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Change UK was a centrist political party founded by disgruntled members of parliament from the Labour and Conservative parties which sought to achieve a second Brexit referendum. The party's final leader, Anna Soubry, disbanded the party a week after the 2019 UK general election, in which the party lost all of its MPs, meaning that it only existed for 10 months.

Is this the shortest time that a UK political party has ever existed, from foundation to dissolution? The party also participated in the 2019 European elections, so is it also the shortest lived European political party?

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While Change UK may have been the highest profile party to have lasted not very long at all, it's not alone in this regard.

The Trust Party was founded just a few weeks before the 2010 election, in the wake of the Parliamentary Expenses Scandal. While I cannot find an exact date of dissolution for this party, it was reportedly dissolved not long after the same election.

It's also not uncommon for individual candidates to set up parties and stand as its only candidate. One example in the 2019 election was Frank Fields, a former Labour MP who formed the Birkenhead Social Justice Party in November 2019. It deregistered itself with the Electoral Commission in February 2020.

So while it would be fair to say that Change UK was the shortest-living high-profile party, it wouldn't be accurate to call it the shortest-living party full stop.

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  • Probably also the shortest lived party with multiple MPs in the house?
    – Jack Aidley
    Jun 18, 2021 at 13:42
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    @JackAidley That sounds like a new question, if you're inclined to post one.
    – Joe C
    Jun 18, 2021 at 20:05

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