United Kingdom general election records


This is an annotated list of notable records from United Kingdom general elections from 1945 onwards.

Rationale

This article limits itself to records for 1945 and onwards. Prior to 1945, electoral competition in the United Kingdom exhibited features which make meaningful comparisons with modern results difficult.
Among the most significant were:
Since 1945, the evolution of a stable 3-party system has tended to negate each of the above features so that, broadly speaking, elections are more comparable.
In Northern Ireland, as ever, the pattern of party competition is completely different from that in Great Britain and comparisons remain problematic.
Hence, unless otherwise stated records are based on results since the 1945 general election, and earlier exceptional results are listed separately.

Glossary

For comparison purposes the following definitions have been adopted.
For more information about what is meant by the term "swing", see Swing

Largest swings

National swings

A party's share of the vote at a general election is not always matched at subsequent general elections, but given the five-year maximum term of a Parliament since 1911, reductions of 10% or more or around 30% or more are unusual.

National

Other parties

The Conservative, Scottish National, and Democratic Unionist parties have never lost a 30% or larger percentage share of the vote in a single constituency.

Largest increase in percentage share of vote

These records detail the change in the share of the vote by parties when compared to the same constituency in the previous general election. In some cases, such as Brent East in 2005 for the Liberal Democrats, the figures should be framed by the context of a by-election in that constituency between the two elections.

Other parties

Largest winning share of the vote

The five largest shares of the vote won by any candidate, since 1918, are as follows:
The most votes received by a single individual in a general election was Sir Cooper Rawson who polled 75,205 votes when being reelected as MP for Brighton in 1931. Brighton was a two-member constituency with a larger than average electorate. The most votes received by an individual in a single-seat constituency was 69,762 for Reginald Blair in Hendon in 1935.

Largest majority

The largest majority received by an individual is also Sir Cooper Rawson, reelected with a majority of 62,253 at Brighton in 1931. The largest majority received by a woman is 38,823 by the Countess of Iveagh elected MP for Southend in 1931.

Lowest winning share of the vote

All general election victors receiving less than 33.33% of the vote are listed. The list is complete from 1945 onwards. Seats with more than one member are omitted.

Lowest share of the vote

Major parties less than 1% of the vote

Since 1918:
The Conservatives' worst vote outside Northern Ireland was 1.1% for A. Seaton in Pontypridd in 1918.
Labour's worst vote was 2.2% for Samuel McLaren in Glasgow Bridgeton in 1935 and in 2010 for Jonathan Todd in Westmorland and Lonsdale.

Candidates winning fewer than ten votes

Candidates in general elections since 1918 who won fewer than ten votes:
VotesCandidatePartyConstituencyElection
1Catherine Taylor-DawsonVote For Yourself Rainbow Dream TicketCardiff North2005
3Bobby SmithGive Me Back ElmoMaidenhead2017
5Martin KyslunIndependentWest Derbyshire2005
5William TobinIndependentUxbridge and South Ruislip2019
7Dorian VanbraamRenaissance DemocratPutney1997
7Andres MendozaCommunist LeagueIslington North2017
8Bobby SmithGive Me Back ElmoUxbridge and South Ruislip2019

Both W. M. Somerville in Bewdley at the 1874 United Kingdom general election and F. R. Lees in Drogheda at the 1852 United Kingdom general election received no votes.

Smallest majorities

Since 1945
Notes:

Most recounts

Highest turnouts in any general election since 1918:
All turnouts below 35% from 1918 onwards:
ConstituencyElectionTurnout
Lambeth Kennington191829.7
Birmingham Deritend191830.7
Bethnal Green North East191831.2
Birmingham Duddeston191832.4
Limehouse191833.4
Liverpool Riverside200134.1
Aberdeenshire and East Kincardineshire191834.2

Until 2001, the lowest turnout after 1918 was 37.4% in Orkney and Shetland in 1922.

