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69-525: The Charter was first published in May 1947. It was the outcome of a process of rethinking brought about by the Conservative's landslide defeat in the 1945 United Kingdom general election . This process had begun a year earlier when the party's newly extended Research Department began work on defining a policy that was both Conservative and progressive. The policy statement was accepted on 2 October 1947 at

138-432: A colonel's uniform, was not nearly as popular with soldiers at the front as with officers and civilians. Burgess noted that Churchill often smoked cigars in front of soldiers who had not had a decent cigarette in days. In addition to the poor Conservative general election strategy, Churchill went so far as to accuse Attlee of seeking to behave as a dictator, despite Attlee's service as part of Churchill's war cabinet. In

207-412: A consensus that social changes were needed. The Conservatives were not willing to make the same changes that Labour proposed, and appeared out of step with public opinion. Labour played to the concept of "winning the peace" that would follow the war. Possibly for that reason, there was especially strong support for Labour in the armed services , which feared the unemployment and homelessness to which

276-506: A form recording the number of postal ballot packs received by the presiding officer. Candidates and their agents, representatives of the Electoral Commission and accredited observers are entitled to observe the opening of postal ballot packs – the returning officer must give candidates and their agents at least 48 hours' written notice of the time and location of every opening session of postal ballot packs. After emptying

345-462: A list. The postal ballot papers are counted and finally placed in the postal ballot boxes) , except for rejected postal ballot papers and postal ballot papers which have the same unique identification number as rejected postal voting statements. The postal ballot boxes are securely sealed by the returning officer (candidates and agents can also apply their own seals). At the count, the postal ballot boxes have their seals broken, are opened and then

414-623: A majority vote less than two months after the conclusion of the Second World War in Europe. The election's campaigning was focused on leadership of the country and its postwar future. Churchill sought to use his wartime popularity as part of his campaign to keep the Conservatives in power after a wartime coalition had been in place since 1940 with the other political parties, but he faced questions from public opinion surrounding

483-426: A new housing policy . The report was extremely popular, and copies of its findings were widely purchased, turning it into a best-seller. The Labour Party adopted the report eagerly, and the Conservatives (including Churchill, who did not regard the reforms as socialist) accepted many of the principles of the report, but claimed that they were not affordable. Labour offered a new comprehensive welfare policy, reflecting

552-420: A postal ballot pack in the post (or of the postal ballot paper and postal voting statement if sent separately), the returning officer places it inside the postal voters' ballot box allocated to the particular constituency/ward. If a presiding officer receives a postal ballot pack in a polling station, it is sealed inside a packet which is later delivered to the returning officer at the close of poll together with

621-691: A postal vote (known as postal voting on demand ) without giving a reason, apart from in Northern Ireland , where postal voting is available only if it would be unreasonable to expect a voter to go to a polling station on polling day as a result of employment, disability or education restrictions. Prior to 2001, postal votes had been available since 1948 only to those unable to attend a polling station for reasons of ill health, employment or planned holiday away from home and to some electors living on small islands where they would need to cross water to reach their polling station. Before 1985, holidays were not

690-513: A postal vote due to absence "by reason of employment", without the necessity to distinguish between one type of employment or another." The committee also called for voters absent on holiday to have the right to apply for a postal vote. The government responded to the committee's report in January 1984 and expressed some concern at the increased opportunities for electoral abuse offered by absent voting (especially postal voting) and in particular by

759-621: A postwar Britain. In May 1945, when the war in Europe ended, Churchill's approval ratings stood at 83%, but the Labour Party had held an 18% poll lead as of February 1945. The polls for some seats were delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July because of local wakes weeks . The results were counted and declared on 26 July to allow time to transport the votes of those serving overseas. Victory over Japan Day ensued on 15 August. The caretaker government , led by Churchill,

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828-524: A propaganda failure as it failed to reach its intended audience. This is backed up by a report conducted by Mass Observation which found that eighty per cent of a sample had no knowledge at all of the Charter in the month after its publication. Although perhaps not as pivotal a moment of the Conservative Party's history as often claimed, the Charter remains historically symbolic as marking

