What are the colloquial names of the UK political parties?

Conservative Party: Tories. Labour Party: doesn't seem to have one, many just refer to them as Labour, though many critics have recently taken to calling them the Red Tories. Some, specifically on the right, might also just refer to them as the socialists or lefties. read more

United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP): Kippers, though most just call them UKIP. British National Party (BNP): again, most simply refer to them as the BNP but I’ve also heard Brit Nats get used as well. Critics might even address them as the fascists, though often to refer to Britain First and other far-right parties as well. read more

Another term that, like knocking up, has a prosaic political meaning.The number used as an indication of the scale of voter change between two political parties. As UK politics becomes more politically fractured, expect to hear about swings between the Greens and Labour, between Ukip and the Conservatives, between UKIP and Labour, and between the Lib Dems and everyone else. read more

Traditionally political parties have been private organisations with no official recognition by the state. The Registration of Political Parties Act 1998 changed that by creating a register of parties. Membership of political parties has been in decline in the UK since the 1950s, falling by over 65% from 1983 (4% of the electorate) to 2005 (1.3%). read more