For every million who voted Labour they secured 37 MPs, for every million who voted Conservative they achieved 22 MPs and for every million who voted Liberal Democrat they secured 10 MPs.

Over 70% of votes (over 19m) were wasted as they were cast either for a losing candidate or surplus to the winner's requirements - a slight increase compared with 2001.

The voting system is biased in favour of Labour as other parties' votes are more evenly spread. If Conservatives had polled same share of vote as Labour, Labour would have 336 seats, compared to the Conservatives 220. The Conservatives would need a vote share lead of 6.3%, to draw level with Labour in number of seats.

Labour won 92 more seats than Conservatives in England with slightly over 50,000 less votes.

In metropolitan counties outside London 1.1m Conservative voters elected only 5 MPs.

In Scotland 369,388 votes per Conservative MP; 48,007 per Lib Dem MP, 21,962 per Labour MP.

Lib Dems won all 5 seats in Cornwall with 44.4% of the votes. Conservatives all 11 seats in Surrey with 50.5%. Labour all 13 seats in Tyne & Wear with 55.8%.

During the campaign The Times reported that the two main parties were spending two thirds of their campaign resources in targeting the 850,000 swing voters in marginal seats that would determine the outcome of the election. This is just 2% of the electorate, giving the impression to 49 out of 50 potential voters that their vote would not make a difference. During the campaign Tony Blair warned that under the present voting system a vote for Kennedy could return Howard and that the result would rest with hundreds of voters in super marginal seats. The system encourages the parties to skew their policies towards the concerns of these swing voters of Middle England, increasing the impression that there is little to choose from between the parties and voting doesn't matter.

Full 2005 election analysis by the Electoral Reform Society is available in the briefings section.