When voters go to the polls in Runcorn and Helsby they could be forgiven for thinking they have entered a time warp.

But it will be one of just three areas in the country to be hosting not one, but two parties which many had thought were long forgotten - the Liberal Party, and Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Both emerged in the 80s out of a complex political picture which involved the Labour Party, and what we now know today as the Liberal Democrats. And while many voters under a certain age may not have heard of either, they have been slowly making a return to the mainstream.


Roy Jenkins, former Labour MP and member of 'the gang of four' which founded the SDP visiting Warrington for a by-election in 1981.Roy Jenkins, former Labour MP and member of 'the gang of four' which founded the SDP visiting Warrington for a by-election in 1981. (Image: Newsquest)

Stuart Wilks-Heeg, Professor of Politics at the University of Liverpool, said: “The Liberals and the SDP have very different origins, but from 1981 to 1988 they were joined at the hip.

“The Liberals are one of the original two political parties and were in government just over 100 years ago. The SDP were formed by breakaway MPs from the Labour Party in 1981, and quickly entered into an agreement with the Liberals to form 'the alliance'.

“In 1988, the two parties merged, forming the Liberal Democrats. However, a minority of the members of each party resisted the merger. Reconstituted versions of the Liberal Party and the SDP have existed ever since.”

At the General Election there will be a combined total of 134 Liberal and SDP candidates - more than at any general election since 1987.

But according to Mr Wilks-Heeg, it is ‘unusual’ for them to both run in the same seat, as they will be in Lincoln, South Cotswolds, and Runcorn and Helsby.

“Both parties have moved a very long way from the days of the alliance.” He said. Not only is there no longer any cooperation between them, but both now adopt position that are in stark contrast to those of the alliance.

He added: “It is previously unheard of for Liberal and SDP candidates to run in the same seat.

“There are good reasons for it not happening previously. At the 1983 and 1987 General Elections, the two parties were in an electoral alliance and therefore didn’t ever go head-to-head. After 1987, the SDP contested none of the subsequent five general elections, while the Liberal Party fielded only a handful of candidates in each of these contests. It was only in 2015 that the SDP started to stand in general elections again and with very few candidates. Meanwhile, the number of Liberal candidates remained small, typically in single figures. Only in 2024 have the two parties that once formed the Liberal-SDP Alliance come to face each other directly in a constituency, largely due to the huge increase in the number of SDP candidates, to 122.”

He said the jump in the number of SDP candidates suggested an ‘appetite for people to get involved actively in politics beyond the main parties’.

He said: “The SDP in its current form has a quite unique political position. It favours left-wing policies on the economy and social welfare, where it is closer to Labour, but more right-wing, socially conservative policies on a range of other issues, including support for Brexit, where it is closer to the Conservatives or Reform UK.”

A full list of candidates and polling stations for Runcorn and Helsby can be found here.

Polling day is this Thursday, July 4, and voters must take photo ID to the polling station. A full list of acceptable ID can be found here.