In theUnited Kingdom,general elections (for theHouse of Commons) have occurred since the first in 1802. The members of the 1801–1802 Parliament had been elected to the formerParliament of Great Britain andParliament of Ireland, before being co-opted to serve in the firstParliament of the United Kingdom, so that Parliament is not included in the table below. There have been 58 general elections held in the UK up to and including the 2024 general election.
TheUK government announced that the voting age will be lowered from 18 to 16 ahead of the next generalelection, fulfilling a key pledge by the Labour Party elected in July 2024. The move is part of broaderdemocratic reforms, including automatic voter registration, acceptance of bank cards as ID, and stricter rules on campaign financing to curb foreign interference. The changes aim to boost participation after the 2024election saw a historic low turnout of 59.7% and must be approved byParliament before implementation.[1]
In 1801, the right to vote in theUnited Kingdom was severely restricted. Universalsuffrage, on an equal basis for men and women over the age of 21, was established in 1928. Before 1918, general elections did not occur on a single day and polling was spread over several weeks.
The majority figure given is for the difference between the number of MPs elected at the general election from the party (or parties) of the government, as opposed to all other parties (some of which may have been giving some support to the government, but were not participating in a coalition).The Speaker is excluded from the calculation. A negative majority means that there was ahung parliament (orminority government) following that election. For example, at the1929 general election, Labour was 42 seats short of forming a majority, and so its majority is listed as −42. If the party in office changed the figure is re-calculated, but no allowance is made for changes after the general election.
No attempt is made to define a majority before 1832, when theReform Act disenfranchised therotten boroughs; before then theTory party had an undemocratically entrenched dominance. Particularly in the early part of the period, the complexity of factional alignments, with both theWhig and Tory traditions tending to have some members in government and others in opposition factions simultaneously, make it impossible to produce an objective majority figure. The figures between 1832 and about 1859 are approximate due to problems of defining what was a party in government, as the source provides figures for allLiberals rather than just the Whig component in what developed into the Liberal Party. The Whig andPeelitePrime Ministers in the table below are regarded as having the support of all Liberals.
| Election | No. | Dates | Prime Minister appointed by Monarch (during term) | Winning party | Government vote share | Seat majority | Seats | Monarch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1802 (MPs) | 1st | 5 July – 28 August 1802 | Henry Addington | Tory | N/A | N/A | 658 | George III |
| (William Pitt the Younger)[a] | ||||||||
| 1806 (MPs) | 2nd | 29 October – 17 December 1806 | The Lord Grenville | Whig | N/A | N/A | 658 | |
| 1807 (MPs) | 3rd | 4 May – 9 June 1807 | The Duke of Portland | Tory | N/A | N/A | 658 | |
| (Spencer Perceval)[a] | ||||||||
| 1812 (MPs) | 4th | 5 October – 10 November 1812 | The Earl of Liverpool | |||||
| 1818 (MPs) | 5th | 17 June – 18 July 1818 | ||||||
| 1820 (MPs) | 6th | 6 March – 14 April 1820 | George IV | |||||
| 1826 (MPs) | 7th | 7 June – 12 July 1826 | George Canning[a] | |||||
| (The Viscount Goderich) | ||||||||
| (The Duke of Wellington) | ||||||||
| 1830 (MPs) | 8th | 29 July – 1 September 1830 | The Duke of Wellington[b][5] | William IV | ||||
| 1831 (MPs) | 9th | 28 April – 1 June 1831 | The Earl Grey | Whig | N/A | 135 | 658 | |
| 1832 (MPs) | 10th | 10 December 1832 – 8 January 1833[6] | The Earl Grey | 67.0% | 225 | |||
