What political party does the Daily Mail support in UK elections?
Executive summary
The Daily Mail is widely understood to be a right‑of‑centre paper that traditionally backs the Conservative Party in UK general elections, a pattern noted across historical records and contemporary press‑watching outlets [1] [2]. In the 2024 campaign the Mail and its related titles acted in a broadly pro‑Conservative manner — at times urging tactical voting to prevent a Labour landslide — though Fleet Street as a whole showed more varied endorsement behaviour [3] [4].
1. Historical pattern: a Conservative tilt with long institutional memory
Historically the Daily Mail has consistently endorsed the party most associated with Britain’s political right; Wikipedia notes it “has endorsed the party in every UK general election since 1945,” with a single exception in October 1974 when it favoured a coalition, which underscores a durable institutional alignment with conservative politics [1].
2. What the paper did in 2024: tactical backing of the Conservatives, not an unconditional love letter
Coverage of the 2024 general election shows the Mail urging reader action to limit Labour’s power, including pragmatic advice about tactical voting to preserve an opposition, a posture reported by The Spectator and corroborated by press‑tracking outlets which grouped the Mail with pro‑Conservative titles in circulation analyses [3] [4]. Press Gazette’s tally of endorsements noted that although more newspapers numerically had backed Labour, the circulation weight of top‑selling papers — including the Mail — produced a near dead heat, signalling the Mail’s continued influence in shaping right‑leaning newspaper supply to readers [4].
3. Fleet Street context and changing endorsements: the Mail is influential but not monolithic
Observers emphasise that the national press is not unanimous and that endorsements in 2024 were more fragmented than in some past cycles; several major titles switched to Labour, and analysts warned the mailing list of endorsements no longer maps neatly onto electoral outcomes [4] [5]. Press Gazette and other trackers placed the Daily Mail among the titles offering the most consistently favourable coverage toward the Conservatives, even as others defected, so the Mail remains a central node of conservative media influence rather than a mirror of the whole press [2] [4].
4. Public perception and the Mail’s editorial framing
Pollsters and media commentators say the Daily Mail is widely perceived as favouring the Conservatives, a perception echoed in academic and polling trackers of media bias; commentators note tabloids like the Mail cultivate long‑term editorial approaches that shape reader expectations beyond single endorsements [6] [7]. Media critics also argue that the paper’s daily output — not just formal endorsements — operates to build political alignments, a point raised by commentators reflecting on the paper’s role in broader partisan ecosystems [7].
5. Incentives, controversies and why endorsement matters less than it used to
Coverage of the Mail’s posture must also account for commercial and institutional incentives: its large circulation gives it clout, but shrinking print readership and the rise of digital platforms blunt newspaper endorsements’ electoral force, a trend highlighted by press analysts [8] [5]. Independent reporting also notes legal and ethical controversies involving the Mail’s publisher that complicate assessments of motive and agenda — details of active litigation were reported by the BBC, underscoring that editorial positions sit alongside other institutional pressures [9].
Conclusion: a clear answer with caveats
Answering the direct question: the Daily Mail traditionally and presently supports the Conservative Party in UK general elections, and in 2024 acted in a pro‑Conservative, tactical fashion; however, the broader press landscape showed significant variation and the impact of such endorsements on voting behaviour is debated, with scholars and press trackers emphasizing reduced sway compared with past decades [1] [3] [4] [5].