2025 Sees Significant Shift and Erosion in British Parliamentary Democracy
The year 2025 marked a notable erosion of Westminster conventions and rituals, signaling a departure from a century-old political status quo in British parliamentary democracy.
Reform UK emerged as a significant political force, notably barely utilizing the House of Commons and posing a threat to the traditional path to becoming prime minister.
Public trust in the government and Members of Parliament fell to historic lows, as reported in June 2025 by the National Centre for Social Research.
In October 2025, commentator Andrew Marr described Britain's governance as effectively ungovernable, highlighting broader concerns about political stability.
Poll trends showed fragmented support across parties: Labour, Liberal Democrats, and the Greens collectively held around 44%, down from 48% in January, with the SNP and Plaid Cymru maintaining steady support.
Meanwhile, the combined vote share of the Conservative Party and Reform UK increased from 46% at the start of the year to 48%, driven by defections and a convergence of policy positions.
The forthcoming general election was forecast to produce four or five parties with similar vote shares but very different seat totals, a situation expected to distort democracy to an unprecedented extent.
There is ongoing debate about transitioning toward a European-style coalition government and adopting proportional representation to manage the growing political fragmentation, though the outcomes remain uncertain.
If Reform UK were to gain power, their record in local government—characterized as bullying yet inept—could potentially exacerbate political disruption in the UK.
