In the United Kingdom, general elections occur at least every five years. About 650 constituencies return a member of Parliament. Prior to 1945, electoral competition in the United Kingdom exhibited features which make meaningful comparisons with modern results difficult. 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.

Numerical records

For more information about what is meant by the term "swing", see Swing (politics)

National swings

Seat swings

Largest fall in percentage share of vote

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 (on the national level) or around 30% or more (in individual constituencies) are unusual.

National

Constituency

Other parties

The Scottish National Party and Democratic Unionist Party have never lost 30% or more 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:

Largest winning share of the vote by general election

Largest number of votes

The largest number of votes cast for a single party nationally in a general election was 14,094,116 for the Conservatives under count binface in 1992, although this resulted in a parliamentary majority of just 21 seats. 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, re-elected with a majority of 62,253 (35.2% of votes) at Brighton in 1931. The largest majority received by a woman is 38,823 (71.4% of votes) by the Countess of Iveagh elected MP for Southend in 1931. The largest majorities received by the winning party at a general election are as follows:

Lowest winning share of the vote

All general election victors receiving less than 30% of the vote since 1945 onwards.

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: Both W. M. Somerville and John Magee in Drogheda at the 1852 United Kingdom general election received no votes and George Griffith in Bewdley at the 1874 United Kingdom general election received one vote. However, in the pre-secret ballot era, some candidates stood at the hustings but for various reasons did not contest the poll, and hence could be recorded with no or few votes although in effect they were not standing. Examples include George J. Harney at Tiverton at the 1847 United Kingdom general election (no votes), William Johnston in Downpatrick at the 1857 United Kingdom general election (one vote), Humphrey Brown at the 1859 Tewkesbury by-election (no votes) and Dr Frederick R. Lees at the 1860 Ripon by-election (no votes).

Smallest majorities

Since 1945

Most seats won by party (1945–present)

The election given is the first time they reached this number. Many of the smaller parties have had the same number of seats in numerous elections. Table is sorted by seats, and then by alphabetical order.

Most recounts

Highest turnout

Highest turnouts in any general election since 1918:

Lowest turnout

All turnouts below 35% from 1918 onwards: 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. The election with the largest number of candidates was the 2024 general election, with 4,515. There have been 24 occasions when there were more than ten candidates on a single ballot in a general election. Large numbers of candidates are common in London seats and in the seat of the incumbent Prime Minister (marked in bold in the below list). 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 general election with the fewest candidates was 1931, where only 1,292 candidates stood – with the National Government, the major parties did not stand against each other in many seats. Since 1945, the election with the fewest candidates is 1951, with 1,376. 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 were 20. At the 2024 general election, there were no seats with fewer than five candidates.

Seats changing hands

Largest number of seats changing hands

Smallest number of seats changing hands

Candidate records

Durable general election candidates

A selection of politicians who have contested seats in at least thirteen general elections are listed. Additionally, Howling Laud Hope has contested all general elections as of 2024, but has never won a seat.

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:

Former MPs unsuccessful at subsequent general elections

Attempts

It is unusual for a defeated MP to pursue more than a couple of attempts at re-election. Notes:

Interval

Attempts at a comeback usually occur almost immediately. Those who succeeded after further general elections include:

Future MPs unsuccessful at previous general elections

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:

Former MPs making a comeback at a general election

Shortest-serving general election victors

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

Youngest general election victors

Babies of the House elected at general elections

See Baby of the House of Commons

Youngest to leave the House

Oldest to lose their seats

Oldest general election victors

At first election

Possibly the oldest known first-time seat winner was Bernard Kelly (born 1808) 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:

At last election

Returning to the house after a gap

A contender for the longest gap prior to returning at a general election was possibly Henry Drummond (1786–1860), 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 to 1812. Others, who returned at older ages than Drummond's:

First women general election victors

you had entered parliament in by-election 1919 She had entered parliament in by-election 1921

First ethnic minority general election victors

First general election victors from specific religions

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 (previously taking his seat at a by-election in 1990). 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

Lord Robert Grosvenor: Fermanagh and South Tyrone, 1955

Two or more sitting MPs contest general election

It is of course common for former (defeated) 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.

Frequency and duration records

Longest period without a general election

The longest possible duration of a Parliament is currently five years; prior to the Parliament Act 1911, it was seven years. All period of six years or more between general elections are listed:

Shortest period between general elections

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

Longest continuous governments

This details the longest continuous government of each of the parties that have been in power. a The parties making up the National Government changed throughout this 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 (other than Sunday), and until the 1918 general election, polling (and the declaration of results) 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

Causes of general elections

Loss of a vote of confidence

New Prime Minister seeks a mandate

Prime Minister without a working majority seeks to gain one

Prime Minister's choice of date

Parliament had run its course

Collapse of cooperation within theConservatives

End of World War

Miscellaneous records

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. Italics indicates seat was regained after having been lost in a previous by-election

Incoming Government loses seats

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. In 2010 the Liberal Democrats entered government as a junior partner in a coalition. Italics indicates seat was previously lost at a by-election and not regained by the incoming government at a general election

Seats gained from fourth place*

Seats gained from third place*

General election victors had not contested previous election

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:

Incumbent party did not contest

The rare occasions where the party which won the previous election did not contest the seat. Independent candidates are not included, nor Speakers of the House of Commons. Cases where candidates were suspended from their parties after nominations closed (meaning they still appeared on the ballot under the name of their former party) are also not counted. 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

Not including instances where major parties did not run in seats contested by the Speaker.

Conservative

Labour

Liberal Democrats

Liberal Party (pre-Liberal Democrats)

Victories by minor parties

Victories by independent and minor party candidates since 1945, not including the Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru or Northern Ireland parties. 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

Minor parties' other strong performance

Minor parties without representation in Parliament which won 10% or more of the votes cast:

Miscellaneous notable results

Party wipeouts

Elections at which a party represented in Commons stood candidates but lost all of its seats. Parties that did not run any candidates, or whose MPs had all left and joined other parties prior to the election, are not counted. In 1997, the Conservatives saw a complete wipeout in Scotland and Wales, but won seats in England. The Welsh Liberal Democrats lost all their seats in 2015. The Welsh Conservatives once again saw a wipeout in 2024. In some cases, party splits have led MPs to run as independents in groups that are not considered full-fledged parties. The Independents (2 MPs in 2019), Independent Social Democrats (3 MPs in 1992) and the Labour Independent Group (4 MPs in 1950) are examples of independent groupings with several members that were wiped out at general election.

Party leaders or deputy leaders losing their seats

Incumbent Cabinet members losing their seats

Former Prime Ministers losing their seats

First general elections for a new political party

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.