By Friday (July 5), British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to be forced out of Downing Street, as his party faces its greatest crisis in over a century. Polls indicate that the opposition Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, is set to win Thursday’s UK election by approximately 20 percentage points, ending the Tories’ 14-year rule.
The only question that remains: How severe will the defeat be for the world’s oldest and historically most successful political party, which has held power for much of the past 150 years?
The Conservative Party, known as the Tories, has been a formidable force in British politics since its inception in the 1830s. Throughout the 19th century, it vied with the Liberals for dominance but managed to adapt and thrive while the Liberals faded.
The Conservatives have held power longer than any other party in the 20th century and have governed 14 of the first 24 years of the 21st century.
The party’s most successful result in terms of seats since 1945 was in the 1983 General Election, where they secured 397 MPs. Their highest share of the vote was 49.7 per cent in 1955.