Politics Evidence Bank Paper 1
What are the functions of political parties?
- The key feature of a party is that it aims to become the government
- Parties will have clear leaders, with the slight exception of the greens who
sometimes have co-leaders.
- Parties will put up candidates for election to win power
- The party will develop policies and present these in a manifesto and aim to enact
them if they are elected into government
- Parties can have splits within them – e.g. conservative new right/one nation – but
they all agree overall
- Functions include:
Selecting a candidate: This is an important function and can impact party success.
Both labour and the conservative party have a selection committee which reviews
possible candidates, candidates are then shortlisted and local party members vote for
the final candidate.
E.G - In the 1990s, local labour parties in some constituencies used all women short
lists to promote gender equality. This brought forward MPs like Jacqui Smith + Maragret
Beckett.
On the other hand – reform has been criticised for acting too hastily in choosing
councillors to represent their party. 14 reform councillors have resigned since May
2025. As of 2026, this has increased to around 70. Ian Cooper had to resign because
racist posts linked to him were exposed, such as the advocation of European
supremacy
Policy: Probably the most significant one. A party’s main function is to shape their own
policy as this tells the electorate what the party stands for. Old labour did this extremely
well with Clause IV. Policies are significant because nowadays party loyalty isn’t as rigid
and people have turned to issue voting
Leadership: Parties will choose their leaders depending on who they believe is the most
competent to lead them into the next general election. MPs have to vote between 2
candidates. Parties have a responsibility to pick the best possible leader for their party –
someone who is popular and energetic – as was the case with Tony Blair in 1997,
representing a dynamic shift in the Labour party from Neil Kinnock + John Smith
,E.G - Tony Blair won the leadership race to John Prescott, receiving a total of 198 votes –
his leadership is what helped labour secure their historic landslide in the 1997 election
Choosing the wrong leaders can make or break a party. The daily star mocked Lizz Truss
+ went viral for doing a live stream of which would last longer, a cabbage or her
leadership.
Parties have the responsibility to remove their leaders if they are bringing down the party
– Andy Burnham attempted to challenge Starmer’s leadership and was supported by 50
MPs, but he was also blocked from taking part in the Gorton and Denton election.
Political Engagement: Parties have a significant function and that is to ensure that the
electorate remains engaged. This is especially important as turnout has declined
massively since the 1970s – as of 2024, it was 59%, the second lowest since universal
suffrage. Parties have mostly been responsible for this due to the various political
scandals they have brought upon themselves – such as the cash for honours scandal in
2006-7 – Tony blair making appointments to the lords based on loans from wealthy
individuals to help fund his political campaign – e.g. He appointed Dr Chai Patel
Starmer’s current scandal with Mandelson – being pressured by the foreign affairs
committee which is headed by a labour MP – Emily Thornberry. Starmer is being
investigated for misleading parliament about Mandelson – lying about the nature of his
appointment
Political Parties:
Conservative Party Thatcherite evidence:
- Economic policy: 2024 manifesto called for the abolition of national insurance
tax for self employed people
- 2024 government promised not to raise the rate of income tax, VAT, or national
insurance + pledges to continue cracking down on benefit fraud - “everyone who
can work should work” – links to thatcher’s idea of “ride one’s bike to find work”
(self-help + crusade to promote individualism)
- Liza truss’ disastrous “mini budget” + trickledown economics (decision to reduce
top rate of income tax) (links to thatcher’s Lasseiz faire economics, no state
involvement in the free market – similar economy to 80s America)
- 2013 = David Cameron privatised the Royal Mail (links with thatcher’s
privatisation crusade e.g. British gas 1986)
- David Cameron’s austerity – housing crisis due to failure to reverse Right to buy,
let to an increase of 1.8 to 3 million people on a waiting list for social housing
, - Under David Cameron, it is said that austerity policies for healthcare led to an
excess of 190,000 deaths, + a 3% increase in mortality rate. This was mainly due
to NHS underfunding – Ambulance response time fell from 96% to 89% in 2017 +
welfare cuts
- Kemi Badenoch: heavily advocates for lower taxes - ‘it is not the government
that creates growth it is the businesses’ - Badenoch says she wants a ‘financial
revolution’ based on no government intervention – very Thatcherite
Law and order policy: all Conservatives agree on this; tough on law and order
- 2024 conservative government promised additional police officers - Kemi
Badenoch has explicitly mentioned how her party wants to fund an extra 10,000
police officers to enforce a ‘broken windows’ style policy
- Robert Jenrick (when he was still a conservative MP) - called Hadsworth in
Birmingham one of the ‘worst integrated places’ he has ever been to.
- Thatcherite conservatives tend to also use immigration as a scape goat for
maintaining law and order – Rwanda plan pledge 2024, Australian style
immigration system (2019)
- Rishi Sunak’s ‘Stop the Boats campaign’
- As of April 2026 – planning to make indefinite leave to remain harder to obtain –
migrants must prove work and residence for 10 years – Kemi supports this
- Kemi also vows to deport 150,000 migrants as part of Conservative immigration
plan, wants to leave the ECHR to achieve this
Additional policy:
- 2024 pledge to bring back national service for 18-year-olds
- 2019 - Boris Johnson removed the whip from 21 one nation MPs who opposed a
hard Brexit, such as MP Rory Stewart
Welfare policy:
- 2024 under Sunak pledged to save £12billion annual welfare savings by
reforming disability benefits to crack down on fraudulent claims + tightening
assessments for work capability
- Badenoch has also vowed a 4.5 billion cut in disability benefits
Social policy:
- Kemi Badenoch has proposed amending the 2010 equality act that the
protected characteristic of “sex” refers to biological sex only – would lawfully
allow the exclusion of transgender women from women spaces + her recent
support of the Supreme Court ruling in regard to transgender women not being
What are the functions of political parties?
