British Governments and Elections
since 1945
British Governments and Elections
since 1945
|
British Governments and Elections | |
This table is a summary of British general election results since 1945, and gives the seats and percentage votes obtained by the major party groupings, together with the current party leaders and number of lost deposits. Fuller, disaggregated, information, together with detailed constituency results, is available by clicking on the election date. There is also a link to the manifestos for each election.
LD = Lost deposits
| Monarch: King George VI, 1936-1952 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 5th July 1945 | Party | Seats - % | Candidates | % Vote | Party leaders | ||
| Labour govt | Lab | 395 | 61.7 | 607 | (3 LD) | 48.1 (+10.4) | C. Attlee |
| Con+UU | 215 inc S | 33.6 | 627 | (12 LD) | 40.1 (-13.9) | W. Churchill | |
| Turnout = 72.6% | Lib | 12 | 1.9 | 306 | (72 LD) | 9.0 (+0.8) | A. Sinclair C. Davies |
| Cabinet members | Others | 18 | 3.4 | 143 | (88 LD) | 2.8 | |
| Total | 640 | 1683 | (175 LD)¤ | Manifestos | |||
| Thu 23rd Feb 1950 | Party | Seats - % | Candidates | % Vote | Party leaders | ||
| Labour govt | Lab | 315 | 50.4 | 623 | (8 LD) | 46.2 (-1.9) | C. Attlee |
| Con+UU | 298 | 47.7 | 623 | (5 LD) | 43.5 (+3.4) | W. Churchill | |
| Turnout = 83.6% | Lib | 9 | 1.4 | 475 | (319 LD) | 9.1 (+0.1) | C. Davies |
| Cabinet members | Others | 3 inc S | 0.5 | 147 | (129 LD) | 1.2 (-1.6) | |
| Total | 625 | 1868 | (461 LD) | Manifestos | |||
| Thu 25th Oct 1951 | Party | Seats - % | Candidates | % Vote | Party leaders | ||
| Conservative govt | Con+UU | 321 | 51.4 | 618 | (3 LD) | 48.0 (+4.5) | W. Churchill A. Eden |
| Lab | 295 | 47.2 | 617 | (1 LD) | 48.8 (+2.6) | C. Attlee | |
| Turnout = 81.9% | Lib | 6 | 0.96 | 109 | (66 LD) | 2.6 (-6.5) | C. Davies |
| Cabinet members | Others | 3 | 0.48 | 32 | (26 LD) | 0.6 (-0.6) | |
| Total | 625 | 1376 | (96 LD) | Manifestos | |||
| Monarch: Queen Elizabeth II (1952- ) | |||||||
| Thu 26th May 1955 | Party | Seats - % | Candidates | % Vote | Party leaders | ||
| Conservative govt | Con+UU | 345 inc S | 54.8 | 625 | (4 LD) | 49.7 (+1.7) | A. Eden H. Macmillan |
| Lab | 277 | 44.0 | 619 | (2 LD) | 46.3 (-2.5) | C. Attlee H. Gaitskell | |
| Turnout = 76.8% | Lib | 6 | 1.0 | 110 | (59 LD) | 2.7 (+0.1) | C. Davies J. Grimond |
| Cabinet members | Others | 2 | 0.3 | 55 | (34 LD) | 1.3 (+0.7) | |
| Total | 630 | 1409 | (99 LD) | Manifestos | |||
| Thu 8th Oct 1959 | Party | Seats - % | Candidates | % Vote | Party leaders | ||
| Conservative govt | Con+UU | 365 | 57.9 | 625 | (3 LD) | 49.3 (-0.4) | H. Macmillan A. Home |
| ¶ | Lab | 258 | 41.0 | 621 | (1 LD) | 43.8 (-2.5) | H. Gaitskell H. Wilson |
| Turnout = 78.7% | Lib | 6 | 1.0 | 216 | (55 LD) | 5.9 (+3.2) | J. Grimond |
| Cabinet members | Others | 1 | 0.0 | 74 | (57 LD) | 1.0 (-0.3) | |
| Total | 630 | 1536 | (116 LD) | Manifestos | |||
| Thu 15th Oct 1964 | Party | Seats - % | Candidates | % Vote | Party leaders | ||
| Labour govt | Lab | 317 | 50.3 | 618 | (4 LD) | 44.1 (+0.3) | H. Wilson |
| Con+UU | 303 +S | 48.1 | 633 | (8 LD) | 43.4 (-6.0) | A. Home E. Heath | |
| Turnout = 77.1% | Lib | 9 | 1.4 | 365 | (52 LD) | 11.1 (+5.3) | J. Grimond |