897-564: A public show of hands or by a public ballot. The right to vote by secret ballot was introduced by the Parliamentary and Municipal Elections Act 1872 (the Ballot Act 1872 ). After this voting took place at polling stations where voters marked their votes in secret and placed their ballot papers in a closed box. Absent voting was first introduced for the immediate post-war period in 1918 for servicemen and others prevented by reason of

966-563: A reason, apart from in Northern Ireland , where postal voting is available only if it would be unreasonable to expect a voter to go to a polling station on polling day as a result of employment, disability or education restrictions. Pilots in 2003 and 2004 showed a significant increase in turnout where postal voting was trialled and no evidence of an increase in electoral fraud. However, a 2016 government report found postal voting to be vulnerable to "fraud, undue influence, theft and tampering." Voting at elections originally took place by way of

1035-468: A rolling back of the state and urged that a 'sense of realism, free opportunity, incentives and justice' should 'inspire all industrial policy'. The Charter and a shortened 'popular' version were generally well received, sold an estimated 2.5 million copies and have often been thought to have helped "rehabilitate" the Conservative Party after 1945. Churchill, Leader of the Opposition, held a dinner at

1104-415: A signature waiver has been granted or if the voter is an anonymous elector). It is strongly recommended that postal voting statement and envelope "A" (containing the ballot paper) be placed and sealed inside the larger envelope "B" when returned, although this is not a requirement. The vote can be posted back to the returning officer at the local authority address (postage is prepaid when returned from within

1173-575: A sufficient reason, and the employment criterion allowed only some professions. After the introduction of on-demand postal voting in the UK, there has been a massive uptake in postal voting. Whilst in 2001 1.8 million postal ballots were distributed to voters, this has increased to more than 8 million postal ballots by the UK 2017 general election and represented one in every five ballots cast in 2019 United Kingdom general election . Of those who opt for postal voting,

1242-538: A system of social security . The manifesto proved popular with the electorate, selling one and a half million copies. The Conservative manifesto, Mr. Churchill's Declaration to the Voters , on the other hand, included progressive ideas on key social issues but was relatively vague on the idea of postwar economic control, and the party was associated with high levels of unemployment in the 1930s. It failed to convince voters that it could effectively deal with unemployment in

1311-575: The 1951 general election . For the Liberal National Party the election was their last as a distinct party, as they merged with the Conservatives in 1947 while Ernest Brown resigned from politics in the aftermath of the election. Held less than two months following VE Day , this was the first general election since 1935 , as general elections had been suspended by Parliament during the Second World War . Clement Attlee ,

1380-491: The Electoral Office for Northern Ireland if in Northern Ireland ) stating whether they want their ballot paper to be sent for one single election, all elections until a specified date or indefinitely. They must also submit their date of birth, and signature specimen on the form (or apply for a grant of a signature waiver due to a disability or inability to read or write ). In addition, if a person eligible to vote in

1449-565: The Home Affairs Select Committee criticised the categories of absent voters who were allowed to vote by post. The Committee made clear that they would not wish absent voting facilities to be made available to everybody on demand but recommended that "the Home Office should review the existing criteria for eligibility for absent voting facilities, and in particular we suggest that it would be permissible to apply for

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1518-717: The Representation of the People Act 1948 granted postal voting facilities to both service personnel and to certain groups of civilians including those who were physically incapacitated, those unable to vote without making a journey by sea or air or because of the nature of their occupation, and those who were no longer residing at their qualifying address. All had to provide an address in the UK to which ballot papers could be sent. Service personnel could, alternatively, vote by proxy if they were likely to be at sea or abroad on polling day. In 1983, in its review of electoral law,

1587-485: The United Kingdom is chosen by another voter to be his/her proxy, the proxy can apply to vote by post. To receive a postal vote for an election, the postal vote application must have been received by the electoral registration officer by 5   p.m. eleven working days before polling day. Returning officers issue and despatch postal ballot packs at 5   p.m. on the eleventh working day before polling day at

