2025 has been a turbulent time for UK politics. We’ve seen titans of politics fall and a new swathe of politician become the dominant force in the political landscape. What was once a relatively stable environment, the UK is now following the wider trend we are seeing across the globe of more divisive, populist figures driving the establishment into the ground.
The most successful and established election winning parties are beginning to slip into irrelevance and a two-party system slowly cracking. So how have the parties compared and performed throughout the year for such a meteoric shift in British politics to occur? That’s what I’ll be doing here, I’ll be ranking how I think each political party has fared in 2025 and their prospects looking forward to 2026.
I would like to add these ranking are not a reflection of my preferences. It is purely an objective look at how they’ve performed and not how much I like them.
Unsurprisingly I’ve put Labour last. Trailing in the polls, unpopular government and being surrounded by both sides of the political spectrum, effectively in no-mans-land. Too liberal and soft on immigration for the growing right wing of the UK, and accusations of him attacking the left wing of his own party disillusioning the core of their left wing voter base. Keir has been left in a crumbling centrist ground that there doesn’t seem to be support for in an increasingly partisan landscape.
After 14 years of Tory rule running the country into the ground, the job was simple; just don’t screw it up. Yet after just over 1 year in power the Labour party have found themselves to be the almost as unpopular as Lizz Truss’s disastrous 44 day term government. He may well of outlasted a lettuce, however, sadly this is not a reliable measure of how successful a government is. At the time of writing, Keir Starmer’s government sits at -56% net approval rating, compare this to Lizz Truss’s lowest of -69%.
Characterised by frequent U-turns and a confusing unwillingness to have an opinion, Keir Starmer’s largest failure has been that of his poor “politicking”. Farage, while controversial, is undeniably charismatic and you know what he stands for. Yet when people were asked to define Keir Starmer in one word there were a few common occurrences; “liar” and “nothing” were standout answers and this represents Keir’s failures. He just doesn’t seem to have an opinion on anything. When he addresses the nation, it is usually quite downbeat and pessimistic; he would say it is honesty, but in politics pessimism doesn’t bode well for governments. Many view it as accepting they’re out of their depth and aren’t willing to fight for the average worker.
This has opened up Keir to leadership challenges within his party. Andy Burnham was the most significant attempt, and while the chatter about him challenging has died down recently, it is undeniable that the seed has been planted and there will be parts of the Labour party who are happy to jump in whenever Keir next shows weakness.
They currently are polling anywhere from 2nd to 4th in the polls, sitting from 22 to 15%. This is not what you want to be seeing from the sitting government and would be the lowest vote share labour have received since 1918 and an approximately 13% reduction in vote share from the last election.
After the Tory’s last 14 years in government and their frequent scandals, it feels as though trust in politics is at an all time low. And with labour coming in there was a hope that that relationship could begin to be mended. But the damage done by the Tories has permanently broken the publics trust in politicians. The free gifts and Angela Rayner’s tax scandal have undermined Keir’s desperate attempt to appear as someone trustworthy. Even if these scandal pail in comparisons to the previous Tory government’s, the flood gates have opened.
In the elections that have followed the 2024 general election, a similar story can be seen. It’s not looking good for Labour. Local elections saw Labour lose 187 councillors and drop to the 4th most seats in the selected councils. In the Caerphilly by-election, a constituency that has always elected Labour, saw Plaid Cymru elected with Labour receiving a measly 11% of the vote all the way back in 3rd. The budgets have been disappointing at best with no drastic change frustrating people who voted for Labour on their campaign promise for “change.” Only 16% of people believed the budget was better than expected with a staggering 60% saying it was a “very bad job” or “somewhat a bad job.” This is significant, 45% of Britons saying they believe the UK is returning to austerity, which after 14 years of it, doesn’t invoke a hope for change but instead more of the same. This has been Labour biggest shortfall, an unwillingness to enact radical change.
Overall Rating: 1/10
It’s been a disaster of a year for the Labour party, you may say that its unfair to just slander them as they are in power meaning the scrutiny is always going to be harsher. So while yes, some of the budgets have been intriguing, the incompetent politicking seen within the Labour leadership means that they are running the party into the ground as they have failed to appeal to either the left or the right.
