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Turnout at the general election was the lowest for more than 20 years, final figures show.
With all 650 results declared on Saturday following the confirmation of the Liberal Democrats’ victory in Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire, the overall turnout was 59.9 per cent.
This is down sharply from 67.3 per cent at the last election in 2019.
It is also the worst turnout at a general election since Tony Blair’s second victory in 2001 when the figure slumped to 59.4 per cent: the lowest since before the Second World War.
A number of factors have been blamed for this year’s low turnout. With opinion polls for months indicating a huge Labour victory was on the card, some voters might have decided not to turnout.
Others have pointed to widespread disillusionment with the state of British politics, as well as ostensibly small differences between the two main parties on issues such as tax and spending and foreign policy.
Speaking on Friday, the polling expert Professor Sir John Curtice said: “It’s what you would expect in an election in which the polls were suggesting it’s pretty clear who was going to win and where there wasn’t that much difference despite both parties’ denials – not that much difference between Conservative and Labour in much of what they were offering the electorate.”
The highest turnout at a general election since the war was 83.9 per cent in 1950, according to figures compiled by the House of Commons Library.
Turnout remained above 75 per cent at every post-war general election until 1970 when it dipped to 72.0 per cent.
It then stayed above 70 per cent at every election until plunging to 59.4 per cent in 2001 - since then it has never been above 70 per cent.
The low turnout and Labour’s relatively modest vote share have led to claims that Sir Keir Starmer achieved a “loveless landslide”.
However, at a press conference on Saturday afternoon, Sir Keir insisted he had been given a “clear mandate”.
“We clearly on Thursday got a mandate from all four nations. For the first time in 20-plus years, we have a majority in England, in Scotland and in Wales.
“And that is a clear mandate to govern for all four corners of the United Kingdom.”