1656-401: The postal voters' ballot box , the postal voting statements and envelopes marked "A"/loose postal ballot papers are separated into two different groups. The returning officer is required to verify the date of birth and signature filled in on at least 20% of the postal voting statements from each postal voters ballot box with the details provided on the original postal vote application forms. If

1725-791: The Charter until after publication. It was said by the Tory Right that the Industrial Charter would “amalgamate the Tory party with the YMCA”. The document caused a notable degree of debate at the October 1947 Conservative Party Conference. Harold Macmillan managed to persuade the press that the Charter was derived from his 1930s book “The Middle Way”, a claim echoed by Quintin Hogg . This

1794-682: The Conservative Party two years later although they continued to exist as a subsidiary party of the Conservatives until 1968. Future prominent figures who entered Parliament included Harold Wilson , James Callaghan , Barbara Castle , Michael Foot and Hugh Gaitskell . Future Conservative Prime Minister Harold Macmillan lost his seat, but he returned to Parliament at a by-election later that year. Ralph Ingersoll reported in late 1940: "Everywhere I went in London people admired [Churchill's] energy, his courage, his singleness of purpose. People said they didn't know what Britain would do without him. He

1863-492: The Conservative loss of initiative, wide fears of a return to the high unemployment of the 1930s, the theme that socialist planning would be more efficient in operating the economy, and the mistaken belief that Churchill would continue as prime minister regardless of the result. The greatest factor in Labour's dramatic win appeared to be its policy of social reform . In one opinion poll, 41% of respondents considered housing to be

1932-558: The Conservative's Annual Conference being held in Brighton. The Industrial Charter was a collection of distinct economic policies and included a separate "Pledge to the Consumer", a "Woman's Charter" and a "Workers' Charter". It accepted the idea of a mixed economy , gave a commitment that the party would protect labour rights , stressed the need for fairness and opposed protectionism . Its emphasis was, though, placed squarely upon

2001-569: The Conservatives tied on 45%. Absentee voting in the United Kingdom Absentee voting in the United Kingdom is allowed by proxy or post (known as postal voting on demand ) for any elector. Proxy voting is allowed for people who will be away, working, or medically disabled. Anyone eligible to vote in the election may be a proxy for close relatives and two unrelated people. Postal voting does not require

2070-449: The Conservatives were confident of victory and based much of their election campaign on that, rather than proposing new programmes. However, people distinguished between Churchill and his party, a contrast that Labour repeatedly emphasised throughout the campaign. Voters also harboured doubts over Churchill's ability to lead the country on the domestic front. The writer and soldier Anthony Burgess remarked that Churchill, who then often wore

2139-529: The Conservatives' actions in the 1930s and his ability to handle domestic issues unrelated to warfare. Clement Attlee , leader of the Labour Party , had been Deputy Prime Minister in the wartime coalition in 1940–1945 and was seen as a more competent leader by voters, particularly those who feared a return to the levels of unemployment in the 1930s and sought a strong figurehead in British politics to lead

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2208-528: The Electoral Commission, candidates, elected representatives, government departments, police forces, registered political parties and local constituency parties. In the United Kingdom a 2016 government inquiry found that postal voting "was considered by some to be the UK's main electoral vulnerability and to provide the 'best' opportunity for electoral fraud... Evidence was presented of pressure being put on vulnerable members of some ethnic minority communities, particularly women and young people, to vote according to

2277-555: The Home Office, published its report in October 1999. The working party recommended that The Representation of the People Act 2000 implemented the Howarth report's recommendations. The Representation of the People (England & Wales) Regulations 2001 introduced the changes to the absent voting arrangements from 16 February 2001. The main change was to allow postal voting on demand. Since 2001, any elector has been entitled to request

2346-522: The Savoy and complimented the Charter to Rab Butler , who was in charge of the party's policy-making apparatus, but never formally adopted it as party policy. It was published on 12 May 1947. It was praised loudly by every paper apart from the Labour Herald . Churchill, who is said to have commented “but I do not agree with a word of this” to Reginald Maudling ’s five-line summary, did not endorse

