The was held on 1 May 1997 . The Labour Party won the general election in a landslide victory with 419 seats, the most seats the party has ever held. The Conservatives ended up with 165 seats, the fewest seats they have held since the 1906 General Election , and with no MPs for seats in Scotland and Wales . It was the beginning of the longest spell in opposition that the Conservative Party has faced since the 19th century and the longest spell in government ever for the Labour Party.
Labour won a Landslide Victory with their largest parliamentary majority (179) to date, Professor Anthony King describing the election as being like "an asteroid hitting the planet and destroying practically all life on earth.". The Liberal Democrats although their vote fell, in terms of seats, it was their best General Election since 1929 under David Lloyd George 's leadership. A heavy defeat for the Conservative Party, but not a Wipeout , with the party having it's lowest percentage share of the popular vote since 1832 under Duke Of Wellington 's leadership, being left with no seats outside England , and several prominent members of the party were not re-elected, including:
The poor results for the Conservative Party led to infighting, with the One Nation Tory Reform Group and Right Wing Maastricht Rebels blaming each other for the defeat. Chairman of the party Brian Mawhinney said on the night of the election, that it was due to disillusionment with 18 years of Conservative rule — time for a change. John Major resigned the party leadership, saying "When the curtain falls, it is time to leave the stage".
Labour's victory was largely credited to the charisma of Tony Blair coupled with the party's public relations machine managed by Alistair Campbell . Between the 1992 Election and the 1997 election there had also been major steps to modernise the party, including the ditching of Clause IV that had committed the party to extending public ownership of Industry. Famously, in the early hours of 2 May 1997 a party was held at the Royal Festival Hall , in which Blair stated triumphantly "A new dawn has broken, has it not".
The Referendum Party , which sought a Referendum on Britain's relationship with the European Union , came fourth in terms of votes with 800,000 votes, but no seats. The majority of the parties vote most likely were former Conservative voters. The six parties with the next highest votes stood only in either Scotland , Northern Ireland or Wales ; in order, they were the Scottish National Party , the Ulster Unionist Party , the Social Democratic And Labour Party , Plaid Cymru , Sinn Féin , and the Democratic Unionist Party .
In the previously safe seat of Tatton , where incumbent Conservative MP Neil Hamilton was facing charges of having taken Cash For Questions , the Labour and Liberal Democrat Parties decided not to field candidates in order that an Independent candidate, Martin Bell would have a better chance of winning the seat, which he duly did with a comfortable margin.
The result declared for the constituency of Winchester showed a margin of victory of just 2 votes for the Liberal Democrats. The defeated Conservative candidate mounted a successful legal challenge to the result on the grounds that errors by election officials (failures to stamp certain votes) had changed the result, the court ruled the result invalid and ordered a By-election on 20 November which was won by the Liberal Democrats with a much larger majority, causing much recrimination in the Conservative Party about the decision to challenge the original result.
The election was fought under new boundaries, with a net increase of eight seats. Changes listed here are from the notional 1992 result had it been fought on those boundaries. These notional results were used by all media organisations at the time.
leader of the Conservatives and incumbent Prime Minister .]]
