Election reflections: how will the general election affect cycling?

After an exciting six-week campaign, voters across all four nations of the UK went to the polls and delivered a historic result.

Labour have taken power with a landslide victory of 412 seats and a 172-seat majority. 

The Scottish National Party (SNP) suffered a heavy defeat across Scotland, losing 39 seats with just nine candidates elected.

Sinn Féin also became Northern Ireland’s biggest party at Westminster, holding all its seven seats whilst the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) lost three.

You can see the results on the BBC website.

Our movement for a cycling friendly future steps up a gear

Thanks to thousands of people like you writing letters, 442 candidates from across the UK got behind our vision of creating healthier, happier and greener lives through cycling.

Between the positive responses to our candidate information pack, agreements to meet and the 26 that pledged, we've had 57 MPs elected to Parliament who support active travel and are willing to engage with us in the years to come.

This includes Anneliese Dodds, now Minister of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Minister for Women and Equalities, Green Party of England and Wales co-leaders Adrian Ramsay and Carla Denyer, as well as Conservative Greg Smith and over 15 Liberal Democrats.

Have a look to see which of your candidates pledged to support a cycling friendly future.

Announcements of ministerial appointments have also been steadily trickling in since Keir Starmer was sworn in as Prime Minister, with many a cause for cautious optimism. 

Louise Haigh, who joined Cycling UK for an e-cycle ride in March has been confirmed as Secretary of State for Transport, and has already released her five strategic priorities, including delivering greener transport and better integrated transport networks, which we’re hoping will broadly align with our manifesto asks. 

Within the Department for Transport, Simon Lightwood, Lilian Greenwood and Mike Kane, all supportive of active travel, have been appointed as Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State.

Commenting on the results, Cycling UK's director of external affairs, Sarah McMonagle, said: "Not since WWII has an incoming government inherited such a challenging economic situation. But there is a pathway to real change that won’t stretch the public purse and that some might find surprising. That is a proper investment package for cycling and walking.

"For every £1 invested in cycling and walking, £5.62 is delivered in wider benefits – and that’s compared to a paltry £2.50 for every £1 invested in roads.

"We’re calling on the new Labour government to be the first UK government to fully unleash the huge potential that cycling and walking infrastructure offers."

The cycle path ahead

Now we need to show the new government that our demands – long-term investment in active travel, safer streets, greater access to nature, and housing built around high-quality walking, cycling and public transport networks - don’t just have wide-ranging benefits, but wide-ranging support as well.

During the first 100 days and beyond, we will be meeting with and supporting the new government, and MPs of all stripes across Parliament, to advocate for and deliver an integrated transport strategy that fully realises the health, wellbeing and climate benefits of cycling, while also boosting the economy.

There has never been a more important time to join our movement.

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