2415-446: The UK government passed legislation to permit local authorities to apply to pilot innovations in the method of voting at local elections (including all-postal voting, electronic voting , and voting at weekends), with the first pilot elections being held in May that year. In May 2000, 2002 and 2003, many local authorities piloted all-postal voting at their local elections. In May 2003, 35 local authorities did so. The outcome of those pilots

2484-476: The United Kingdom), or returned in person to the returning officer at the local authority office, or directly handed in to a polling station on polling day (but only one which is situated within the constituency/ward marked on envelopes "A"/"B"). For the vote to be counted, it must reach the returning officer/polling station by the close of poll (usually 10   p.m. on polling day). Upon receipt of

2553-458: The acceptance of the post-war consensus that would later be satirised as Butskellism . This owes much to the significance later imbued into the document by those responsible for its publication. 1945 United Kingdom general election Winston Churchill Conservative Clement Attlee Labour The 1945 United Kingdom general election was a national election held on Thursday 5 July 1945, but polling in some constituencies

2622-504: The chance of rejecting valid ballots based on signature mis-matches. The same 2016 report identified 330 allegations of voting offences from 2012 to 2015, of which at least 97 involved postal ballots. It also lists four "significant election court cases since 2004", of which three involved postal votes. The postal vote fraud at the 2004 European and local government elections in Birmingham received wide press attention. In 2000,

2691-406: The cover envelope a ballot paper, two envelopes ("A" and "B") and a postal voting statement. Postal ballot papers contain the following design, security and identification features on the reverse: When issuing each postal ballot paper, the officer marks on a list (called the corresponding number list ) next to the postal ballot's unique identification number the elector number of the voter to whom

2760-678: The details do not match, then the postal voting statement is rejected. The returning officer makes a mark next to the name of the voter on the postal voters list for each postal voting statement received, even if it is selected for verification and rejected. On a separate list, the returning officer must write down the unique identification numbers of postal voting statements which were chosen for verification and subsequently rejected. The returning officer then compiles all loose postal ballot papers together with postal ballot papers having been removed from envelopes marked "A". The unique identification numbers of all rejected postal ballot papers are noted on

2829-485: The earliest. The issuing of postal ballots is not open to the scrutiny of candidates and their agents; by law, only the returning officers, their staff, representatives of the Electoral Commission and accredited observers are permitted to attend. Some returning officers produce postal ballot packs in house, whilst others outsource the process to an external company. Each postal ballot pack contains inside

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2898-554: The electorate its domestic competence in government, under men such as Attlee as Deputy Prime Minister , Herbert Morrison at the Home Office and Ernest Bevin at the Ministry of Labour . The differing wartime strategies of the two parties likewise gave Labour an advantage. Labour continued to attack prewar Conservative governments for their inactivity in tackling Hitler, reviving the economy and rearming Britain, but Churchill

2967-412: The extent and nature of electoral abuse, including the abuse of postal voting. Further amendments were made to the rules governing absent voting in the Representation of the People Act 1989 . By 1999 the system of postal and proxy voting for those unable to vote at polling stations was seen as cumbersome and complex. A Working Party on Electoral Procedures chaired by George Howarth , Minister of State at

3036-466: The first time that the Labour Party had won an outright majority in Parliament, and allowed Attlee to begin implementing the party's post-war reforms for the country. For the Conservatives, the Labour victory was a shock, as they suffered a net loss of 189 seats although they won 36.2% of the vote and had campaigned on the mistaken belief that Churchill would win as people praised his progression of

3105-562: The first time, which would remain the record turnover until 2024 . The 10.7% swing from the Conservatives to an opposition party is the largest since the Acts of Union 1800 ; the Conservative loss of the vote exceeded that of the 1906 Liberal landslide ousting of a Conservative administration. It was also the first election since 1906 in which the Conservatives did not win the popular vote. Churchill remained actively involved in politics and returned as prime minister after leading his party into

