‹ 1974 · members  members ·1979 › |
| United Kingdom general election, October 1974 |
| All 635 seats to the House of Commons |
| 10 October 1974 |
|
First party |
Second party |
Third party |
|
 |
 |
|
| Leader |
Harold Wilson |
Edward Heath |
Jeremy Thorpe |
| Party |
Labour |
Conservative |
Liberal |
| Leader since |
14 February 1963 |
28 July 1965 |
18 January 1967 |
| Leader's seat |
Huyton |
Bexley |
North Devon |
| Last election |
301 seats, 37.2% |
297 seats, 37.9% |
14 seats, 19.3% |
| Seats won |
319 |
277 |
13 |
| Seat change |
+18 |
-20 |
-1 |
| Popular vote |
11,457,079 |
10,462,565 |
5,346,704 |
| Percentage |
39.2% |
35.8% |
18.3% |
| Swing |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
The United Kingdom general election of October 1974 took place on 10 October 1974. It was the second of two United Kingdom general elections held that year. Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson, having taken power in a hung parliament after the February election, returned to the polls and won a tiny majority of three. In both elections the Conservative Party's hopes of forming a government had been weakened by the decision of Ulster Unionist Party MPs to withdraw from their long-standing acceptance of the Conservative whip in parliament, due to their opposition to the 1973 Sunningdale Agreement.
It was at this election that the Scottish National Party secured their best ever representation inside the House of Commons: 11 elected MPs as well as their largest total number of votes in a UK general election.
Results
| UK General Election October 1974 |
|
Candidates |
Votes |
| Party |
Standing |
Elected |
Gained |
Unseated |
Net |
% of total |
% |
No. |
Net % |
| |
Labour |
623 |
319 |
20 |
2 |
+ 18 |
50.236 |
39.2 |
11,457,079 |
+ 2.0 |
| |
Conservative |
622 |
277 |
2 |
22 |
- 20 |
43.622 |
35.8 |
10,462,565 |
- 2.1 |
| |
Liberal |
619 |
13 |
1 |
2 |
- 1 |
2.047 |
18.3 |
5,346,704 |
- 1.0 |
| |
SNP |
71 |
11 |
4 |
0 |
+ 4 |
1.732 |
2.9 |
839,617 |
+ 0.9 |
| |
Ulster Unionist |
7 |
6 |
0 |
1 |
- 1 |
0.944 |
0.9 |
256,065 |
+ 0.1 |
| |
Plaid Cymru |
36 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
+ 1 |
0.472 |
0.6 |
166,321 |
+ 0.1 |
| |
Social Democratic and Labour |
9 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0.6 |
154,193 |
+ 0.1 |
| |
National Front |
90 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0.4 |
113,843 |
+ 0.2 |
| |
Vanguard |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0.3 |
92,262 |
+ 0.1 |
| |
Democratic Unionist |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0.3 |
59,451 |
+ 0.1 |
| |
Alliance |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0.2 |
44,644 |
+ 0.1 |
| |
Independent Labour |
7 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
|
0.2 |
33,317 |
+ 0.1 |
| |
Independent Republican |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
+ 1 |
|
0.2 |
32,795 |
+ 0.2 |
| |
Republican Clubs |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0.1 |
21,633 |
+ 0.1 |
| |
Unionist Party NI |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0.1 |
20,454 |
N/A |
| |
Communist |
29 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0.1 |
17,426 |
0.0 |
| |
Democratic Labour |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
- 1 |
|
0.1 |
13,714 |
+ 0.1 |
| |
Labour (NI) |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0.0 |
11,539 |
0.0 |
| |
Independent |
32 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0.0 |
8,812 |
- 0.1 |
| |
Independent Ulster Unionist |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0.0 |
4,982 |
N/A |
| |
United Democratic |
13 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0.0 |
4,810 |
N/A |
| |
Independent Conservative |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0.0 |
4,559 |
0.0 |
| |
More Prosperous Britain |
25 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0.0 |
4,301 |
0.0 |
| |
Workers' Revolutionary |
10 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0.0 |
3,404 |
0.0 |
| |
Independent Liberal |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0.0 |
3,277 |
- 0.2 |
| |
Volunteer Political |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0.0 |
2,690 |
N/A |
| |
Irish Civil Rights |
7 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0.0 |
2,381 |
N/A |
| |
People Movement |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0.0 |
1,996 |
0.0 |
| |
Marxist-Leninist (England) |
8 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0.0 |
1,320 |
0.0 |
| |
English National |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0.0 |
1,115 |
N/A |
| |
United English National |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0.0 |
793 |
N/A |
| |
Marxist-Leninist (Ireland) |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0.0 |
540 |
N/A |
| |
Mebyon Kernow |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0.0 |
384 |
N/A |
| |
Socialist (GB) |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0.0 |
118 |
N/A |
Total number of votes: 29,189,104. All parties shown.
Votes summary
| Popular vote |
|
|
|
|
|
| Labour |
|
39.25% |
| Conservative |
|
35.8% |
| Liberal |
|
18.32% |
| Scottish National |
|
2.88% |
| Ulster Unionist |
|
0.88% |
| Plaid Cymru |
|
0.57% |
| Social Democratic and Labour |
|
0.53% |
| National Front |
|
0.39% |
| Independent |
|
0.3% |
| Others |
|
1.08% |
|
Seats summary
| Parliamentary seats |
|
|
|
|
|
| Labour |
|
50.24% |
| Conservative |
|
43.62% |
| Liberal |
|
2.05% |
| Scottish National |
|
1.73% |
| Ulster Unionist |
|
0.94% |
| Plaid Cymru |
|
0.47% |
| Vanguard |
|
0.47% |
| Others |
|
0.47% |
|
References
See also
Manifestos
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