What first seem like a promising start has quickly turned into a disaster. Your Party formed out of the defection of Zarah Sultana and the push for a new left wing party. This quickly manifested into the formation of a new self-proclaimed “socialist” party. Your Party soared to 500,000 sign-ups within just 3 days, with many claiming they were now the largest party in the UK. However, after official sign ups this was more like 50,000.
The enthusiasm quickly died down after several disagreements between the co-leaders Zarah Sultana and Jeremey Corbyn. Constant in-fighting has characterised this party so far and even after the first party conference, it doesn’t seem to be slowing. Jeremy Corbyn threatened legal advice against Zarah before the party had even established a name, not a good look! £800k worth of donations were left in limbo after another disagreement among the co-leaders and the list of mishaps goes on and on. There are clear partitions of the party, at its core it wants to be a socialist party, but agreeing on social policy such as those of gay and trans rights has been a sign of weakness and potential future problems if this party wants to play a bigger role in UK politics. In the vote on what party policy should be, nearly a third opposed the amendment on trans rights, this large divide in a party that is only just starting out shows some shaky foundation to build upon.
Jeremy Corbyn has since said “we haven’t covered ourselves in glory,” after an unnerving start to the Party’s formation. However, I have put them above labour as there has still remained a steady influx of members and clear support of a large base of the British left wing. They have established themselves as a counterpart to Reforms populist right and with a charismatic leader like Jeremey who has a loyal following and has shown he has the ability to dethrone Labour in their heartland, after winning Islington North, shows hope that if Your Party can get their act together then they may soon become a force to be reconned with in British politics.
Overall Rating: 2/10
The constant infighting and disagreement have been a pathetic look for a party that wishes to legitimately challenge some of the biggest political establishments in the world, yet they frequently undermined themselves and the left. So while that may sound like an 1/10, the clear enthusiasm from the public and creation of the party justifies bumping them up to an 2 for now.
The Conservatives, since electing a new leader, have all but faded into irrelevance. But! This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
The local elections were abysmal with the Conservatives losing a whopping 674 seats. In councils that were traditionally conservative strong holds it didn’t bode well and there were tensions rising against Kemi Badenoch. Yet these died down and the Tories went quiet again.
Kemi Badenoch has largely refused to establish a party manifesto or policy. Despite being in official opposition, they really haven’t cemented themselves anywhere in parliament.
After 14 years of ruling, maybe it’s exactly this that they needed. To stay quiet for once and let people forget what the Tories are and have done, let the public be the opposition to Labour and scrutinise them all while the Tories maintain their loyal base of voters. And that is exactly what has happened. Compared to labour where only 50% of their voters say they intend on voting labour again, the Conservatives have managed to maintain around 60-70% of their voter base since the general election. Because of this “strategic ambiguity” approach, the party has remained largely cohesive and less fragmented than during the leadership campaign. Most of the party is rallying around the flag, in particular, the plan to leave the ECHR has gained traction amongst the party. Kemi Badenoch has slowly gained traction and her popularity is beginning to increase again, with her net approval increasing from as low as -32 back up to -14.
So while you may think the Tories have been quiet and don’t deserve to be this high, this has been to the party’s benefit, new polling suggests the Tories have overtaken Labour for second and are showing signs of regaining support from Reform voters after a few scandals have rocked the otherwise rapid Reform boat.
Overall Rating: 4/10
The end of the year has absolutely salvaged what was otherwise a complete disaster for the Tories. The recent bump in the polls and controversies beginning to appear for Reform has allowed the Tories to come into their own and I expect more from them in 2026. 20% in the polls really should be a disaster for the Tories in any other situation, however, we have reached a time where this is a “revival.”
The SNP had an awful 2024, changing leaders and losing 39 seats in Parliament as a result of major instability within the party. Now we are seeing a marked change in the feeling surrounding the SNP. While still unpopular with only 25% Scots approving of their government, they are slowly regaining lost ground. Once looking at losing control in the Scottish parliament, they are now projected to maintain a minority government, with a likely coalition with the Scottish Greens. They have managed to limit the damage done by previous leaders and maintain there place as a reasonable party with 37% of Scots saying they would still consider voting SNP.
John Swinney has been a stable pair of hands and has cemented himself as one of the more popular political figures in Scottish politics with a net favourability rating of -19. He represents the more left wing of the party and this has benefitted them to no end with the disillusionment of Labour voters, this has seen them become the most trusted on several issues across the NHS, education and standing up for Scotland.