, leader of the Liberal Democrats . ]]
| |
Labour Party (UK)
|
| |
Tony Blair
|
| |
419 (Including speaker)
|
| |
147
|
| |
0
|
| |
+ 147
|
| |
13,518,167
|
| |
432
|
| |
+ 88
|
|
| |
Conservative Party (UK)
|
| |
John Major
|
| |
165
|
| |
0
|
| |
178
|
| |
- 178
|
| |
9,600,943
|
| |
307
|
| |
- 112
|
|
| |
Liberal Democrats (UK)
|
| |
Paddy Ashdown
|
| |
46
|
| |
30
|
| |
2
|
| |
+ 28
|
| |
5,242,947
|
| |
168
|
| |
- 10
|
|
| |
Referendum Party
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
811,849
|
| |
26
|
| |
''N/A''
|
|
| |
Scottish National Party
|
| |
6
|
| |
3
|
| |
0
|
| |
+ 3
|
| |
621,550
|
| |
20
|
| |
+ 01
|
|
| |
Ulster Unionist Party
|
| |
10
|
| |
1
|
| |
0
|
| |
+1
|
| |
258,349
|
| |
08
|
| |
00
|
|
| |
Social Democratic and Labour Party
|
| |
3
|
| |
0
|
| |
1
|
| |
- 1
|
| |
190,814
|
| |
06
|
| |
+ 01
|
|
| |
Plaid Cymru
|
| |
4
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
161,030
|
| |
05
|
| |
00
|
|
| |
Sinn Féin
|
| |
2
|
| |
2
|
| |
0
|
| |
+ 2
|
| |
126,921
|
| |
04
|
| |
00
|
|
| |
Democratic Unionist Party
|
| |
2
|
| |
0
|
| |
1
|
| |
- 1
|
| |
107,348
|
| |
03
|
| |
00
|
|
| |
United Kingdom Independence Party
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
105,722
|
| |
03
|
| |
''N/A''
|
|
| |
Independent (politician)
|
| |
1
|
| |
1
|
| |
0
|
| |
+ 1
|
| |
64,482
|
| |
01
|
| |
00
|
|
| |
Green Party of England and Wales
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
63,991
|
| |
03
|
| |
- 02
|
|
| |
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
62,972
|
| |
02
|
| |
00
|
|
| |
Socialist Labour Party (UK)
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
52,109
|
| |
02
|
| |
''N/A''
|
|
| |
Liberal Party (UK, 1989)
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
45,166
|
| |
01
|
| |
0
|
| |
- 01
|
|
| |
British National Party
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
35,832
|
| |
01
|
| |
0
|
| |
00
|
|
| |
Natural Law Party
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
30,604
|
| |
01
|
| |
0
|
| |
- 01
|
|
| |
Speaker of the British House of Commons
|
| |
1
|
| |
1
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
23,969
|
| |
01
|
|
| |
Prolife Alliance
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
19,332
|
| |
01
|
| |
''N/A''
|
|
| |
UK Unionist Party
|
| |
1
|
| |
1
|
| |
0
|
| |
+ 1
|
| |
12,817
|
| |
00
|
| |
''N/A''
|
|
| |
Progressive Unionist Party
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
10,928
|
| |
00
|
| |
''N/A''
|
|
| |
National Democrats (UK)
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
10,829
|
| |
00
|
| |
''N/A''
|
|
| |
Socialist Party (England and Wales)
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
9,906
|
| |
00
|
| |
''N/A''
|
|
| |
Scottish Socialist Alliance
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
9,740
|
| |
00
|
| |
''N/A''
|
|
| |
Independent Labour
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
9,233
|
| |
00
|
| |
- 01
|
|
| |
Independent Conservative
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
8,608
|
| |
00
|
| |
- 01
|
|
| |
Official Monster Raving Loony Party
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
7,906
|
| |
00
|
| |
- 01
|
|
| |
Vote For Yourself Rainbow Dream Ticket
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
3,745
|
| |
00
|
| |
''N/A''
|
|
| |
Northern Ireland Women's Coalition
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
3,024
|
| |
00
|
| |
''N/A''
|
|
| |
Workers Party (Ireland)
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
2,766
|
| |
00
|
| |
- 01
|
|
| |
National Front (UK)
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
2,716
|
| |
00
|
| |
''N/A''
|
|
| |
Legalise Cannabis Alliance
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
2,085
|
| |
00
|
| |
''N/A''
|
|
| |
Mebyon Kernow
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
1,906
|
| |
00
|
| |
''N/A''
|
|
| |
Socialist Party of Great Britain
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
1,359
|
| |
00
|
| |
''N/A''
|
|
| |
Social Democratic Party (UK, 1990)
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
1,246
|
| |
00
|
| |
- 01
|
|
| |
Workers Revolutionary Party (UK)
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
1,178
|
| |
00
|
| |
''N/A''
|
|
| |
Independent Democratic
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
982
|
| |
00
|
|
| |
Independent Liberal Democrat
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
890
|
| |
00
|
|
| |
Communist Party of Britain
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
639
|
| |
00
|
|
| |
Independent Green
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
593
|
| |
00
|
|
| |
Green Party of Northern Ireland
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
539
|
| |
00
|
|
| |
Socialist Equality Party (UK)
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
0
|
| |
505
|
| |
00
|
|
|
