For daily up to date examples and advice on how to do well in A Level Politics, make sure to follow the Politics Explained TikTok.

For detailed videos going through all of the A Level Politics content, make sure to follow the Politics Explained YouTube Channel.

All of the below examples will be added to the updated textbooks and detailed essay plans (where relevant/better than the existing examples) on the Politics Explained website, which are both updated regularly.

UK Politics Examples

The Party System

The 2025 Party Conferences As An Example Of The UK Now Having A Multi-Party System:

• Since the 2024 General Election, Reform UK has seen a massive increase in their support in UK voting intention polls, leading to suggestions that we now have a multi-party system rather than a two-party system.

  • In a September 2025 YouGov poll, Reform UK led on 31%, in a great position to overtake Labour who were polling at just 21%. They also outflanked the Conservatives 17% and were above every other party by a margin of at least 10%. 

• Additionally, Reform has overtaken the Conservatives in terms of Party membership, reaching a current membership of 237,000. This demonstrates the professionalisation of the party, which was particularly evident in their 2025 Party Conference in Birmingham, where the Party Leader Nigel Farage was joined by former Conservative Minister Nadine Dorries who defected to the party. 

  • By investing in party organisation, Reform UK demonstrates it is no longer a fringe protest movement but an established party that is able to challenge Labour and the Conservatives.

• The shift to a multi-party system was also clear in Starmer’s speech at the 2025 Labour Party conference, where he focused on Farage and Reform UK far more than Badenoch and the Conservatives, saying that Labour was the patriotic party and that Farage doesn’t believe in Britain.

  • This is a clear example of how the UK can now be considered a multi-party system rather than a two-party system. Not only are Reform influencing other parties (including Labour) to shift right on immigration and therefore having an impact on policy, they are also dominating in the media and seen by the government as the key threat/opposition party. At the same time, the Conservatives are struggling to gain traction.

Rights In Context

The Labour Government's Introduction Of Digital ID Cards As An Example Of Collective vs Individual Rights:

• In September 2025, the UK Government announced that all employees will be required to hold a digital identity card as part of their strategy to reduce illegal immigration. 

  • The policy aims to prevent unlawful employment by verifying a citizen's right to live and work in the UK. The cards would hold information about a person's residency status, name, date of birth, and nationality.

• It has been argued by some pressure groups that mandatory digital ID cards pose a significant threat to the protection of individual rights, as the scheme removes the freedom of citizens to remain anonymous and control their data. Without strong legal limits this risks facilitating mass surveillance and the erosion of privacy. Major data breaches over recent years have shown how the public sector routinely mishandles sensitive information.  

  • The pressure group ‘Liberty’ have called on the government to provide stronger safeguards around privacy and data, while 8 groups have written to Starmer calling on him to reverse course. 

    • Further, over 1.6 million people have signed an e-petition against introducing digital ID cards, stating that ID cards would be a step towards mass surveillance and digital control.

• This highlights how the legal framework in the UK weakens rights protection. As the UK does not have a codified constitution, the rights of citizens are not protected by an entrenched bill of rights. 

  • Under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, individuals have the right to privacy and family life. However the Human Rights Act, which enshrines the ECHR into UK law, is not binding on Parliament and can be disapplied by future acts of Parliament.

• This also demonstrates how individual and collective rights conflict, as the protection of the population is often used to justify the encroachment of the rights of individuals. 

  • Governments have tended to place the safety of society above the protection of individual rights, meaning human rights pressure groups have had little success in influencing government policy. 

UK Government Examples

House of Lords Select Committees

The International Agreements Committee Report On Treaty Scrutiny As An Example Of House Of Lords Select Committees:

• In September 2025, the House of Lords International Agreements Committee (IAC) released a report criticising the current process of treaty scrutiny, arguing it is a weak and insufficient mechanism for securing meaningful accountability. 

  • Many of the highest-profile political issues, including trade, security and immigration, are now shaped by international treaties which can have a major impact on daily life. However, these agreements are negotiated by ministers, and the UK Parliament lacks the scrutiny tools required to hold them to account. 

  • For example, when the controversial Chagos Island Treaty was signed, MPs complained they had neither the time nor the resources to analyse its implications for British Sovereignty, public finances and the armed forces. 

• Due to the Royal Prerogative - powers held formally by the monarch but delegated to ministers - treaties in the UK have been traditionally reserved for Governments to negotiate and enter into without Parliamentary involvement.  

  • Unlike legislation, both Houses of Parliament cannot veto treaties, instead, under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (2010), Parliament only has 21 sitting days to scrutinise it before it is automatically ratified. 

• This shows the roles and powers of Lords Select Committees. The IAC was established following Brexit, and has the jurisdiction to scrutinise treaties laid before Parliament. 

  • The IAC is the only body in Parliament dedicated to scrutinising treaties, and the only parliamentary committee in either House which regularly considered international agreements. 

    • This shows the vital role of the House of Lords, especially with increasingly frequent and important treaties affecting human rights, immigration and economic regulation. 

  • Comparatively, the Commons lacks a dedicated treaty scrutiny committee, as well as the resources that would accompany it, meaning they play an even more minimal role in oversight.

US Politics and Government Examples

Congress

The US Government Shutdown As An Example Of Gridlock:

• In October 2025, the U.S. Congress entered a federal government shutdown, as lawmakers remain deadlocked over funding beyond September 30th. 

  • Despite Republicans controlling both Congress and the White House, they needed 7 Democrats in the Senate to join them to pass a spending package due to the fact that 60 votes are needed to overcome a filibuster. They failed to do so.

    • The most recent government shut down occurred during Trump’s first term in office, lasting 35 days. 

• As Congress failed to pass a full appropriations package or short term ‘continuing resolution’ (CR), federal departments are forced to close and all government employees aren’t currently working or being paid. 

  • Congress has the ‘Power Of The Purse’ under Article I of the U.S. Constitution, which requires lawmakers to authorise all federal spending for the fiscal year. 

    • Democrats are trying to use this leverage to win concessions from the White House, demanding that any deal includes an extension of the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies and a reversal of Republican Medicaid cuts. 

• Shutdowns have become increasingly common in an era of heightened polarisation, with 15 since 1980, as Congress often struggles to strike bipartisan consensus. 

  • The most recent government shutdown occurred during Trump’s first term in office, lasting 35 days. 

  • Partisan divisions also often result in legislative gridlock, impeding the passage of legislation in crucial issues. As ideological divisions between major political parties have deepened, there are fewer bipartisan efforts to compromise.