Overall Rating: 6/10
They are not looking as dominant a force as they once were, with less popularity and trust and no signs of an independence referendum. However, it is undeniable they have saved their party from collapse, in part because of the failures of Labour but also the safe hands of John Swinney have steadied the ship and the SNP are looking good to stay as the largest party in the Scottish Parliament looking to 2026.
The Lib Dems have been quiet. That’s about it, they haven’t been getting too much media coverage and this is starting to frustrate Ed Davey. The Lib Dems have complained about their lack of coverage, with 72 MPs and Reform having just 5, the disproportionate coverage has caused great frustration within the party. In the lead up to the election, the strategy of gimmicks and goofs for Ed Davey worked in making him seem more “normal.” But, this seems to have been side-lined and once again the Lib Dems are on the outskirts of relevance despite having the 3rd most MPs. That says a lot about their year.
But, they are stable in the polls and, due to the first past the post system, are looking at significant gains in seats. Opinion polls have Ed Davey on a -13 net approval rating and being trusted most on issues surrounding the NHS and protecting public services.
Their stance on Gaza and Trump have been their biggest triumphs, it has successfully brought over younger, more liberal voters while not upsetting their current voters. This has seen a remarkable attenuation of their voters when compared to the volatile patterns seen in other parties. As the most vocal voice against Trump within parliament, unwavering in their unwillingness to appease someone Ed has said is trying to interfere in our politics, it has received great plaudits from critics of Trump within the UK. Especially after many have said Keir’s appeasement of Trump is weak and shows no backbone.
They had successful local elections with them jumping to have the 2nd most councillors in the selected councils as they gained 164 councillors. This has put them in prime position to claim to be the best party to take on Reform.
Overall Rating: 6.5/10
What first seems a very quiet year quickly becomes a triumph for the Lib Dems. Steady, quiet progress is being made, and in a highly volatile environment stability is hard come by. So if for now they’re in the background, it may be to their advantage. Not amazing but certainly not a bad year. Looking to 2026 I can expect them having influence in the Senedd with a potential coalition with Plaid if Plaid wish to avoid more cooperation with an unpopular Labour.
Had you asked me what I thought about the greens last year, even as an environmentalist, it would’ve been very tame and modest. Other than their general tree-hugging attitudes and liberal social policies I wouldn’t of been able to say much about who they really were. That couldn’t be more different than what we’re seeing now, whereby new Green party leader, Zack Polanski, is reinvigorating the British Left. After being elected leader in a landslide election with 85% of the vote, he quickly set in motion the fresh green agenda.
A self-proclaimed “eco-populist,” Zack wants to take a leaf out of Nigel Farage’s book. He wants the left to have some bite again and not be so apathetic as previous leaders have been. This has been reflected in his media strategy, where he has been very blunt and straight talking, attacking the right for it’s lies and distraction. One particularly strong case of this was when on Question Time, Zack brought to light the scandal of former Welsh Reform leader, Nathan Gill. After this, it became a major talking point of what was previously swept under the rug. It played a major role in the campaign of Plaid Cymru in the Caerphilly by-election and successfully slowed Reforms progress.
Zack has also made several viral videos on his socials. This change in strategy towards a more social media driven campaign is influenced by the success of Reform on TikTok and has highlighted it’s ability to connect with younger voters.
One weakness of the Greens year has been the emergence of another left wing party, Your Party. This has seen worry amongst many voters that the vote will be split, benefitting Reform. Conversations about a potential alliance with Your Party have been ignited, where they don’t run in constituencies where one of them is competitive. However, nothing has come from this yet and the historically stubborn Jeremy Corbyn may yet not be willing to cooperate.
The most significant advancement has been the surge in the polls. The greens are polling anywhere from 5th to 2nd, so it is hard to tell just how well Zack’s message is resonating with voters, but what is undeniable is the connection he has made with younger voters. The Greens are currently polling first with 18-24 year olds at a staggering 43% of the vote.