| Cabinet members | Others | 0 | - | 141 | (122 LD) | 1.3 (+0.4) | |
| Total | 630 | 1757 | (186 LD) | Manifestos | |||
| Thu 31st Mar 1966 | Party | Seats - % | Candidates | % Vote | Party leaders | ||
| Labour govt | Lab | 363 +S | 57.6 | 617 | (4 LD) | 47.7 (+3.6) | H. Wilson |
| Con+UU | 253 | 40.2 | 632 | (12 LD) | 41.8 (-1.6) | E. Heath | |
| Turnout = 75.8% | Lib | 12 | 1.9 | 312 | (105 LD) | 8.5 (-2.6) | J. Grimond J. Thorpe |
| Cabinet members | Others | 1 | 0.2 | 146 | (117 LD) | 2.0 (+0.7) | |
| Total | 630 | 1707 | (238 LD) | Manifestos | |||
| Thu 18th June 1970 | Party | Seats - % | Candidates | % Vote | Party leaders | ||
| Conservative govt | Con+UU | 330 | 52.4 | 630 | (12 LD) | 46.0 (+4.2) | E. Heath |
| Lab | 287 +S | 45.6 | 619 | (6 LD) | 42.7 (-4.9) | H. Wilson | |
| Turnout = 72.0% | Lib | 6 | 1.0 | 332 | (184 LD) | 7.5 (-1.1) | J. Thorpe |
| Cabinet members | Others | 6 | 1.0 | 256 | (206 LD) | 3.8 (+1.8) | |
| Total | 630 | 1837 | (408 LD) | Manifestos | |||
| Thu 28th Feb 1974 | Party | Seats - % | Candidates | % Vote | Party leaders | ||
| Labour govt | Lab | 301 | 47.4 | 626 | (27 LD) | 37.2 (-5.6) | H. Wilson |
| Minority govt | Con | 296 +S | 46.6 | 635 | (21 LD) | 37.8 (-8.1) | E. Heath |
| Turnout = 78.8% | Lib | 14 | 2.2 | 517 | (23 LD) | 19.3 (+11.8) | J. Thorpe |
| Cabinet members | Others | 23 | 3.8 | 358 | (250 LD) | 5.7 (+1.9) | |
| Total | 635 | 2135 | (321 LD) | Manifestos | |||
| Thu 10th Oct 1974 | Party | Seats - % | Candidates | % Vote | Party leaders | ||
| Labour govt | Lab | 319 | 50.2 | 623 | (13 LD) | 39.3 (+2.1) | H. Wilson J. Callaghan |
| Con | 276 +S | 43.5 | 623 | (29 LD) | 35.7 (-2.1) | E. Heath M. Thatcher | |
| Turnout = 72.8% | Lib | 13 | 2.1 | 619 | (125 LD) | 18.3 (-1.0) | J. Thorpe J. Grimond D. Steel |
| Cabinet members | Others | 26 | 4.2 | 387 | (275 LD) | 6.7 (+1.0) | |
| Total | 635 | 2252 | (442 LD) | Manifestos | |||
| Thu 3rd May 1979 | Party | Seats - % | Candidates | % Vote | Party leaders | ||
| Conservative govt | Con | 339 | 53.4 | 622 | (3 LD) | 43.9 (+8.2) | M. Thatcher |
| Lab | 268 +S | 42.2 | 622 | (22 LD) | 36.9 (-2.4) | J. Callaghan M. Foot | |
| Turnout = 76.0% | Lib | 11 | 1.7 | 577 | (304 LD) | 13.8 (-4.5) | D. Steel |
| Cabinet members | Others | 16 | 2.7 | 754 | (672 LD) | 5.4 (-1.3) | |
| Total | 635 | 2575 | (1001 LD) | Manifestos | |||
| Thu 9th June 1983 | Party | Seats - % | Candidates | % Vote | Party leaders | ||
| Conservative govt | Con | 397 | 61.1 | 633 | (5 LD) | 42.4 (-1.5) | M. Thatcher |
| ¶ | Lab | 209 | 32.2 | 633 | (119 LD) | 27.6 (-9.3) | M. Foot N. Kinnock |
| Turnout = 72.7% | All. | 23 | 3.5 | 633 | (11 LD) | 25.4 (+11.6) | Owen/Steel |
| Cabinet members | Others | 21 | 3.2 | 678 | (604 LD) | 4.6 (-0.7) | |
| Total | 650 | 2577 | (739 LD) | Manifestos | |||
| Thu 11th June 1987 | Party | Seats - % | Candidates | % Vote | Party leaders | ||
| Conservative govt | Con | 375 +S | 57.7 | 632 | (0 LD) | 42.2 (-0.2) | M. Thatcher J. Major |
| Lab | 229 | 35.2 | 633 | (0 LD) | 30.8 (+3.2) | N. Kinnock | |
| Turnout = 75.3% | All. | 22 | 3.4 | 632 | (1 LD) | 22.5 (-2.9) | D. Steel P. Ashdown |
| Cabinet members | Others | 23 | 3.7 | 427 | (288 LD) | 4.5 (-0.1) | |
| Total | 650 | 2325 | (289 LD) | Manifestos | |||
