within a shared governance space raises substantial challenges for parliamentary scrutiny.”
How the Scottish Parliament is able to scrutinise the outcomes of the reset of intergovernmental relations is likely to be an area of interest for MSPs moving forward.
CEEAC, along with other Scottish Parliament Committees, has also expressed concern about the failure of UK Ministers to appear before Scottish Parliament committees to discuss UK Government approaches which impact on devolved policy areas. How the new UK government ministers approach this issue is also likely to be of interest to Scottish Parliament committees going forward. An early test of this is likely to come soon after the Scottish Parliament’s summer recess as the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee has agreed to write to the appropriate UK Government Minister, seeking a written response to the findings and recommendations of the How Devolution is Changing Post-EU report, and inviting the Minister to provide oral evidence shortly after summer recess.
Scottish MPs in Government
In announcing his new Cabinet, the Prime Minister named Ian Murray MP as the new Secretary of State for Scotland. No other Scottish MPs were appointed to the Cabinet. The Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP was appointed as a Minister of State in the Department for Business and Trade.
What might the result mean for UK-EU relations?
In the lead up to the election, the new Prime Minister made it clear that a Labour government would not seek to take the UK back into the European Union Single Market or the Customs Union. The Labour manifesto made clear that a Labour government would instead seek to improve the UK’s trading relationship with the EU “by tearing down unnecessary barriers to trade.” To achieve this, the manifesto committed to
“seek to negotiate a veterinary agreement to prevent unnecessary border checks and help tackle the cost of food; help our touring artists; and secure a mutual recognition agreement for professional qualifications to help open up markets for UK service exporters”.
In addition, the manifesto stated that the Labour government will seek to negotiate a new UK-EU security pact focused on addressing common threats.
The new Government’s attitude to Europe was perhaps signified by the Prime Minister holding an early conversation with the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen. The news release following the conversation stated that:
“The leaders discussed areas of close cooperation between the UK and the EU, including support for Ukraine, climate change and regional security.
The Prime Minister and President emphasised the importance of the unique relationship between the UK and EU in addressing these challenges.”
The new Foreign Secretary, David Lammy MP, visited Germany, Sweden and Poland in the two days following his appointment. Ahead of his visits, he wrote an article for The Local Europe in which he set out the new UK Government’s approach to its relationship with EU partners:
“As the new British Foreign Secretary, with our Prime Minister Keir Starmer, this government will reset relations with Europe as a reliable partner, a dependable ally and a good neighbour.”
The Foreign Secretary reiterated UK support for Ukraine in its fight against the illegal Russian invasion. On the UK’s relationship with the EU, the Foreign Secretary wrote:
“But if we are to fulfil our ambitions for a reset, we must also improve Britain’s relationship with the European Union. I will be explaining to my new fellow foreign ministers how our new government’s proposal for an ambitious and broad-ranging UK-EU Security Pact would underpin closer cooperation between us, enshrining a new geopolitical partnership. I also look forward to hearing their ideas for how we can rebuild trust and reset the relationship between the UK and the EU.”
The UK relationship with the EU will continue to be of interest to the Scottish Parliament’s Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee as it continues its inquiry into the Review of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
Further indications about the new government’s intentions with regards to EU relations may emerge when the UK hosts the next meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) on 18 July 2024. Whilst the EPC is not an EU related body, it will allow the Prime Minister to discuss UK-EU relations with Heads of State and Government from across the EU.
What happens next?
The State Opening of Parliament and the King’s Speech will take place on Wednesday 17 July 2024. The King’s Speech will see the new Labour Government set out its early legislative plans. SPICe will blog on the implications for Scotland following the Speech.
Andrew Aiton, Ross Burnside and Iain McIver, SPICe
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