Political fragmentation and what it means for financial planning

Reform's tally of 677 council seats represented 41% of all those being contested

clock • 5 min read

Phillip Wickenden assesses last week's local election results and spells out what it could mean for financial advisers, with a bit of input from his dear dad...

At the 2024 general election Reform secured 14% of the vote but just 5 out of 650 seats at Westminster. The First Past the Post (FPTP) system is designed to work for a two-horse race, but the UK is now a country with more runners and riders. The fragmentation caused by populism, political polarisation and a (not so healthy) dose of disappointment, blows the race wide open. And crucially, as last week's local elections made abundantly clear, Nige is no nag. In fact, the going is good for a Reform UK that, having undergone significant professionalisation, has the measure of the racecourse ...

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