Most candidates

Any number of candidates can be nominated for election under current UK electoral law. The only restrictions are that a candidate must be a Commonwealth or Irish citizen, not legally disqualified, with the valid nomination of ten electors from the constituency. Candidates must pay a £500 deposit which is only refunded if the candidate wins 5% or more of the votes cast.
Fourteen constituencies have seen more than ten candidates stand in a general election:
CandidatesConstituencyElectionIncumbent
15Sedgefield2005Tony Blair
13Maidenhead2017Theresa May
13Uxbridge and South Ruislip2015None
12Uxbridge and South Ruislip2019Boris Johnson
12Hackney South and Shoreditch2010Meg Hillier
12Luton South2010None
12Witney2015David Cameron
11Finchley1983Margaret Thatcher
11Isle of Wight2010Andrew Turner
11Bethnal Green and Bow2010None
11Camberwell and Peckham2010Harriet Harman
11Bethnal Green and Bow2015Rushanara Ali
11Camberwell and Peckham2015Harriet Harman
11Hackney South and Shoreditch2015Meg Hillier
11Thanet South2015None

The two cases from before 2010 were both the constituency of the Prime Minister. Before 1983, the consecutive records were 6 candidates in Paddington North in 1918, 7 in Tottenham in February 1974 and 9 in Devon North in 1979.

Fewest candidates

The last four seats to be uncontested at a general election were Armagh, Londonderry, North Antrim and South Antrim, at the 1951 general election. The last seats in Great Britain to be uncontested were Liverpool Scotland and Rhondda West, at the 1945 general election.
Three seats were contested only by Labour and Conservative candidates at the 1979 general election: Birmingham Handsworth, Dudley West and Salford East.
Buckingham was the only seat contested by only three candidates at the 2015 general election. Traditionally, the Speaker of the House of Commons is not opposed by major parties, so the only opposition to John Bercow was candidates from the Green Party and from UKIP. However, in the 2017 United Kingdom general election, there were 21 seats with only three candidates and in 2019 there was 20.

Candidate records

Durable general election candidates

A selection of politicians who have contested seats in at least thirteen general elections are listed:
NamePartiesContestsSuccessfulFirstLastNotes
Winston ChurchillLiberal, Conservative161419001959Stood in five by-elections, first in 1899
Charles Pelham VilliersLiberal, Liberal Unionist151518351895
Kenneth ClarkeConservative151319642017
Edward HeathConservative141419501997
T. P. O'ConnorIrish Nationalist141418851929
Dennis SkinnerLabour141319702019
Peter TapsellConservative141319592010Also stood in 1957 by-election
Gerald KaufmanLabour141219552015Did not stand 1964 or 1966
Manny ShinwellLabour141219181966Also stood in 1928 by-election
Michael FootLabour141119351987Also stood in 1960 by-election
David WinnickLabour141019642017Did not stand February 1974
David Lloyd GeorgeLiberal131318921935Also stood in 1890 by-election
Edward TurnourConservative131319061950Also stood in 1904 by-election
Tony BennLabour131219511997Stood in four by-elections, first in 1950
Margaret BeckettLabour13111974 Feb2019Still serving

MPs defeated at consecutive general elections

On rare occasions an MP has been defeated at a general election, returned at a by-election, only to be defeated again at the subsequent general election. Shirley Williams is distinguished by achieving this while in two different parties.
Notes:

Attempts

It is unusual for a defeated MP to pursue more than a couple of attempts at re-election.
Among women, namely:
Notes:
Attempts at a comeback usually occur almost immediately. Those who succeeded after further general elections include:
It is unusual for a candidate who has been unsuccessful on more than a couple of occasions to finally win a seat.
Among women, namely:
For a comprehensive list of MPs with total service of less than 365 days see List of United Kingdom MPs with the shortest service

Since 1945

Pre-1945

Notes
See Baby of the House of Commons

Youngest to leave the House

Oldest general election victors

At first election

Possibly the oldest known first-time seat winner was Bernard Kelly who was aged 77 when he became the first MP for the then new seat of South Donegal in Ireland at the 1885 general election. He died aged reportedly 78 on 1 January 1887. Others:
A contender for the longest gap prior to returning at a general election was possibly Henry Drummond, who returned to the House of Commons in the 1847 general election as member for West Surrey, after a near 35-year absence, though aged only 60. He was previously MP for Plympton Erle from 1810–12.
Others, who returned at older ages than Drummond's:
y had entered parliament in by-election 1919
z had entered parliament in by-election 1921

