What was the result of the 2024 UK General Election?

Labour won the July 2024 General Election with 412 seats and 33.7% of the vote, a majority of 174. The Conservatives collapsed to 121 seats with 23.7%, their worst result since 1906. Reform UK won 5 seats despite getting 14.3% of the national vote. The Liberal Democrats won 72 seats on 12.2%, the party best result since 1923.

Why did Reform UK win only 5 seats on 14.3% in 2024?

Reform UK 14.3% national vote was spread too evenly across constituencies. They came second in hundreds of seats but won very few outright. Under First Past the Post, evenly distributed national support translates into very few seats. This is why Reform UK is now targeting specific constituencies for 2029 rather than relying on broad national support.

Why did the SNP collapse from 48 to 9 seats in 2024?

The SNP fell from 48 to 9 seats in Scotland due to the resignation of Nicola Sturgeon and the subsequent SNP finances police investigation, the effective Labour recovery in Scotland under Anas Sarwar, and concentrated tactical voting by pro-union voters against SNP incumbents. The SNP vote share fell from 45% to 30% across Scotland.

What caused the Conservative collapse to 121 seats in 2024?

The Conservative collapse resulted from 14 years of government fatigue, the Liz Truss economic crisis of 2022 destroying the Conservative economic credibility, sustained NHS and cost-of-living failures, Rishi Sunak unpopularity, and Reform UK taking 14% of the national vote from former Conservative voters. At 121 seats, it was the party worst result since 1906.

Historical Election

2024 UK General Election Results

Q: How did Labour win 412 seats on only 33.7% of the vote?

First Past the Post rewarded Labour because their vote was geographically efficient. The vote-splitting between Conservatives and Reform UK allowed Labour to win many seats on pluralities as low as 30%. Labour 2024 result demonstrated that under FPTP a modest vote advantage across the right constituencies produces a landslide majority.

Q: How did the Liberal Democrats win 72 seats on 12.2%?

The Lib Dems ran a highly targeted Blue Wall strategy, concentrating resources in Conservative-held seats in rural and suburban southern England where anti-Conservative sentiment was highest. Their efficient targeting converted 12.2% of the vote into 72 seats. Ed Davey leadership and the focus on local issues in specific constituencies were central to the strategy that produced the party best result since 1923.

4 July 2024 — Labour won a historic landslide with 412 seats on 33.7% of the vote. Full results, analysis, and how the polls performed.

Keir Starmer Labour victory 2024 UK General Election landslide — Keir Starmer's Labour won a historic landslide with 412 seats on 4 July 2024 | BritPolls

412

Labour seats

121

Conservative seats

Reform UK seats

60%

turnout (approx.)

Full Results — 4 July 2024

Party	Seats	Vote %
Labour	412	33.7%
Conservatives	121	23.7%
Lib Dems	72	12.2%
Reform UK	5	14.3%
SNP	9	2.5%
Greens	4	6.7%
Plaid Cymru	4	0.7%
Other	23	6.2%

How the Polls Performed

The 2024 polls performed reasonably well in terms of final vote shares, though most underestimated the scale of the Conservative collapse and the Lib Dem surge. YouGov’s MRP was the standout performer: published two weeks before polling day, it projected Labour winning between 385 and 431 seats — the actual result (412) sat squarely in that range.

Party	Final polls avg.	Actual result	Error
Labour	35%	33.7%	-1.3pp
Conservatives	22%	23.7%	+1.7pp
Reform UK	16%	14.3%	-1.7pp
Lib Dems	11%	12.2%	+1.2pp
Greens	7%	6.7%	-0.3pp

Final poll average = average of last polls from YouGov, Ipsos, Survation, and Redfield & Wilton before election day.

Key findings — 2024 poll performance

Individual vote share errors were small (all within 2pp)
YouGov MRP seat projection was highly accurate (predicted 385–431 Labour seats)
Most polls slightly overestimated Reform UK and underestimated Conservatives
The Lib Dems outperformed polls in key seats due to strong tactical voting
Turnout (approx. 60%) was lower than most pollsters assumed

The FPTP Distortion

The 2024 result illustrates the dramatic distortions of First Past the Post. Reform UK won 14.3% of the vote — more than the Lib Dems (12.2%) — yet won only 5 seats compared to 72 for the Lib Dems. Under proportional representation, Reform would have won roughly 93 seats.

Party	FPTP	PR est.
Labour	412	219
Conservatives	121	154
Lib Dems	72	79
Reform UK	5	93
Greens	4	44
SNP	9	16

PR estimate based on proportional allocation of 650 seats to national vote share. Approximate only.

How did Labour win 412 seats on only 33.7% of the vote?

First Past the Post rewards geographically concentrated support. Labour’s vote was efficient — spread across just enough constituencies to win them. The vote-splitting between Conservatives and Reform UK handed Labour many seats. FPTP explained →

Why did Reform UK win only 5 seats on 14.3% of the vote?

Reform UK’s vote was spread too evenly across constituencies. They came second in many seats but won very few outright. Under FPTP you need concentrated, majority support in individual seats — not a broad national spread. Model what would happen under different vote shares →

How did the polls do in 2024?

Relatively well. Individual vote share errors were within 2pp. YouGov’s MRP projected 385–431 Labour seats; the actual result was 412. The main miss was Lib Dem over-performance in specific constituencies, driven by tactical voting that standard polls do not capture. MRP polling explained →

How did the Liberal Democrats win 72 seats on 12.2% of the vote?

Ed Davey ran a precision targeting campaign focused on Blue Wall Conservative-held seats in rural and suburban southern England. By concentrating campaign resources, selecting strong local candidates, and capitalising on NHS, local services and anti-Conservative sentiment in these seats, the Lib Dems converted 12.2% nationally into 72 seats — their best result since 1923. It is the most efficient vote-to-seat conversion of any party in the 2024 election. Lib Dems tracker →

What caused the Conservative collapse to 121 seats?

Multiple compounding factors: the Liz Truss 2022 mini-budget destroyed Conservative economic credibility; 14 years of government fatigue; NHS and cost-of-living failures; Reform UK taking 14% of the national vote primarily from former Conservative supporters; and Rishi Sunak’s personal unpopularity as a late-term leader with no route to recovery. At 121 seats, it was the Conservatives’ worst result since 1906 — worse than 1997. Conservative tracker →

Sources & Further Reading

Official 2024 General Election results are published by the Electoral Commission: 2024 General Election. See also our 2024 detailed results page and pollster accuracy at GE2024.