Blue Collar Conservatism: How the Conservative Party won the working-class vote in 2019
The UK’s general election of 2019 saw the victorious Conservative Party achieve their highest number of seats in the House of Commons since 1987, whilst Labour returned their lowest number since 1935. (Audickas et al., 2020) Although many factors had a role to play in the overwhelming success of the Conservatives, undoubtably the main concern preceding the election was the issue of Brexit. The impact of this was highlighted in Labour’s loss of seats in their ‘red wall’ areas of the north and midlands of England, ones which previously were strongholds for the party, but in 2019 were won by the Conservatives. This is an indication of the rightward shift of the white British working classes in recent years, with Brexit bringing issues such as anti-immigration and social issues to the fore.
The ideological cleavage of British politics began to narrow during Tony Blair’s New Labour era, with the party seeing a surge of support among the middle-classes during his time as Prime Minister. Evidence of this is shown equally through the coalition government of the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats from 2010 to 2015, the first of its kind since the end of World War II. The rise of the right-wing populist UKIP in the early 2010s among the white working-class and the election of Jeremy Corbyn, a socialist of middle-class background, as Labour Party leader in 2015, highlighted the consolidation of the abandonment of voting along class lines in the 21st century.
The right-wing shift that emerged in the previous ‘red wall’ areas in the north and midlands of England in 2019 was down to several factors. Undoubtedly, Brexit had a key role to play. The Conservative Party pledge to ‘get Brexit done’ versus Labour’s less than ‘compelling narrative about the UK’s future’, gave them an automatic advantage. (Kenny, 2016; p. 90) The Conservatives capitalised on the growing working-class discontentment of EU membership when it came to areas such as migration and the economy. However, the Labour Party under Corbyn had a much vaguer view of what future EU membership would consist of. Corbyn, who had been a previous left-wing Eurosceptic, had the challenge of appealing to his educated, cosmopolitan voters in urban areas, who were the main beneficiaries of the UK’s membership of the EU, whilst also staying true to his left-wing principles.
As a result of this, the Conservatives also capitalised on the demographical change on the ‘us versus them’ idea. Which had previously been used as a tool for working-class mobilisation against the Conservative backed elites, was now being used by those behind the Leave campaign to refer to those in Brussels. The impact of many of the UK’s population voting beyond their classes is highlighted in that ‘the influence of class, income and left-right ideology…weakened while the influence of education, age and identity attachments have strengthened.’ (Sobolewska and Ford, 2020) The problem for the Conservatives in the lead up to the 2024 general election will be how they will sustain this vote with Brexit in the back of many voter’s minds and issues regarding the economy and rising living costs plaguing the party.
The more pragmatic approach of the Labour Party under Keir Starmer’s leadership indicates that there may be a return of some of the previous red wall seats in the upcoming election. The Conservative success in mobilising working-class voters from previous Labour strongholds has led Labour to reinvent itself. Whilst continuing the economically liberal proposals from the Corbyn era, albeit less radical with Corbyn being in favour of mass nationalisation of key sectors, Starmer has aimed to appeal to the working classes who felt they were somewhat left behind in the years preceding his leadership. Starmer has the issue of retaining the votes of those who voted for Labour under Corbyn in 2019, such as the left of the party’s voter base, whilst also winning back those who flipped the red wall in 2019. In order to appeal to those white working-classes who voted Conservative in 2019, the party will aim to find a common cause that galvanises support, such as the Tories and Brexit, which will most likely aim to capitalise on the growing economic difficulties that have arisen under the Conservative Party since Brexit.
To conclude, the Conservative Party had considerable success in taking advantage of the growing discontent of the white working classes in the aftermath of the 2016 Brexit referendum. It may be argued that this was merely a short-term solution for many of those in previous Labour strongholds who still had the impact of Brexit firmly in their minds in 2019. However, the long-term impact may be a result of the working-classes in areas such as the north regarding themselves as ‘left-behind people against multiculturalism, cosmopolitanism, and political correctness.’ (Solvetti, 2022) The question of whether Labour can return the red wall to vote along class lines is one of the burning questions in the lead up to the 2024 general election.
Bibliography
Audickas, L., Loft, P. and Cracknell, R. (2020). UK Election Statistics: 1918-2019 – A century of elections. House of Commons Library. [online] Available at: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-7529/
CNN, ‘How Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson would change the UK economy’, available at https://edition.cnn.com/2019/12/10/economy/jeremy-corbyn-uk-election-economy-ge19/index.html
Flanagan, B. (2019). How the country voted . Available at: https://edition.cnn.com/uk/live-news/uk-election-day-2019-dle-ge19-gbr-intl/index.html.
Kenny, M. (2016). Ideological Politics and the Party System. In: R. Heffernan, C. Hay, M. Russell and P. Cowley, eds., Developments in British Politics. London: Palgrave, p.90.
Sobolewska, M. and Ford, R. (2020). ‘Brexit and Britain’s Culture Wars’ in Political Insight, 11(1).
Solivetti, L.M. (2022) “Economic Reformism vs Sociocultural Conservativism: Parties’ Programmes, Voters’ Attitudes and Territorial Features in the UK General Elections 2019”, Social Sciences. 11(10) pp. 469.
The author possesses a great deal of knowledge on the conservative party winning the working class vote in the 2019 election and this is evident throughout the blog post. The narrowing of the political cleavage under Tony Blair was particularly interesting and the author added that this saw a surge of middle-class vote to the Labour Party and that under Corbyn voting among class lines was abandoned.