| (The Viscount Melbourne)[c][7] | ||||||||
| 10 December 1832 – 8 January 1833[8] | (The Duke of Wellington) | Conservative | 29.2% | −308 | 658 | |||
| (Sir Robert Peel) | ||||||||
| 1835 (MPs) | 11th | 6 January – 6 February 1835 | Sir Robert Peel[d][9] | 42.8% | −113 | |||
| 6 January – 6 February 1835 | (The Viscount Melbourne) | Whig | 57.2% | 113 | 658 | |||
| 1837 (MPs) | 12th | 24 July – 18 August 1837 | The Viscount Melbourne[e][10] | 52.4% | 29 | Victoria | ||
| 1841 (MPs) | 13th | 29 June – 22 July 1841 | The Viscount Melbourne[f][11] | 46.2% | N/A | |||
| 29 June – 22 July 1841 | (Sir Robert Peel)[g][12] | Conservative | 51.6% | 77 | 658 | |||
| 29 June – 22 July 1841 | (Lord John Russell) | Whig | 46.2% | N/A | 658 | |||
| 1847 (MPs) | 14th | 29 July – 26 August 1847 | Lord John Russell[h][13] | 53.8% | −72 | 656 | ||
| 29 July – 26 August 1847 | (The Earl of Derby) | Conservative | 42.6% | N/A | 656 | |||
| 1852 (MPs) | 15th | 7–31 July 1852 | The Earl of Derby[i][14] | 41.9% | 7 | 654 | ||
| 7–31 July 1852 | (The Earl of Aberdeen)[j][15] | Peelite | N/A | N/A | 654 | |||
| 7–31 July 1852 | (The Viscount Palmerston) | Whig | 57.9% | N/A | 654 | |||
| 1857 (MPs) | 16th | 27 March – 24 April 1857 | The Viscount Palmerston[k][16] | 64.8% | 100 | |||
| 27 March – 24 April 1857 | (The Earl of Derby) | Conservative | 33.5% | N/A | 654 | |||
| 1859 (MPs) | 17th | 28 April – 18 May 1859 | The Earl of Derby[l][17] | 34.2% | ||||
| 28 April – 18 May 1859 | (The Viscount Palmerston) | Liberal | 65.8% | 59 | 654 | |||
| 1865 (MPs) | 18th | 11–24 July 1865 | The Viscount Palmerston[a] | 59.5% | 81 | 658 | ||
| (The Earl Russell)[m][18] | N/A | |||||||
| 11–24 July 1865 | (The Earl of Derby) | Conservative | 40.5% | N/A | 658 | |||
| (Benjamin Disraeli) | ||||||||
| 1868 (MPs) | 19th | 17 November – 7 December 1868 | William Ewart Gladstone | Liberal | 61.2% | 115 | 658 | |
| 1874 (MPs) | 20th | 31 January – 17 February 1874 | Benjamin Disraeli | Conservative | 44.3% | 49 | 652 | |
| 1880 (MPs) | 21st | 31 March – 27 April 1880 | William Ewart Gladstone[19] | Liberal | 54.7% | 51 | 652 | |
| 31 March – 27 April 1880 | (The Marquess of Salisbury) | Conservative | 42.5% | N/A | 652 | |||
| 1885 (MPs) | 22nd | 24 November – 18 December 1885 | The Marquess of Salisbury[20] | Conservative[n] | 43.0% | 670 | ||
| 24 November – 18 December 1885 | (William Ewart Gladstone)[21] | Liberal | 47.7% | −16 | 670 | |||
| 1886 (MPs) | 23rd | 1–27 July 1886 | The Marquess of Salisbury | Conservative & Liberal Unionists | 51.4% | 58 | 670 | |
| 1892 (MPs) | 24th | 4–26 July 1892 | The Marquess of Salisbury[22] | 47.0% | N/A | |||
| 4–26 July 1892 | (William Ewart Gladstone) | Liberal | 45.4% | −126 | 670 | |||
| (The Earl of Rosebery)[23] | ||||||||
| 4–26 July 1892 | (The Marquess of Salisbury)[o] | Conservative & Liberal Unionists | 47.0% | N/A | 670 | |||
| 1895 (MPs) | 25th | 13 July – 7 August 1895 | The Marquess of Salisbury | 49.3% | 153 | |||
| 1900 (MPs) | 26th | 26 September – 24 October 1900[p] | The Marquess of Salisbury | 50.2% | 135 | |||
| (Arthur Balfour) | N/A | |||||||
| 26 September – 24 October 1900[p] | (Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman)[o] | Liberal | 45.1% | N/A | 670 |
| Election | No. | Date | Prime Minister appointed by Monarch (during term) | Winning party | Government vote share | Seat majority | Seats | Turnout[24] | Monarch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1906 (MPs) | 27th | 12 January – 8 February 1906 | Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman | Liberal | 48.9% | 129 | 670 | N/A | Edward VII |
| (H. H. Asquith) | |||||||||
| 1910 (MPs) | 28th | 15 January – 10 February 1910 | H. H. Asquith | Liberal (minority government)[a] | 43.5% | −122 | 670 | N/A | |
| 1910 (MPs) | 29th | 3–19 December 1910 | H. H. Asquith | 44.2% | −126 | George V | |||
| (David Lloyd George) | |||||||||