Overall Rating: 8/10
The election of Zack Polanski as leader is a master stroke from the Greens, he really is a charismatic leader and that is what the public wants, for better or for worse. Think Boris Johnson or Tony Blair, whether you liked them or not they got elected in spectacular fashion. The surge in the polls and significant increase in influence in the media means the Greens are beginning to act as a beacon for the left, something that had gone missing and is sorely needed after the embarrassment of Your Party. However, the lack of any concrete progress in elections means that I can’t give them anything more than an 8.
There is no doubt Reform are one of the biggest winners of the year with their far-right, populist talking points dictating the conversation, they haven’t just scared the establishment, they’ve sent it packing. For a party with just 5MPs they are influencing the policies of the incumbent Labour party. The major success in the local elections saw Reform gain 677 councillors.
They are currently leading the polls comfortably and if this trend continues we can expect to see Nigel Farage as the next PM in 2029, although 3 years is a long time in politics.
Slight faulters here and there but their domination is undeniable. The Scandal surrounding Nathan Gill taking bribes from Russia stalled their progress and impacted their push in Caerphilly but with the party having a reputation of scandals it never has too significant of an impact. It backwards to think but Reforms frequent scandals act as an amour too them as nothing grabs headlines as it isn’t surprising anymore.
A by-election win by 6 votes in Runcorn and Helsby was hailed as the catalyst to Labours demise. Recently elected Sarah Pochin later had a scandal over racist comments after saying it drove her “mad seeing adverts full of Black and Asian people.”
On top of this there have been surfaced allegations of racism towards Nigel Farage in his school days. This has seen 25 former students and teacher speak out against Nigel Farage.
The council elections, while initially a success have somewhat turned against Reform. Kent county council saw several Reform councillors being suspended for undermining the party through poor behaviour. Furthermore, council tax is set to increase by 5% despite DOGE promises of tax cuts and efficiency and an additional £75,000 being spent on flags alone, in Nottinghamshire. This is undermining the competency of Reform and highlights a major issue of theirs, the screening of their representatives may not be as intensive or strict as other established parties.
Overall Rating: 9/10
After hearing all of that you may think that I’m crazy to put them second but I think that the fact they continue to top the polls and show little sign of stopping says a lot about the sort of following and influence they have in the current political climate, influence they didn’t have to this extent last year. Going into 2026, they are in prime position to establish themselves in the Senedd and continue to cement themselves as the driving force behind Labours rightward shift. Everything we are seeing in modern UK politics is being done to appease Reform, and that is why they are my number two performing party for 2025.
Plaid Cymru have been quietly amazing, their campaigning in Wales has been effective and in the 2024 election, after the boundaries were redrawn it left 2 seats in jeopardy as the new boundaries favoured labour. But, they managed to win those 2 seats and maintain their 4 seats in parliament. This momentum has carried on into 2025 where they have been critical of Welsh Labour at the right times and cooperative at the right times.
The biggest success story without a doubt was the Caerphilly Senedd by-election. Prior to the election the pollsters had it neck and neck between Plaid and Reform with Reform favourites with a 71% chance of winning and Plaid back in 2nd with 33%. The results had Plaid win comfortably by 11%. It was believed tactical voting played a major role in the success of Plaid with many Labour, Green or Lib Dem voters switching to Plaid to keep Reform out. It had a 50% turnout, the largest turnout seen at a Senedd by-election.
This sees all signs pointing to an amazing result in the upcoming 2026 elections with current opinion polls showing a Plaid minority government will likely be formed. As a nationalist party, their aim is always for the Senedd elections and while they have said no independence election will be held in the first term, it is the first major step Wales is taking towards a completely new environment of politics. Welsh Labour, the previously most successful election winning machine in Europe, is being toppled and Plaid are there to pick up the pieces.
Overall Rating: 9.5/10
The Caerphilly by-election is the major factor here, to beat out the clear favourites Reform by such a significant margin was a statement victory and sent shivers down the Labour establishments back. There is no denying that Plaid are favourites looking ahead at the next Senedd elections and for the first time in Welsh history, a nationalist party will be control in the Senedd come 2026. I cannot see a fault in what Plaid have done, and with their priority being the Senedd elections it is looking ever-more likely that we will see this realised and that is why they have been crowned my most successful party of 2025.
A reminder!!! These are not my opinions on how much I like the parties, these are looing at the performances of the parties throughout the year by looking influence, media attention, popularity and polling etc….
