Have you ever wondered how left or right-wing your local MP is? Well, now there’s a way to find out! Thanks to a collaboration between pollsters Survation and academics from Royal Holloway, the MPs Left/Right project has been launched. This exciting new website allows you to compare any parliamentarian to their own party, the whole Commons, or just one of their colleagues. Plus, every MP is ranked from left to right on a scale of 0 to 100. The extremes in this Parliament are Green MP Caroline Lucas on the left and Tory MP John Redwood on the right.
The idea for this project came about because there has always been a problem in British political science with determining the positions of individual MPs. Unlike in the US, where they have precise scores for senators, it’s been difficult to position everyone on the left-right spectrum in the UK. But now, with the MPs Left/Right project, that problem has been solved!
To determine the rankings, the team worked with a panel of 1,486 councillors who were presented with comparisons between MPs in their local area. They were asked to choose which MP was more left-wing on economic issues. The councillors could also admit if they didn’t know enough about an MP to make a ruling. This method, inspired by the Bradley-Terry model and the Elo rating system used in chess and fantasy football, provides a relative measurement of each MP’s position.
It’s important to note that the rankings are based on economics rather than social issues. This decision was made because the economy is currently a major focus in political discourse. However, it’s worth mentioning that political discussions encompass more than just economics, so the rankings may seem slightly odd to some.
To put the project to the test, a number of MPs were given access to their profile and asked for their thoughts. One Conservative MP initially protested their ranking, claiming to be liberal on immigration, social issues, planning, and Europe. But after realizing that the study focused on economics, they conceded that they may be more conservative in that regard. Another Conservative MP, who was deemed slightly left of the median, found the ranking to be accurate and helpful. On the Labour side, an MP representing the exact median was delighted with their ranking, while another MP slightly left of the median thought it was a reasonable assessment.
The creators of the MPs Left/Right project, Survation and Royal Holloway, are thrilled with the positive feedback and plan to continue updating the rankings for future Parliaments. They also hope to develop a companion tool to assess constituencies on the left-right scale for economic issues.
So, if you’re curious about where your MP stands on the left-right spectrum, check out the MPs Left/Right website. It’s a fun and informative way to understand the political landscape and see how your MP compares to others in their party and the Commons. Who knows, you might be surprised by the results!