2017 General Election

• Why did May decide to call a snap election in 2017?

  Believed that there was a need for certainty and stability as the UK entered the process of negotiating withdrawal from the EU.
• It was also widely believed that May was seeking party advantage. Conservatives were 20 points ahead of Labour in the opinion polls and there was widespread speculation that they could gain a large majority. (May had only inherited a majority of 17)
• What was the Conservative proposal on social care?

  The Manifesto promised that when elderly people needed care, their homes would not have to be sold during their lifetimes to meet the cost. Instead the money could be taken from their estates after death and a guaranteed £100,000 of assets would be left untouched
• Why was the social care policy controversial?

  There was no announcement of a cap on the amount for which they might be liable. For the first time, those who received care in their own home would have its value taken into account as part of their assets.
• Why was the phrase ‘dementia tax‘ used by Labour?

  Payments after death could eat into the inheritance of offspring whose parents were unlucky enough to suffer from a condition in which reliance on social care is inevitable.
• What were the result of the election?

  The Conservatives remained the largest party in parliament however lost their overall majority (with only 318 seats) leading to a hung parliament
• Why was Corbyn considered the beneficiary of the election?

  Labour had gained 30 seats and had also achieved its largest increase in vote share since 1945. This strengthened Corbyn‘s hold on the party making it virtually impossible for his centre-right (Blairite) critics to mount another challenge to his leadership
• A Confidence and Supply agreement was made between the Conservatives and the DUP. The DUP (who gained 10 seats in the House of Commons) would support the Conservatives in return for a number of concessions, including a pledge of £1 billion of extra public spending for Northern Ireland
• Why did May’s campaigning style affect damage her populairty?

  It appeared aloof and highly controlled. She refused to join in any tv debates with Corbyn or other leaders
• In the lead up to the 2017 election Corbyn’s personal rating continued to fall while May had unprecedentedly high approval ratings
• The Labour campaign was effective in other ways too. They made better use of social media than the Conservatives this time, with effective viral videos and campaigning tools. Corbyn’s relentless tour around the country paid dividends 
• A detailed YouGov post-election poll concluded that gender was not a hugely significant factor in the election. It is interesting to note, however, that the gender of the party leader did not have the impact that it had in 1979 and 1983 when a lot more women voted Conservative with a female leader.
• Age was by far the most significant factor in the 2017 general election.
• 66% of 18-19 year olds voted labour compared to 19% Conservative
• The Labour vote remained in the 60s right up to 29 year olds.
• 55% of 30-39 year olds voted Labour compared with 29% Conservative.
• It is not until 50-59 year olds when you find an age category where the Conservatives got more votes than Labour
• After 60, it becomes overwhelming, with those aged 70+ seeing 69% vote Conservative, to 19% Labour