First ethnic minority general election victors

When the UK Parliament was established in 1801, non-Anglicans were prevented from taking their seats as MPs under the Test Act 1672. However, Methodists took communion at Anglican churches until 1795, and some continued to do so, and many Presbyterians were prepared to accept Anglican communion, thus ensuring that members of these creeds were represented in the Parliament. Some Unitarians were also elected.
The first Roman Catholic general election victors in the UK Parliament were at the 1830 general election. They included Daniel O'Connell and James Patrick Mahon in Clare.
The first Quaker general election victor was Edward Pease at the 1832 general election.
The first Moravian general election victor was Charles Hindley at the 1835 general election.
Lionel de Rothschild was the first Jewish general election victor at the 1847 general election. He was not permitted to take his seat until the passage of the Jews Relief Act 1858.
The first Catholic Apostolic general election victor was Henry Drummond also at the 1847 election.
The first Baptist general election victor was George Goodman at the 1852 general election.
The first Congregationalist general election victor was Samuel Morley at the 1865 general election.
The first declared atheist to win a general election was Charles Bradlaugh at the 1880 general election. He was not permitted to take his seat in that parliament, but was elected again at the 1885 general election and allowed to take the oath.
Dadabhai Naoroji was the first Parsi general election victor at the 1892 general election.
Piara Khabra became the first Sikh general election victor at the 1992 general election.
Terry Rooney became the first Mormon general election victor at the 1992 general election.
The first Muslim general election victor was Mohammed Sarwar at the 1997 general election.
The first Hindu general election victor was Shailesh Vara at the 2005 general election.
The first Buddhist general election victor was Suella Braverman as Suella Fernandes at the 2015 general election.

General elections losers awarded seats on disqualification of winner

Two or more sitting MPs contest general election

It is of course common for former MPs to seek re-election, often in their old constituencies, especially if they are marginal or bellwether seats. What is quite unusual is for two MPs both sitting in the same parliament to seek re-election in the same seat. This usually occurs by reason of boundary changes or party splits.
Notes: 1after announcing his retirement as member for Central Fife, long-serving Scottish Labour MP Willie Hamilton obtained his party's nomination in the hopeless prospect of South Hams in southern England. Hamilton insisted that he knew local parties often found themselves without candidates shortly before nominations closed, and was offering because it would help them out of difficulty; however by standing again and being "defeated" he qualified for an additional allowance.
* Winner

Frequency and duration records

Longest period without a general election

The longest possible duration of a Parliament is currently five years. All period of six years or more between general elections are listed:

Shortest period between general elections

All period of less than a year between general elections are listed:

Longest period without a change in government

The longest continuous Conservative government was in office for almost 18 years, between 4 May 1979 and 2 May 1997.
The longest continuous Labour government was in office for over 13 years, between 2 May 1997 and 11 May 2010.
The longest continuous Liberal government was in office for over 9 years, between 5 December 1905 and 25 May 1915.
The longest continuous coalition government was in office for almost 14 years, between 24 August 1931 and 26 July 1945, although its components changed significantly during that period.

Election days

Currently, all British Parliamentary elections are invariably held on a Thursday. The last general election not held on a Thursday was the 1931 election, which was held on Tuesday 27 October. Prior to this, it was common to hold general elections on any day of the week, and until the 1918 general election, polling was held over a period of several weeks.

Suspended elections

On rare occasions, polling in an individual constituency may be suspended, usually as a result of the death of a candidate. The last occasion was at Thirsk and Malton in 2010, where polling was delayed for three weeks owing to the death of the UKIP candidate.
Previous examples occurred at

Loss of a vote of confidence

Incumbents fall directly from first place to fourth place

Incumbents fall directly from first place to third place

Outgoing Government gains seats

When there is a decisive change in electoral sentiment, a tiny number of seats will not only buck the trend by not moving as expected, but may actually move in the opposite direction. Only elections that saw a change of government are listed, since it is fairly common for a few seats to move in divergent directions when an incumbent government is re-elected; 2005 was an exception to this case, when the Labour party scored no gains.

