For students, first-time voters, and anyone who wants to understand politics without the spin
Click a party to expand · Click a policy leaf for a summary · Click "More detail" for deeper analysis and manifesto quotes
Click any party circle to expand its policy branches. Click a leaf to read a summary, then "More detail" for deeper analysis and a direct manifesto quote. Use the other tabs to compare parties, take the quiz, or go to Spot the Spin to check news sources.
Left-Right axis: economic views — state intervention vs free market. Up-Down axis: social views — authoritarian (more state control over how you live) vs libertarian (more personal freedom). Click a party dot or legend item for detail.
Select a policy area. Click "More detail" under any party for deeper analysis and a manifesto quote.
All parties make promises. Here is what happened in practice — and how far each party has drifted from its traditional roots.
Key political terms explained in plain English, with signposts to which parties lean each way.
Answer 15 questions. For each, pick the view closest to yours, then rate how important the issue is to you. Your answers are not stored anywhere.
How closely each party's policies match your stated views. Read the full breakdowns before deciding.
A framework covering the UK political system, key thinkers, and core theory — structured around themes you would encounter in A-level and undergraduate study.
These figures shaped the ideologies underpinning modern UK parties.
A practical guide to checking political claims, clips, statistics and headlines before you trust or share them. This applies equally to all parties and all media — left, right, and centre.
Find the original source — not the repost. A cropped screenshot tells you far less than the full speech, report, or dataset.
A claim can use real facts and still mislead by leaving out dates, definitions, comparisons, or important context.
If it makes you instantly angry, smug, or certain — pause. Strong emotion is often how misleading content spreads.
Stop before sharing. If the post is designed to make you react immediately, that is your cue to slow down.
Find the original. Look for the full article, video, official document, or transcript.
Check the basics. Who said it, when, where, and in response to what.
Look for what is missing. Ask what the clip, statistic, or headline leaves out.
Verify elsewhere. See whether a trusted fact-checker or multiple reputable outlets have checked the same claim.
Separate fact from framing. A real quote or real number can still be used to push a misleading conclusion.
Several independent organisations map news sources on two dimensions: political leaning (left to right) and factual reliability. Rather than reproduce their work, we link directly to the established resources — regularly updated, covering hundreds of sources.
Ad Fontes Media Bias Chart plots sources on both axes, updated quarterly. AllSides uses a panel-based methodology. NewsGuard focuses on reliability using nine journalistic criteria. Comparing all three gives the fullest picture.
Simplified overview based on academic research and published bias ratings. All news sources have some leaning — knowing this helps you read critically, not avoid sources entirely.
Everything in this guide can be verified. Primary sources — manifesto documents, official statistics, parliamentary records, and independent fact-checkers. No secondary partisan sources.