3174-466: The great wartime leader" and "Churchill the peacetime politician" and argued the case for public control of industry. Another blow to the Conservative campaign was the memory of the 1930s policy of appeasement , conducted by Churchill's Conservative predecessors, Neville Chamberlain and Stanley Baldwin , that had been widely discredited for allowing Adolf Hitler 's Germany to become too powerful. Labour had strongly advocated appeasement until 1938, but

3243-462: The individual and the document was highly-critical of its opponents. The Labour Party's attempts at economic planning were criticised for having created an incompetent and swollen civil service focused on administering a multitude of overlapping and unnecessary restrictions. It argued that the party had removed economic incentives and enforced a 'rigid straight jacket (sic) of doctrinaire political theory…[and] unnecessary controls'. Instead it called for

3312-556: The interwar period had been dominated by Conservatives. With the exception of two brief minority Labour governments in 1924 and 1929–1931, the Conservatives had been in power for all of the interwar period. As a result, the Conservatives were generally blamed for the era's mistakes: appeasement, inflation and the unemployment of the Great Depression . Many voters felt that although the First World War had been won,

3381-528: The leader of the Labour Party , refused Winston Churchill 's offer of continuing the wartime coalition until the Allied defeat of Japan . On 15 June, King George VI dissolved Parliament, which had been sitting for nearly ten years without an election. The Labour manifesto, Let Us Face the Future , included promises of nationalisation , economic planning , full employment , a National Health Service , and

3450-447: The majority appear to do so out of the convenience the process provides. Individuals who are older or suffer from limitations on their physical mobility are significantly more inclined to opt for the convenience of mail-in ballots than their younger and more physically mobile peers. Registered voters who wish to vote by post must submit an additional application form to the electoral registration officer at their local authority (or to

3519-421: The most famous incident of the campaign, Churchill's first election broadcast on 4 June backfired dramatically and memorably. Denouncing his former coalition partners, he declared that Labour "would have to fall back on some form of a Gestapo " to impose socialism on Britain. Attlee responded the next night by ironically thanking the prime minister for demonstrating to the people the difference between "Churchill

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3588-479: The most important issue that faced the country, 15% stated the Labour policy of full employment, 7% mentioned social security, 6% nationalisation, and just 5% international security, which was emphasised by the Conservatives. The Beveridge Report , published in 1942, proposed the creation of a welfare state. It called for a dramatic turn in British social policy, with provision for nationalised healthcare , expansion of state-funded education , National Insurance and

3657-434: The nature of their occupation…from voting at a poll by the Representation of the People Act 1918 . Armed forces still serving overseas at the end of World War I were allowed to vote by post, and permanent arrangements were made for proxy voting by servicemen. The Representation of the People Act 1945 again made temporary provision for postal voting by service voters. Postal voting was not extended to civilians until 1948 when

3726-468: The peace that followed had been lost. All comparisons are with the winning party in the 1935 election; the aim is to provide a comparison with the previous general election. This list includes seats where the incumbent was standing down and therefore there was no possibility of a particular person being defeated. Polls showed a lead for Labour since 1943, except for one poll in June 1945 when both Labour and

3795-432: The postal ballot is sent, and then makes a mark next to the voter's name in a separate list of postal voters. The unique identification number of the postal ballot paper is also marked on the postal voting statement sent within the postal ballot pack. The local authority name and address and the name of the constituency/ward are printed on both envelopes "A" and "B". Once all ballot papers for an election have been issued by

3864-462: The postal ballot papers are counted. Voters can contact the returning officer to check that their postal voting packs (or their postal voting statements and their postal ballot papers) have been received – however a response can only be given after an opening session since the returning officer will have to refer to the postal voters list. At the end of an election, the marked postal voter lists are open for public inspection and also can be purchased by

3933-471: The postwar rebuilding of the country. Opinion polls when the election was called showed strong approval ratings for Churchill, but Labour had gradually gained support for months before the war's conclusion. The final result of the election showed Labour to have won a landslide victory , making a net gain of 239 seats, winning 49.7% of the popular vote and achieving a majority of 146 seats, thus allowing Attlee to be appointed prime minister. This election marked

