A friend asked me a question about the election results. She wanted to know why there was such a big difference between the share of votes and the number of seats won. She sent this picture:
There’s not a huge difference in the share of the votes between Conservative and Labour, but there is a huge difference in the seats. Actually, the Labour vote is much the same as it was in the last election, but the number of seats is hugely increased.
I answered her question. I wanted to say it was a good question, but it wasn’t. The media and the minor parties have been banging on about the same thing, but it’s fake news.
Let’s explain why.