As the Reform Party conference kicked off in Birmingham, Be Broadcast’s Mission Control and Political Experts, Cast From Clay, have examined more than 1.5 million broadcast mentions between 1 January and 3 September 2025. By comparing airtime with MPs returned, 2024 vote share and current polling, the analysis shows which parties are getting heard, which are under-represented, and how broadcasters are increasingly following polling momentum over the make-up of Parliament.
| Party | Current YouGov Voting Intention | Vote Share (2024 GE) | MPs (2024 GE) | Total Mentions |
| Labour | 21 % (18 August 2025) | 33.7 % | 411 | 924,693 |
| Conservative (Tories) | 17 % (≈26–27 August 2025) | 23.7 % | 121 | 121,251 |
| Reform UK | 28 % (18 August 2025) | 14.3 % | 5 | 353,660 |
| Liberal Democrats | 15 – 16 % (≈26–27 August 2025) | 12.2 % | 72 | 46,468 |
| Green Party | 10 – 11 % (≈26–27 August 2025) | 6.4 % | 4 | 31,053 |
| Scottish National Party | 3 % (18 August 2025) | 2.5 % | 9 | 45,308 |
| Plaid Cymru | 1 % (18 August 2025) | 0.7 % | 4 | 2,194 |
| Democratic Unionist Party | – (not tracked in these polls) | 0.6 % | 5 | 5,925 |
| Sinn Féin | – (not tracked) | 0.7 % | 7 | 6,081 |
| Your Party | – | – | 0 | 26,006 |
OVER OR UNDER EXPOSED?
The table below shows not just the ratios, but whether each party is being overexposed, underexposed, or proportionally covered on broadcast relative to its political strength.
| Party | Amount of Mentions Compared to 1 MP | Amount of Mentions Compared to 1% Vote Share in 2024 | Amount of Mentions Compared to 1% Voter Intention 2025 |
| Labour | 2,249 (Proportional) | 27,438 (Overexposed) | 44,033 (Overexposed) |
| Conservatives | 1,002 (Underexposed) | 5,116 (Underexposed) | 7,132 (Proportional) |
| Reform UK | 70,732 (Overexposed) | 24,731 (Overexposed) | 12,630 (Proportional) |
| Liberal Democrats | 645 (Underexposed) | 3,808 (Underexposed) | 2,997 (Underexposed) |
| Green Party | 7,763 (Overexposed) | 4,852 (Underexposed) | 2,957 (Underexposed) |
| Scottish National Party | 5,034 (Overexposed) | 18,123 (Overexposed) | 15,102 (Overexposed) |
| Plaid Cymru | 548 (Underexposed) | 3,134 (Underexposed) | 2,194 (Underexposed) |
| Democratic Unionist Party | 1,185 (Underexposed) | 9,875 (Proportional) | Not tracked |
| Sinn Féin | 868 (Underexposed) | 8,687 (Proportional) | Not tracked |
| Your Party | 26,006 (Overexposed) | Not tracked | Not tracked |
Labour
Labour is the most mentioned party with 924,693 mentions since the election. Per MP, the coverage is modest at 2,249 mentions each, reflecting how attention is spread across a very large group. Compared with the 33.7% vote share in 2024, Labour looks proportionate at 27,438 mentions per point.
Where they gain ground is against current polling of 21%, delivering 44,033 mentions per point of support.
Labour wins on sheer volume but loses on efficiency of coverage.
Conservatives
The Conservatives attracted 121,251 mentions, almost in line with their 121 MPs at 1,002 mentions each. But their ratios against vote share and polling are weak. With 23.7% of the 2024 vote, they reach only 5,116 mentions per point, and with current polling of 17%, they deliver 7,132 per point.
This leaves the Conservatives consistently underexposed, muted across all comparisons.
Reform UK
Reform have just 5 MPs but clocked up 353,660 mentions, which means 70,732 mentions per MP, the highest of any party. Against their 14.3% vote share in 2024, they stand at 24,731 per point, again inflated. Measured against today’s 28% polling, they record 12,631 per point, which looks closer to proportional.
Reform win on broadcast impact per MP and per historic vote share but look more balanced when compared to current voter support.
Liberal Democrats
The Lib Dems returned 72 MPs with 12.2% of the vote in 2024. With 46,468 mentions, their coverage works out at only 645 per MP and 3,808 per point of 2024 vote share. On current polling of around 15–16%, they manage just 2,998 per point.
