The Prospect Podcast The party is over: Is this the end for Labour and the Tories?
Jan 28, 2026
Philip Collins, incoming Prospect editor and former political speechwriter, explains why Labour and the Conservatives feel like hollowed-out “zombies.” He traces the long decline of class voting, Brexit’s accelerant role, and how Reform and Farage channel modern discontent. He also discusses why new parties sometimes succeed, the case for electoral reform, and how politics may shift toward coalitions and negotiation.
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The End Of Predictable Class Voting
- Class-based voting has eroded so occupational and income data no longer reliably predict party support.
- British politics now shows multiple parties each polling over 15% with no dominant party over 26%.
Brexit As Culmination And Catalyst
- Brexit acted as both culmination and accelerator of long-term partisan realignment.
- Cultural questions (immigration, gay marriage) now map voters more than class does.
Coherent Messaging Wins Tribal Voters
- New parties like Reform speak coherently to specific voter tribes that Labour and Conservatives no longer clearly represent.
- Coherence here means offering a single, consistent narrative for discontented voters.
