Explain the First Past the Post electoral system and briefly describe its advantages and disadvantages.

The First Past the Post (FPTP) system is used for United Kingdom general elections. It consists of various elections in single member constituencies, the winner simply being the candidate who wins the most votes. The party with the most constituencies (seats) won usually has an overall majority - 326 out of 650 seats in the House of Commons - but sometimes no party wins a majority. This situation is called a hung parliament and occured in 2010 and 2017. One advantage of FPTP is that it delivers strong government, capable of passing any legislation it likes as long as its MPs 'tow the party line'. Another advantage is the existence of single member constituencies, which provide an intimate link between MP and constituent as well as increasing accountability. However, FPTP does have its weaknesses, one being that it lacks proportionality in terms of transferring votes into seats. In 2017, the Conserative party won 42% of the popular vote, but took home 49% of the seats in the Commons.