The Lib Dems lose out across every measure, with broadcast presence that does not reflect their electoral support.
Green Party
The Greens achieved 6.4% of the vote in 2024 and now poll at 10–11%. They have 4 MPs and 31,053 mentions, which is strong per MP at 7,763 mentions each. Against 2024 vote share they slip back to 4,852 per point and against current polling they fall further to about 3,000 per point.
The Greens win on their per-MP coverage but lose when compared to the size of their voter base today.
Scottish National Party (SNP)
The SNP won 2.5% of the national vote and 9 MPs in 2024, yet they have been mentioned 45,308 times. That is 5,034 mentions per MP, 18,123 per point of 2024 vote share, and 15,103 per point of current polling at 3%.
The SNP are consistently overexposed, reflecting the enduring pull of the constitutional debate in broadcast media.
Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru won 0.7% of the vote in 2024 and hold 4 MPs. Their 2,194 mentions equal 548 per MP, 3,134 per point of 2024 vote share, and 2,194 per point of current support at 1%.
All measures leave Plaid underexposed, their coverage remaining small and regional in scale.
Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
The DUP won 0.6% of the vote and 5 MPs in 2024. They secured 5,925 mentions, which is 1,185 per MP. This looks low against their MPs but high against vote share, equating to almost 10,000 mentions per point.
The DUP win on national share measures but lose on parliamentary comparison.
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin took 0.7% of the UK-wide vote and 7 MPs in 2024, though abstention keeps them out of Westminster. They earned 6,081 mentions, which is 869 per MP and 8,687 per point of 2024 vote share.
Like the DUP, they win on vote share proportionality but lose on parliamentary presence.
Your Party
Your Party, tracking Jeremy Corbyn, Zarah Sultana and associated mentions, has no MPs and no vote share. Yet it has been mentioned 26,006 times. If treated as having one MP, that is 26,006 mentions per head, which places it above the Conservatives, Lib Dems, Plaid, DUP and Sinn Féin.
This makes Your Party a clear winner in terms of broadcast visibility without formal representation.
What the Numbers Show
The data confirms that broadcast coverage is anything but proportional. On balance, the parties that benefit most are those with momentum stories behind them.
Labour, as the party of government, naturally dominates the airwaves, but its coverage is heavily inflated compared to current polling. Reform UK, despite its tiny parliamentary presence, has become a central character in broadcast debate, proving that narrative and personalities can outweigh the number of seats won. The SNP shows how constitutional politics continues to command attention far beyond its share of the vote.
As Josh Wheeler, Founder of Be Broadcast, put it:
“Broadcast is the soundtrack to our political lives. It shapes how we understand the country we’re living in right now. What Mission Control shows is that the volume isn’t balanced. Some parties are being handed a megaphone that far outstrips their real-world support, while others with millions of backers are barely a whisper. It’s less about Parliament and more about momentum, and that tells us who really understands the power of broadcast engagement… and who perhaps doesn’t”
On the other side of the ledger, the Conservatives are clearly struggling. Their coverage is low whether you measure it against MPs, past performance, or current polling. The Lib Dems and Greens are also consistently underexposed, suggesting that even healthy polling numbers do not automatically convert into broadcast relevance.
Tom Hashemi, CEO of policy communications consultancy Cast from Clay, said the findings underline the Conservatives’ problems:
“Forget Reform for a second. The real story here is how invisible Kemi Badenoch has become. Broadcast media simply doesn’t see her as relevant. For the Conservatives, that is a crisis. When your leader doesn’t cut through on the airwaves, your party stops existing in the public conversation. CCHQ won’t miss that signal – it is another push towards making a leadership change to try and stop the slide.”
Smaller regional players tell a different story. The DUP and Sinn Féin attract coverage well above their national vote share, highlighting how broadcasters weight Northern Irish politics more heavily than its size alone would suggest.
And then there is “Your Party”, with no MPs and no vote share, yet cutting through on air thanks to individual personalities like Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana.
The overall picture is of a broadcast landscape that follows stories rather than strict proportionality. Momentum, personalities and constitutional significance all carry more weight than parliamentary numbers.
Some parties are given platforms well beyond their electoral base, while others with millions of supporters barely register. In short, broadcast is less a mirror of Westminster arithmetic and more a barometer of who can capture the moment.
