Cometh the autumn, cometh the conference season for the UK’s political parties. Members of Parliament abandon their cozy Westminster “village” to connect with their parties’ grassroots, rally the party faithful, and energize them for another eventful year in government or opposition.

At least, that is the intention. This year’s party conferences are dominated by the looming Brexit deadline, which has revealed, if anyone needed further evidence, that the two major parties, the governing Conservatives and the opposition Labour Party, are divided on the most pressing issue Britain has had to deal with for decades.

While the Tories are more than happy to conduct their civil war in the full light of day, Labour’s dissenting MPs are crushed under the party machine, and by the fear of deselection in their constituencies. Increasingly, too, on issues that are not directly related to Brexit, neither government nor opposition projects a coherent vision, or consequently policies that match the needs of a fast-changing society and the global environment around it — including a modern economy, much of whose wealth is generated in cyberspace; security threats that change dramatically; aging populations; the rising costs of health care; multiculturalism; and a young generation more educated than the previous one, but with no expectation of the standard of living enjoyed by their parents and forced into low-paid jobs for which they are over-qualified. Addressing these issues requires a different type of leadership and a politics that is more adaptable and flexible, while underpinned by robust values that serve the many and not the few at the top.

If the two major parties keep operating as if nothing has changed and continue to debate the old agendas, they are bound to become increasingly irrelevant. This explains to a certain extent why, in last year’s general election, no party won a majority. This should have indicated to the main parties that the British electorate is dissatisfied, and at times confused about what the parties stand for. The election results are even more alarming considering that Britain’s first-past-the-post electoral system is geared toward governments enjoying an absolute majority in the House of Commons.

If the two major UK parties — Conservatives and Labour — keep operating as if nothing has changed and continue to debate the old agendas, they are bound to become increasingly irrelevant.

Yossi Mekelberg

But this current state of the parties’ relative irrelevance has a silver lining, as it gives an opportunity for a third political power to emerge. Significantly, it might be one that attracts those who are disenchanted with their own parties, or have been pushed out of them, and one that also appeals to new faces from outside the political system. Many MPs have been in Parliament all their working lives and have little experience outside politics. A third political force could rectify this and become more inclusive, shaking up the image of politics as a place where things are rarely done, and when they are it is through crisis management and not a long-term strategic view. This deters many who are not apathetic about politics, but want things to be done with the interests of the country at heart.

Many leaders in business, civil society, the public services and academia are put off by what they witness in the political world, and genuinely believe their talent, energy and efforts are better invested outside politics.

A third party, Macron-style, though not necessarily replicating his agenda, might appeal to an electorate eager for leadership that has decisive but thoughtful answers. 

Brexit, as important as it is, has actually become the litmus test for the ability of the political system to deliver decisions through a rational process — and has failed miserably. Both parties have leaderships who seem more interested in keeping their jobs than creating ones for a new generation.

A third political force in British politics can and should move away from Southeast-focused socioeconomics and an overriding concern to protect their own privileges. Britain’s two main political parties, similar to trends in other countries, are inclined to populism, promising their supporters what they want to hear in over-simplistic terms. The Conservatives are reluctant to modernize and invest in public services as it might require a redistribution of wealth that will hit their core support, and; the Labour Party might want to do exactly this, but will never cost it, while relying too much on trade unions that have become too involved in party politics, and too little involved in bargaining for their members.

This is where an opportunity opens up for those who see politics as a service to the public and have a mission to set a new agenda that reflects the changing nature of their societies and economies. The space for a third political force is one in which to present a vision of the regeneration of communities, whether in villages, towns or inner cities, that have been neglected for far too long. Any agenda for a 21st-century political party must take into account how technology, including automation, has changed the economy and society. It must commit to a reformed education system that will develop lifelong learners, as working life is extended and the nature of jobs changes rapidly. This requires as much critical thinking as knowledge.

Britain’s National Health Service is crumbling under financial pressure; security threats are ever-shifting; and migration policies need to eradicate fear and stereotypes, and aim for a society that is more inclusive.

Theresa May, Jeremy Corbyn and their respective parties seem ill-equipped to deal with a modern Britain and keep it together. The question is, from where will a third force capable of doing that emerge?

  • Yossi Mekelberg is professor of international relations at Regent’s University London, where he is head of the International Relations and Social Sciences Program. He is also an associate fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. He is a regular contributor to the international written and electronic media. Twitter: @YMekelberg