| Thu 9th April 1992 | Party | Seats - % | Candidates | % Vote | Party leaders | ||
| Conservative govt | Con | 336 | 51.6 | 645 | (4 LD) | 41.9 (-0.3) | J. Major |
| § | Lab | 271 | 41.6 | 634 | (1 LD) | 34.4 (+3.6) | Neil Kinnock John Smith Margaret Beckett Tony Blair |
| Turnout = 77.7% | LibDem | 20 | 3.1 | 632 | (11 LD) | 17.8 (-4.7) | P. Ashdown |
| Cabinet members | Others | 24 | 3.7 | 1040 | (884 LD) | 5.9 (+1.4) | |
| Total | 651 | 2948 | (900 LD) | Manifestos | |||
| Thu 1st May 1997 | Party | Seats - % | Candidates | % Vote | Party leaders | ||
| Labour govt | Lab | 418 +S | 63.4 | 639 | - | 43.2 (+8.8) | Tony Blair |
| Con | 165 | 25.0 | 640 | (1 LD) | 30.7 (-11.2) | John Major William Hague | |
| Turnout = 71.3% | LibDem | 46 | 7.0 | 639 | (13 LD) | 16.8 (-1.0) | P.Ashdown |
| Cabinet members | Others | 29 | 4.6 | 1806 | (1555 LD) | 9.3 (+3.4) | |
| Total | 659 | 3724 | (1569 LD) | Manifestos | |||
| Thu 7th June 2001 | Party | Seats - % | Candidates | % Vote | Party leaders | ||
| Labour govt | Lab | 412 +S | 62.5 | 640 | - | 40.7 (-2.5) | Tony Blair |
| Con | 166 | 25.2 | 643 | (5 LD) | 31.7 (+1.0) | William Hague I. Duncan Smith Michael Howard | |
| Turnout = 59.4% | LibDem | 52 | 7.9 | 639 | (1 LD) | 18.3 (+1.5) | Charles Kennedy |
| Cabinet members | Others | 28 | 4.4 | 1396 | (1171 LD) | 9.3 (-) | |
| Total | 659 | 3319 | (1177 LD) | Manifestos | |||
| Thu 5th May 2005 | Party | Seats - % | Candidates | % Vote | Party leaders | ||
| Labour govt | Lab | 355 +S | 55.0 | 627 | - | 35.2 (-5.5) | Tony Blair Gordon Brown |
| Con | 198 | 30.7 | 630 | (5 LD) | 32.4 (+0.7) | Michael Howard David Cameron | |
| Turnout = 61.4% | LibDem | 62 | 9.6 | 626 | (1 LD) | 22.0 (+3.7) | Charles Kennedy Menzies Campbell Nick Clegg |
| Others | 30 | 4.7 | 1667 | (1379 LD) | 10.4 (+1.1) | ||
| Total | 646 | 3554 | (1385 LD) | Manifestos | |||
| Thu 6th May 2010 | Party | Seats - % | Candidates | % Vote | Party leaders | ||
| Con/LibDem coalition | Con | 306 +S | 47.2 | 631 | (2 LD) | 36.1 (+3.7) | David Cameron |
| Lab | 258 | 39.8 | 631 | (5 LD) | 29.0 (-6.2) | Gordon Brown H Harman E Miliband | |
| Turnout = 65.1% | LibDem | 57 | 8.8 | 631 | 23.0 (+1.0) | Nick Clegg | |
| Cabinet members | Others | 28 | 4.2 | 2257 | (1886 LD) | 11.9 (+1.5) | |
| Total | 650 | 4150 | (1893 LD) | Manifestos | |||
S denotes 'Speaker'. Majorities are 'working' majorities: that is a sitting Speaker has been excluded from the calculation
¶ No sitting Speaker contested the election: a Conservative MP became Speaker after the election, thus reducing the effective majority by one.
§ No sitting Speaker contested the election: a Labour MP became Speaker after the election, thus increasing the effective majority by one.
¤ this differs from the usually quoted figure of 163 — see discussion.
LD denotes 'lost deposits'
Up to 1970 Conservative data includes associates where relevant. Labour data includes Labour Independents, but not ILP or NI Labour. Disaggregated figures are available in the detailed results for each year.The listed party leaders do not include temporary acting leaders while permanent leaders are being selected.
Last Modified: 10/22/12
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