| The election that would have been due by 1916 as a result of theParliament Act 1911 was not held due to theFirst World War (1914–1918). | |||||||||
| 1918 (MPs) | 30th | 14 December 1918 | David Lloyd George | Liberal (coalition)[b] | 53.0% | 238 | 707 | 57.2% | |
| 14 December 1918 | (Bonar Law)[c] | Conservative | 53.0% | 238 | 707 | 57.2% | |||
| 1922 (MPs) | 31st | 15 November 1922 | Bonar Law | 38.5% | 74 | 615 | 73.0% | ||
| (Stanley Baldwin) | |||||||||
| 1923 (MPs) | 32nd | 6 December 1923 | Stanley Baldwin[25] | Conservative (minority government)[a] | N/A | 615 | 71.1% | ||
| (Ramsay MacDonald) | Labour (minority government) | 30.7% | −98 | ||||||
| 1924 (MPs) | 33rd | 29 October 1924 | Stanley Baldwin | Conservative | 46.8% | 210 | 615 | 77.0% | |
| 1929 (MPs) | 34th | 30 May 1929[d] | Ramsay MacDonald | Labour (minority government)[a] | 37.1% | −42 | 615 | 76.3% | |
| 1931 (MPs) | 35th | 27 October 1931 | Ramsay MacDonald | National Labour (National Government) | 67.2% | 492 | 615 | 76.4% | |
| 1935 (MPs) | 36th | 14 November 1935 | Stanley Baldwin | Conservative (National Government) | 51.8% | 242 | 615 | 71.1% | |
| (Neville Chamberlain) | George VI | ||||||||
| (Winston Churchill) | Conservative (war-time coalition) | 97.7% | 609 | ||||||
| Conservative (caretaker government) | 51.8% | 242 | |||||||
| The election due by 1940 was not held due to theSecond World War (1939–1945).[26] | |||||||||
| 1945 (MPs) | 37th | 5 July 1945 | Clement Attlee | Labour | 47.7% | 146 | 640 | 72.8% | |
| 1950 (MPs) | 38th | 23 February 1950 | 46.1% | 5 | 625 | 83.9% | |||
| 1951 (MPs) | 39th | 25 October 1951 | Sir Winston Churchill | Conservative | 48.0%[e] | 17 | 625 | 82.6% | |
| (Sir Anthony Eden) | Elizabeth II | ||||||||
| 1955 (MPs) | 40th | 26 May 1955 | Anthony Eden | 49.7% | 60 | 630 | 76.8% | ||
| (Harold Macmillan) | |||||||||
| 1959 (MPs) | 41st | 8 October 1959 | Harold Macmillan | 49.4% | 100 | 78.7% | |||
| (Alec Douglas-Home) | |||||||||
| 1964 (MPs) | 42nd | 15 October 1964 | Harold Wilson | Labour | 44.1% | 4 | 630 | 77.1% | |
| 1966 (MPs) | 43rd | 31 March 1966 | 48.0% | 98 | 75.8% | ||||
| 1970 (MPs) | 44th | 18 June 1970 | Edward Heath | Conservative | 46.4% | 30 | 630 | 72.0% | |
| 1974 (MPs) | 45th | 28 February 1974 | Harold Wilson | Labour (minority government)[a] | 37.2% | −33 | 630 | 78.8% | |
| 1974 (MPs) | 46th | 10 October 1974 | Harold Wilson | Labour | 39.2% | 3 | 635 | 72.8% | |
| (James Callaghan) | |||||||||
| 1979 (MPs) | 47th | 3 May 1979 | Margaret Thatcher | Conservative | 43.9% | 43 | 635 | 76.0% | |
| 1983 (MPs) | 48th | 9 June 1983 | 42.4% | 144 | 650 | 72.7% | |||
| 1987 (MPs) | 49th | 11 June 1987 | Margaret Thatcher | 42.2% | 102 | 75.3% | |||
| (John Major) | |||||||||
| 1992 (MPs) | 50th | 9 April 1992 | John Major | 41.9% | 21 | 651 | 77.7% | ||
| 1997 (MPs) | 51st | 1 May 1997 | Tony Blair | Labour | 43.2% | 179 | 659 | 71.4% | |
| Election | No. | Date | Prime Minister appointed by Monarch (during term) | Winning party | Government vote share | Seat majority | Seats | Turnout[24] | Monarch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 (MPs) | 52nd | 7 June 2001 | Tony Blair | Labour | 40.7% | 167 | 659 | 59.4% | Elizabeth II |
| 2005 (MPs) | 53rd | 5 May 2005 | Tony Blair | 35.2% | 66 | 646 | 61.4% | ||
| (Gordon Brown)[a] | |||||||||
| 2010 (MPs) | 54th | 6 May 2010 | David Cameron | Conservative (coalition)[b] | 59.1%[c] | 78[d] | 650 | 65.1% | |
| 2015 (MPs) | 55th | 7 May 2015 | David Cameron | Conservative | 36.8% | 12 | 650 | 66.1% | |
| (Theresa May)[e] | |||||||||
| 2017 (MPs) | 56th | 8 June 2017 | Theresa May | Conservative (confidence and supply government)[f] | 42.3% | −5[g] | 650 | 68.8%[27] | |
| (Boris Johnson)[h] | |||||||||
| 2019 (MPs) | 57th | 12 December 2019 | Boris Johnson | Conservative | 43.6% | 80 | 650 | 67.3% | |
| (Liz Truss)[i] | |||||||||
| (Rishi Sunak)[j] | Charles III | ||||||||
| 2024 (MPs) | 58th | 4 July 2024 | Sir Keir Starmer | Labour | 33.7% | 174 | 650 | 59.9% |
