Turnout for the UK election 2024

@helenS The mathematical share is not that relevant in FPTP. I am broadly supportive of the Labour Party and believe a Labour government is best for our country, as I did in the 1990s and 2000s. However, I have lived all my life in constituencies where the local Labour candidate stands no chance against the Conservative or LD candidate or tones down their campaigning to boost the chances of another candidate. So I either vote for the best local candidate based on their own merits, or negatively to keep out another candidate (as I did on Thursday). My support for Labour, and I expect that of thousands of others in my constituency who also vote tactically, is not recorded in their share of the national vote (while that of the Lib Dems may be overstated).

@SunshineGirl I get that – tactical voting is all you can do, considering that quirky voting system: voting for Labour in your constituency, where Labor will definitely not win, would be the same as staying at home and not voting at all.
I wonder how many "tactical" voters there are in the UK?

@helenS It's definitely 'quirky', but on the whole it has worked in the past to return decisive majorities for large parties with a broad base of support. A referendum in 2011 clearly rejected any sort of electoral reform. However, if that consensus is now breaking down with the Conservatives abandoning the centre ground and a multitude of smaller parties cropping up, it may be time to revisit the question.

@helenS I can remember in 1974, when I was a politics student, at one of the general elections that year (there were two) the Labour party got 38%...but they only just squeaked into power. Nowadays, there is far more fragmentation. In my own constituency this time around, there were six names on the ballot paper. Only two had any real chance.