Conservative

1997
By-election losses regained
Gains
Gains
Gains
Gains
2010
Gains
Gains
Conservative Gains
Gains
Gains

Conservative

Notes: In 2010 the Conservatives entered government as the largest party in a coalition and in 2015 they went from being part of a coalition to being a majority government in their own right.
In 2017 the Conservatives entered government without an overall majority and in 2019 they went from having a minority government to being a majority government in their own right.

Labour

Note: In 2010 the Liberal Democrats entered government as a junior partner in a coalition.

Liberal Party (pre-Liberal Democrats)

Notes: 1 by-election loss confirmed at the general election

Seats gained from fourth place*

It is unusual for a party that had not contested the seat at the previous election to win it. Since the major mainland parties now routinely contest all seats, except the Speaker's, such rare victories tend to come from independents or splinter-parties.
Notes:
The rare occasions where the party which won the previous election did not contest the seat. Independent candidates are not included, nor are Speakers of the House or Commons. Also excluded are occasions where the party had merged into an organisation which did contest the election, such as when the Social Democratic Party and Liberal Party formed the Liberal Democrats, or the Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party merged into the Ulster Unionist Party.

Major party did not run

Conservative

Victories by independent and minor party candidates since 1945. For a complete list, see the list of UK minor party and independent MPs elected.

Independent candidates winning 10% or more

Independent candidates who did not win, but took 10% or more of the vote in their constituency
ConstituencyElectionCandidateVotesPercentagePositionNotes
Batley and Spen2019Paul Halloran6,43212.23
Beaconsfield2019Dominic Grieve16,76529.02Previously represented the seat for the Conservatives
Birkenhead2019Frank Field7,28517.22Previously represented the seat for Labour
Buckingham2017Scott Raven5,63810.73Standing against the then Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow
Bradford West2017Salma Yaqoob6,34513.93
Chorley2019Mark Brexit-Smith9,43923.72Standing against the then Speaker of the House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle. Selected as a Brexit Party candidate, ran as an independent after the party withdrew
Ealing Southall2001Avtar Lit5,76412.33
East Devon2015Claire Wright13,14024.02
East Devon2017Claire Wright21,27035.22
East Devon2019Claire Wright25,86940.42
Fermanagh and South Tyrone2001Jim Dixon6,84313.24
Fermanagh and South Tyrone2010Rodney Connor21,30041.52Supported by the DUP and UUP
Fylde2015Mike Hill5,16611.94-
Hereford and South Herefordshire2017Jim Kenyon5,56011.03-
Middlesbrough2019Antony High4,54814.23
Sedgefield2005Reg Keys4,25210.34Standing against the then-Prime Minister Tony Blair
South West Hertfordshire2019David Gauke15,91926.02Previously represented the seat for the Conservatives
West Bromwich West1997Richard Silvester8,54623.32Standing against the then Speaker of the House of Commons, Betty Boothroyd
West Tyrone2005Kieran Deeny11,90527.42

Minor parties other strong performance

Parties without representation in Parliament which won 10% or more of the votes cast:
PartyConstituencyElectionCandidateVotesPercentagePositionNotes

Miscellaneous notable results

Party leaders or deputy leaders losing their seats

General elections having historic significance

Listed below parties which have returned MPs, either at the listed election or a later one.
Asterisked – first election where party fielded candidates but MPs elected at later general election. Otherwise all parties listed returned MPs at first contested election.

Last general elections for defunct political parties

Listed below are parties which had returned MPs and which ceased to exist after the listed election:
* After the Liberal Party and SDP merged to form the Liberal Democrats, some members opposed to the merger formed new parties, the continuation Liberal Party and continuation Social Democratic Party. These parties are legally distinct from their predecessors and have never won a seat in Parliament.

General elections following electoral developments

Participation in, and outcome of, general elections can be influenced by changes in electoral law or practice.