The United Kingdom general election

This report analyses the 2024 UK general election as part of the series ‘Global Democracy in the Age of Disruption’, which focuses on the impact of digital technologies on democratic processes during the electoral cycle. The qualitative analysis of this report focuses on three key areas. First, the state of the nation section addresses the events leading up to and directly following the election, including the impact of social media and platform politics, and the impact of historically constructed British national identity on conceptions of citizenship. The second section provides an overview of the key players in the path to power, detailing the lead candidates, their political platforms, and the ideological distinctions between the UK’s major political parties and their leaders. Finally, the report concludes with a reflection on the role that social media played in bolstering the narratives of political independents and the newly formed Reform UK.