LabourList and leading comms agency PLMR have unveiled the latest version of the Labour Tribes Mapped project, a one-of-a-kind interactive guide to Labour’s 403 MPs.
The infographic shines a light on the labyrinthine web of groups and alliances that exist across the Parliamentary Labour Party; allowing users to not only look at individual groupings, but also to gauge their relative size – and explore how different groupings and factors overlap.
This latest version of the tool now includes several upgrades designed to improve usability and enhance the user experience, and will be refreshed monthly to ensure you always have the latest data at your fingertips. Our thanks to James O’Malley for his work in enhancing the design.
Emma Burnell, editor of LabourList, said: “Anyone trying to understand the current febrile atmosphere should not just be looking at our excellent trackers of what MPs are saying publicly about the leadership and who is resigning from government.
“They should also look at who belongs to which of the many tribes who will be expected to pick a side in any leadership battle. Through our superb data tool you can see the complex interplay of the different groups that make up the Parliamentary Labour Party. Anyone seeking to understand the Labour Party at the moment will find this an invaluable resource.
“Thanks to the support of PLMR we will now be able to update this monthly – as well as giving readers an in-depth understanding of each tribe and how the different groups interact.”
Simon Darby, head of public affairs at PLMR, said: “PLMR is delighted to be collaborating once again with LabourList on the updated Labour Tribes project. Last year’s tool proved hugely valuable in helping people understand the complex relationships and affiliations that shape today’s Parliamentary Labour Party, and this expanded version offers even deeper insight into the networks and dynamics influencing Labour politics.
“At PLMR, we analyse this data to better understand how different groups of Labour MPs interact, organise, and respond to political events. At a time when growing numbers of MPs are publicly calling for the Prime Minister to resign, Labour Tribes provides a unique window into how those factions overlap, where influence sits within the Parliamentary Labour Party, and how internal political momentum may develop in the months ahead.”
New features include:
- Intuitive user guidance with clear on-screen instructions to ensure seamless navigation (see below).
- Advanced MP search allows users to quickly locate MPs by name and instantly view their associated Tribes and current roles.
- Tribal profile matching enables users to identify MPs with similar Tribal profiles, helping uncover patterns, alliances, and strategic relationships.
- Interactive geographic mapping allows users to visualise and organise MPs by location through a dynamic, map-based interface.
Full screen allows you to really delve in and expand the graphic to fit your entire screen.
LabourList and PLMR have updated the tool’s functionality to improve both the user experience and the level of information available. Please see the user guide below to help you make the most of the tool.
Instructions for use – Navigating the Tribes
To explore the Tribes, click the “Plus” icon on the “Display” control. This will reveal the filtering options available to you.
For the best viewing experience, click the “Enter Full Screen” icon on the “Display” control.
Find an individual MP
Start by typing an MP’s name into the search bar and press Enter. Their overall scorecard will appear, showing how they feature across different Tribes within the PLP.
Scroll down to also see MPs who share similar Tribal characteristics.
To deselect the MP, return to the Display menu and click the cross next to their name.
Where are they?
Use the “Group by” dropdown and select “Region” to see where MPs sit according to the constituencies they represent.
You can then use the “Shade by” dropdown to select a Tribe and understand how Tribes are clustered geographically.
Who is in which Tribe?
First, go to the “Group by” dropdown and select the Tribe you would like to filter by. The PLP will then be grouped according to this primary Tribe.
If you want to explore how this interacts with another tribe, select a second tribe in the “Shade by” option. The PLP will then be shaded by a secondary Tribe in a different colour. This allows you to see how two tribal groupings interact and where overlap exists. The colour key should appear under the graph title and shows which tribe corresponds to each colour.
Adding a third Tribe
Want to bring a third Tribe into the mix? Select another Tribe from the “Compare” dropdown. The PLP will then be split into four groups in a 4×4 matrix. Use the horizontal and vertical axis labels to understand how the Tribes are being mapped.
If you have any further questions, comments, or proposed amendments, please get in touch at [email protected].