4002-437: The returning officer, the corresponding number list is sealed in a packet which can only be opened upon the order of a court when an election result is challenged. Upon receipt of the postal ballot pack, the voter completes the ballot paper according to the instructions and seals it inside the envelope marked "A". A separate postal voting statement must be filled in by the voter with his/her date of birth and signature (unless

4071-475: The soldiers of the First World War had returned. It has been claimed that the left-wing bias of teachers in the armed services was a contributing factor, but that argument has generally not carried much weight, and the failure of the Conservative governments in the 1920s to deliver a "land fit for heroes" was likely more important. Labour had also been given during the war the opportunity to display to

4140-410: The standing arrangements made for those allowed an absent vote for an indefinite period. However, the government's response was summed up as follows: The Representation of the People Act 1985 subsequently made provision for these extensions to the right to apply for an absent vote. The proposals did not apply to Northern Ireland where there was already widespread concern, shared by the government, at

4209-485: The war. Of the other two major parties, the Liberal Party faced a serious blow after taking a net loss of nine seats with a vote share of 9.0%, many within urban areas and including the seat held by its leader, Archibald Sinclair . The Liberal National Party fared significantly worse, enduring a net loss of 22 seats with a vote share of 2.9%, with its leader Ernest Brown losing his seat. 324 MPs were elected for

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4278-403: The will of the elders... the possibilities of undue influence, theft of postal votes and tampering with them after completion were all still risks." The government responded by saying it would consider the recommendations on postal voting. The report recommended that voters update their signatures and other identifying information every three years, rather than every five years as now, to reduce

4347-422: Was a recommendation from the Electoral Commission that all-postal voting should be adopted as the normal method of voting at local elections in the UK. This reflected the positive impact on voter turnout at these elections (in some places, turnout doubled) and the fact that there was no evidence of an increase in electoral fraud . The local elections scheduled for May 2004 were postponed to June and combined with

4416-495: Was delayed by some days, and the counting of votes was delayed until 26 July to provide time for overseas votes to be brought to Britain. The governing Conservative Party sought to maintain its position in Parliament but faced challenges from public opinion about the future of the United Kingdom in the post-war period. Prime Minister Winston Churchill proposed to call for a general election in Parliament, which passed with

4485-509: Was heavily defeated. The Labour Party led by Attlee won a landslide victory and gained a majority of 146 seats. It was the first election in which Labour gained a majority of seats and the first in which it won a plurality of votes. The election was a disaster for the Liberal Party , which lost all of its urban seats, and marked its transition from being a party of government to a party of the political fringe. Its leader, Archibald Sinclair , lost his rural seat of Caithness and Sutherland . That

4554-429: Was largely untrue, although Macmillan had sometimes bored drafting meetings by reading extracts from his book. In the view of historian Stuart Ball, the Charter probably owed more to Harry Crookshank ’s tenure as Secretary for Mines in the late 1930s, when he followed a policy of cartelisation and market-sharing. Despite its favourable press, the historian Andrew Taylor also contends that the Charter should be seen as

4623-440: Was less interested in furthering his party, much to the chagrin of many of its members and MPs. Though voters respected and liked Churchill's wartime record, they were more distrustful of the Conservative Party's domestic and foreign policy record in the late 1930s. Churchill and the Conservatives are also generally considered to have run a poor campaign in comparison to Labour. Churchill's personal popularity remained high; hence,

4692-411: Was obviously respected. But no one felt he would be Prime Minister after the war. He was simply the right man in the right job at the right time. The time being the time of a desperate war with Britain's enemies". The historian Henry Pelling , noting that polls showed a steady Labour lead after 1942, pointed to long-term forces that caused the Labour landslide: the usual swing against the party in power,

4761-577: Was the last general election until 2019 in which a major party leader lost their seat, but Sinclair lost only by a handful of votes in a very tight three-way contest. The Liberal National Party fared even worse by losing two-thirds of its seats and falling behind the Liberals in seat count for the first time since the parties split in 1931. It was the final election that the Liberal Nationals fought as an autonomous party, as they merged with

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