Professor Dominic Wring, of the School of Social Sciences.

New book revisits momentous 2017 General Election as the UK contemplates returning to the polls

A new book on political communication in Britain aims to provide a unique insight into the most recent General Election – a campaign that was about many things in addition to Brexit – as the UK again contemplates returning to the polls.

Political Communication in Britain: Campaigning, Media and Polling in the 2017 General Election.

Political Communication in Britain: Campaigning, Media and Polling in the 2017 General Election.

Lead editor Professor Dominic Wring, of the School of Social Sciences, has worked with more than 25 academics and practitioners to create a new Palgrave Macmillan book that examines the 2017 General Election from the vantage point of those who fought, reported and researched the campaign.

Against prior expectations, the 2017 General Election proved to be particularly dramatic and it repeatedly stunned commentators - from its surprise calling, right through to its frenetic conclusion. 

In seven weeks, a dominant Prime Minister saw her once seemingly unassailable lead in the polls eroded as support for her previously criticised rival surged. 

The subsequent restoration of two-party dominance contributed to the return of a hung parliament with profound consequences for both Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn.

The book, Political Communication in Britain: Campaigning, Media and Polling in the 2017 General Election, revisits the campaign that is likely to live long in the public imagination.

Contributors include Paul Brand, Political Correspondent for ITV News, Craig Gent, Senior Editor at Novara Media, Isla Glaister, a journalist at Sky News, Damian Lyons Lowe, Chief Executive of Survation, and Keiran Pedley, Director of Public Affairs at Ipsos MORI.

The book features chapters on broadcast, print, social and digital media coverage as well reviews of main party campaigns and the performance of the polls.

Chapter titles include:

  • Seven weeks is a long time in politics
  • Broadcasting the snap election: surprising politics but familiar production
  • ‘Strong and stable’ to ‘weak and wobbly’: The Conservative election campaign
  • “Yer jaiket is hanging by a shooglie peg!”: Fear, groupthink and outliers
  • Seismographs for youthquakes – how do we know how the public voted in British general elections?
  • Why polling matters: the role of data in our democracy

Of the book, Professor Wring said: “With growing speculation that the UK is about to go to the polls once again, Political Communication in Britain offers a valuable reminder as to the unpredictable nature of an election from the varied perspectives of a team of expert commentators including those who worked in front of the cameras as well as behind the scenes during the 2017 campaign.”

Political Communication in Britain: Campaigning, Media and Polling in the 2017 General Election is the 10th volume in a series that began nearly four decades ago.

For more information or to purchase a copy, visit the dedicated Palgrave Macmillan webpage.

Notes for editors

Press release reference number: 19/06

Loughborough University is equipped with a live in-house broadcast unit via the Globelynx network. To arrange an interview with one of our experts please contact the press office on 01509 223491. Bookings can be made online via www.globelynx.com

Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.

It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2018 QS World University Rankings, top in the country for its student experience in the 2018 THE Student Experience Survey and named University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2019 and the Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2018.

Loughborough is in the top 10 of every national league table, being ranked 4th in the Guardian University League Table 2019, 5th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019 and 7th in The UK Complete University Guide 2019. It was also named Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017.

Loughborough is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and is in the top 10 in England for research intensity. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, Loughborough has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.

The Loughborough University London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities.

It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking.

Categories