News

General election 2024 the most disproportional on record

Published

2 years ago

July 5, 2024

THIS general election is the most disproportional on record in terms of votes cast matching seats in Parliament, analysis from the Electoral Reform Society has found.

Yesterday’s election result is the most disproportional in British electoral history according to two separate DV (deviation from proportionality) scores , which are used to measure how proportional elections are in terms of seats in parliament matching the percentage of votes each party receives.

With a DV score of 30, the 2024 election was found to have beaten the previously most disproportional election, which was 2015 with a score of 24, according to the Loosemore-Hanby measure. The third most disproportional result according to this measure is 1983, which had a DV score of 23.

Yesterday’s general election was also found to be the most disproportional on the Gallagher method of DV score , with a score of 24. The second most disproportional election on this measure is 1983 with a score of 20.6.

The results today saw the Labour Party win 64% of seats (412) with just under 34% of the votes. Meanwhile, Reform UK and the Green Party won just 8 seats (just over 1%) between them with over 20% of the vote share combined.

Research by the Electoral Reform Society also showed that Labour won an MP for every 24,000 votes they received, compared to one for every 49,000 for the Lib Dems, one MP for every 56,000 votes for the Conservatives, one for every 485,000 votes for the Greens and one for every 1,000,000 for Reform.

Yesterday’s vote also saw a number of electoral firsts which contributed to how disproportional the result was. For instance, this was the first election where four parties received over 10% of the vote and the first where five parties received over 5%.

It was also the election where Labour and the Conservatives received their joint lowest vote share on record, with a combined 57.4%. The second lowest combined vote share for the two parties was in 2010 when they received 65.1%.

However, this election is not an outlier result. Other recent general elections have produced disproportional results. The last three general elections have seen a winning majority gained on just 36.9% of the vote in 2015, a minority government on 42.4% of the vote in 2017 and an 80-seat majority achieved on a vote share increase of just 1.3 percent in 2019.

Yesterday’s unprecedented disproportional result comes as there is growing – and now majority – support for electoral reform in the country.

Meanwhile, the National Centre for Social Research found trust in politics has recently sunk to record lows, a problem the ERS has long argued is exacerbated by people not feeling their votes count under the First Past the Post voting system

ERS research found that at the last general election in 2019 over 22 million votes (70.8%) didn’t count towards the result, in that they were either cast for a losing candidate or surplus votes for the winner [9].

Darren Hughes, Chief Executive of the Electoral Reform Society said: “We have just witnessed the most disproportional election on record in terms of the votes people cast translating into seats in Parliament. It is clear that the British public is already voting as if we have a proportional system. For instance, this was the first election ever where four parties got over 10% of the vote share.

“The two-party voting system no longer reflects the way the country is voting. This is why the First Past the Post voting system used for Westminster is becoming more unstable and producing volatile results, and why millions of people’s votes effectively didn’t count towards securing any representation in Parliament yesterday.

“This disproportionality is now a feature rather than a bug of the current voting system. We now need to move to a proportional voting system for Westminster to ensure that Parliament accurately represents how the country voted, and that everyone’s vote counts towards the result no matter where they live.”

News

Tenby lifeboat tows yacht to safety after skipper falls ill near Caldey

Published

5 hours ago

June 15, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A YACHT was towed back to Tenby after its skipper became unwell off Caldey Island.

Tenby’s all-weather lifeboat was requested to launch at 1:40pm on Monday (Jun 15), after the coastguard received a call from the occupants of a yacht reporting that the skipper had become ill around one mile south of Caldey Island.

The volunteer crew quickly made their way to the vessel, which had three people and a dog on board.

Once alongside, the lifeboat crew discovered that the skipper was suffering badly from seasickness and that the other two people on board were unable to sail the yacht themselves.

After a full assessment by the coxswain, it was decided that the safest course of action was to tow the yacht back to Tenby. The vessel was drifting with the tide towards Caldey Island and was also considered a potential navigational hazard to other boats.

Two lifeboat crew members were placed aboard the yacht to help set up the tow and to monitor the unwell skipper during the journey back.

After a tow of around an hour, the yacht was placed on the lifeboat mooring in the calmer waters of North Bay.

The lifeboat then returned to station, arriving back at 3:15pm.

Entertainment

Waverley marks 79th anniversary with Pembrokeshire sailings

Published

6 hours ago

June 15, 2026

Tom Sinclair

THE WORLD’S last seagoing paddle steamer will return to Pembrokeshire this week as Waverley marks the 79th anniversary of her maiden voyage.

The historic vessel will sail from Milford Haven and Tenby on Tuesday (Jun 16), with trips including a daytime cruise around Skokholm, Skomer, St Brides Bay and Ramsey Island from 11:30am to 4:30pm.

There will also be an evening sailing from Milford Haven at 5:00pm, travelling to St Govan’s Head, Caldey Island and along the Pembrokeshire coast, returning at 9:50pm.

Passengers can also join Waverley at Tenby, with sailings to Milford Haven and an evening cruise around Caldey Island and the coast.

On Wednesday (Jun 17), Waverley will make her only Fishguard visit of 2026, with an evening cruise to St David’s Head, passing Strumble Head Lighthouse, from 6:15pm to 9:15pm.

Tickets are available through Waverley Excursions.

Crime

Mid Wales peace activist arrested outside court after Palestine Action ruling

Published

7 hours ago

June 15, 2026

Tom Sinclair

MID WALES peace activist Angie Zelter was arrested outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London after holding a placard in support of Palestine Action.

The 75-year-old campaigner, from Knucklas, Powys, was detained at around 12:20pm on the steps of the court, according to Radnor Palestine Links.

The group said Ms Zelter was arrested under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000 after holding a sign which read: “Saving lives is not terrorism. I support Palestine Action.”

She was taken to Charing Cross Police Station and released around two hours later, the group said.

The arrest came as the Court of Appeal ruled in favour of the UK Government over its decision to proscribe Palestine Action under terrorism legislation.

The ruling overturned an earlier High Court decision which had found the ban unlawful. The Court of Appeal held that the Government’s decision was lawful and proportionate.

Palestine Action was banned after the Home Secretary moved to proscribe the group under the Terrorism Act 2000. Supporting or inviting support for a proscribed organisation can be a criminal offence.

Radnor Palestine Links said the protest formed part of an ongoing campaign against the use of counter-terrorism laws against peaceful demonstrators.

Ms Zelter, a long-standing peace and human rights campaigner, has been arrested more than 100 times worldwide during decades of non-violent direct action. She is also known as a founder of Trident Ploughshares.

Speaking after her arrest, Ms Zelter said: “I think it’s a terrible indictment of the criminal justice system that you are charging me with terrorism for holding a peaceful sign.

“We have to uphold the most important international laws. Peaceful, disruptive protest is absolutely essential to protect democracy.”

The Metropolitan Police has been asked to confirm the circumstances of the arrest, whether Ms Zelter was formally charged, and the conditions of her release.

Photo caption: Court protest: Angie Zelter outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London holding a sign in support of Palestine Action (Pic: Radnor Palestine Links).