Explained in plain English

What is a political party?

In the UK, a political party is a group of people who share similar ideas about how the country or a city should be run. They work together to get their members elected to positions like Mayor of London, as James Cleverly is trying to do for the Conservatives, or Sadiq Khan for Labour.

Stories that explain this

James Cleverly steps down from the shadow cabinet to campaign for London mayor

Questions this opens up

What do parties do? How do parties choose leaders? Are there other parties?

Related explainers

What is a shadow cabinet? Who conducts political polls? What is a 'far-right' party? Who funds political parties? What if I booked through a third party? What is the Labour Party? How does a party leader become PM? What is 'political manipulation'?

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