- The key feature of a party is that it aims to become the government
- Parties will have clear leaders, with the slight exception of the greens who
sometimes have co-leaders.
- Parties will put up candidates for election to win power
- The party will develop policies and present these in a manifesto and aim to enact
them if they are elected into government
- Parties can have splits within them – e.g. conservative new right/one nation – but
they all agree overall
- Functions include:
Selecting a candidate: This is an important function and can impact party success.
Both labour and the conservative party have a selection committee which reviews
possible candidates, candidates are then shortlisted and local party members vote for
the final candidate.
E.G - In the 1990s, local labour parties in some constituencies used all women short
lists to promote gender equality. This brought forward MPs like Jacqui Smith + Maragret
Beckett.
On the other hand – reform has been criticised for acting too hastily in choosing
councillors to represent their party. 14 reform councillors have resigned since May
2025. As of 2026, this has increased to around 70. Ian Cooper had to resign because
racist posts linked to him were exposed, such as the advocation of European
supremacy
Policy: Probably the most significant one. A party’s main function is to shape their own
policy as this tells the electorate what the party stands for. Old labour did this extremely
well with Clause IV. Policies are significant because nowadays party loyalty isn’t as rigid
and people have turned to issue voting
Leadership: Parties will choose their leaders depending on who they believe is the most
competent to lead them into the next general election. MPs have to vote between 2
candidates. Parties have a responsibility to pick the best possible leader for their party –
someone who is popular and energetic – as was the case with Tony Blair in 1997,
representing a dynamic shift in the Labour party from Neil Kinnock + John Smith
,E.G - Tony Blair won the leadership race to John Prescott, receiving a total of 198 votes –
his leadership is what helped labour secure their historic landslide in the 1997 election
Choosing the wrong leaders can make or break a party. The daily star mocked Lizz Truss
+ went viral for doing a live stream of which would last longer, a cabbage or her
leadership.
Parties have the responsibility to remove their leaders if they are bringing down the party
– Andy Burnham attempted to challenge Starmer’s leadership and was supported by 50
MPs, but he was also blocked from taking part in the Gorton and Denton election.
Political Engagement: Parties have a significant function and that is to ensure that the
electorate remains engaged. This is especially important as turnout has declined
massively since the 1970s – as of 2024, it was 59%, the second lowest since universal
suffrage. Parties have mostly been responsible for this due to the various political
scandals they have brought upon themselves – such as the cash for honours scandal in
2006-7 – Tony blair making appointments to the lords based on loans from wealthy
individuals to help fund his political campaign – e.g. He appointed Dr Chai Patel
Starmer’s current scandal with Mandelson – being pressured by the foreign affairs
committee which is headed by a labour MP – Emily Thornberry. Starmer is being
investigated for misleading parliament about Mandelson – lying about the nature of his
appointment
Political Parties:
Conservative Party Thatcherite evidence:
- Economic policy: 2024 manifesto called for the abolition of national insurance
tax for self employed people
- 2024 government promised not to raise the rate of income tax, VAT, or national
insurance + pledges to continue cracking down on benefit fraud - “everyone who
can work should work” – links to thatcher’s idea of “ride one’s bike to find work”
(self-help + crusade to promote individualism)
- Liza truss’ disastrous “mini budget” + trickledown economics (decision to reduce
top rate of income tax) (links to thatcher’s Lasseiz faire economics, no state
involvement in the free market – similar economy to 80s America)
- 2013 = David Cameron privatised the Royal Mail (links with thatcher’s
privatisation crusade e.g. British gas 1986)
- David Cameron’s austerity – housing crisis due to failure to reverse Right to buy,
let to an increase of 1.8 to 3 million people on a waiting list for social housing
, - Under David Cameron, it is said that austerity policies for healthcare led to an
excess of 190,000 deaths, + a 3% increase in mortality rate. This was mainly due
to NHS underfunding – Ambulance response time fell from 96% to 89% in 2017 +
welfare cuts
- Kemi Badenoch: heavily advocates for lower taxes - ‘it is not the government
that creates growth it is the businesses’ - Badenoch says she wants a ‘financial
revolution’ based on no government intervention – very Thatcherite
Law and order policy: all Conservatives agree on this; tough on law and order
- 2024 conservative government promised additional police officers - Kemi
Badenoch has explicitly mentioned how her party wants to fund an extra 10,000
police officers to enforce a ‘broken windows’ style policy
- Robert Jenrick (when he was still a conservative MP) - called Hadsworth in
Birmingham one of the ‘worst integrated places’ he has ever been to.
- Thatcherite conservatives tend to also use immigration as a scape goat for
maintaining law and order – Rwanda plan pledge 2024, Australian style
immigration system (2019)
- Rishi Sunak’s ‘Stop the Boats campaign’
- As of April 2026 – planning to make indefinite leave to remain harder to obtain –
migrants must prove work and residence for 10 years – Kemi supports this
- Kemi also vows to deport 150,000 migrants as part of Conservative immigration
plan, wants to leave the ECHR to achieve this
Additional policy:
- 2024 pledge to bring back national service for 18-year-olds
- 2019 - Boris Johnson removed the whip from 21 one nation MPs who opposed a
hard Brexit, such as MP Rory Stewart
Welfare policy:
- 2024 under Sunak pledged to save £12billion annual welfare savings by
reforming disability benefits to crack down on fraudulent claims + tightening
assessments for work capability
- Badenoch has also vowed a 4.5 billion cut in disability benefits
Social policy:
- Kemi Badenoch has proposed amending the 2010 equality act that the
protected characteristic of “sex” refers to biological sex only – would lawfully
allow the exclusion of transgender women from women spaces + her recent
support of the Supreme Court ruling in regard to transgender women not being