I would add to this post that the Conservative Party’s success in the 2019 general election could also be explained through their ability to become the leaders of a hard Brexit. As the author mentioned UKIP came to prominence among white working-class voters in the 2010s and it could be argued that their influence pushed the conservative party into calling for a referendum on EU membership. After the referendum however, the mantle of leaders of a hard Brexit was taken by the conservative party and their pro-Brexit Prime Ministers especially Boris Johnson, who was one of the leaders of the campaign to leave the EU. This allowed the party to appeal to the voters who would have voted for UKIP as Johnson used populist tactics and his pro-Brexit stance to win over working-class voters.
This blog offers a comprehensive analysis of UK 2019 general election trends, with a particular focus on the Red Wall turning Blue and its implications. Further, this blog effectively states the factors contributing to the Conservative Party’s success, notably their firm pro-Brexit stance compared to Labour’s weaker position. By assessing the strengths and weaknesses of each party’s approach, the blog provides readers with a nuanced understanding of the political landscape. Brexit emerges as a central theme in the 2019 election, shaping the voting behaviour of constituencies in the “red wall.” The analysis effectively highlights Brexit’s impact on electoral outcomes. However, the examination could benefit from considering other factors, such as the leadership styles of key politicians. An argument could be made that the leadership of Boris Johnson and his personality was a significant factor alone was a vital factor to the Conservatives turning the red wall, blue. Overall this blog is well-written, maintaining a clear focus on Brexit and its ramifications for electoral dynamics particularly within the Red Wall.
This blog provides an in-depth analysis of how the Conservative Party secured the working-class vote in the 2019 elections by strategically embracing Blue-Collar Conservatism. It delves into how the Conservative Party tailored its language and programmes to cater specifically to historically non-Conservative supporters, demonstrating the effectiveness of their strategy. However, the post might be expanded by looking at the other parties’ different strategies, notably the Labour Party.
Under its leadership at the time, the Labour Party appeared to shift its efforts to broad, progressive causes, possibly overlooking the urgent and localised concerns of its historic working-class membership. This observed mismatch may have contributed greatly to the working class’s shift in favour of Conservatives. Examining this element might offer a more complete view of the electoral dynamics at play, emphasising both the Conservatives’ achievements and the opposition’s errors.
Furthermore, an examination of the media’s involvement in affecting the public’s view throughout the election might provide another dimension to this debate. The media’s presentation of both parties’ campaigns, particularly how they tackled working-class economic fears and cultural feelings, is likely to have had a considerable impact on voter behaviour.
Combining these perspectives—opposition strategy and media influence—would provide a more comprehensive understanding of the variables that contributed to the shift in working-class voting in 2019. This in-depth examination would not only add to the current discussion, however additionally offer valuable insights into effective political engagement with this important voter cohort in future elections.
The author presents an article which shows great understanding and analysis of the 2019 election trends, discussing how the red wall was broken and the consequences of this. I like how the article focuses on the differences in narrative framing with regards to different parties’ Brexit plan and also touches upon the actions of the conservative party catering to the needs of the growing working-class discontentment. To add to this blog, I would include and analyse other factors which seem to influence who individuals vote for like age, gender and education level to name a few. Overall, this is a very informative blog post with great analysis.
The Blog Post carries out extensive research as to why the Conservatives experienced such success in the 2019 General Election. The most intriguing part is how Brexit impacted the Conservative’s success in winning the working-class vote and ultimately dismantling the Red Wall. Furthermore, regarding how class politics still alters the outcomes of various results, the author recognises coming up to the next general election that many have already forgotten about the Brexit referendum. In addition to this the way in which the loss of the red wall has caused the Labour party to “reinvent itself” as a consequence. However, I feel as if greater weight could’ve been placed upon the individual politicians and their role as opposed to purely the parties. It was varying Conservative MP’s who were able to engage Labour voters during the Brexit referendum. For example, it should be seen as no coincidence that the leader of the Conservative Party Boris Johnson was also one of the primary voices in Pro-Brexit suggestions. Furthermore, these attributes combined with his personable media perception likely helped sway many previous Labour voters.
This is a very interesting post which offers valuable insights into the shifting political dynamics of the UK, particularly the working-class vote and its role in the 2019 General Election. I have some thoughts about factors other than Brexit and economic concerns that may have influenced this electoral outcome that I’d like to add to the discussion: issues related to identity, cultural values, and national pride likely played a significant role in mobilising working-class voters behind the Conservative Party. The narrative of “taking back control” and asserting sovereignty resonated with many voters who felt disillusioned with the perceived erosion of national identity and sovereignty under EU membership. This sentiment was particularly pronounced in regions where industries and communities had experienced economic decline and felt disconnected from the political establishment. Furthermore, the Conservative Party’s emphasis on traditional values and social conservatism may have appealed to working-class voters who felt alienated by what they perceived as the metropolitan liberalism of the Labour Party. Issues such as immigration, law and order, and national security were central to the Conservative Party’s messaging and resonated with segments of the working-class electorate who prioritised these concerns.
This Blog post provides a thorough analysis of the ever-changing political landscape in Britain, I enjoyed how the author highlights the dramatic impact Brexit had on conservative success in 2019. The author also gives insight into how the conservative party captured the heart of the working class by focusing on harsh anti-immigration policies, completely reshaping the political map in the north and midlands of England, the author also articulates the challenges the election caused for the labour party. It is interesting to see the examination of ideological shifts within the working class, It will be interesting to see how Labour’s more pragmatic approach under Keir Starmer will play out and whether it can successfully address the economic concerns that have redefined the political terrain in recent years. Overall this blog post is well formatted, easy to read with the addition of visual aid tools, setting the stage for an intriguing political battle in the coming years.