Electoral history of the Conservative Party (UK) Electoral history of a British political party
The Conservative Party , officially the Conservative and Unionist Party and also known colloquially as the Tories, is one of the two main political parties in the United Kingdom, along with the Labour Party , and has been described as both right-wing and centre-right.
This article encompasses detailed results of previous UK general elections, Police and Crime Commissioner elections, devolved national elections, devolved London elections and European Parliament elections which the Conservative Party have participated in.
Background
The Conservative Party is currently the primary opposition party in the United Kingdom. On the political spectrum the party has been described as right-wing [ 9] by various sources and as centre-right [ 10] by others, and encompasses various ideological factions including one-nation conservatives , Thatcherites , and traditionalist conservatives . It holds the annual Conservative Party Conference .[ 11] It was founded in 1834 from the Tory Party and was one of two dominant political parties in the 19th century, along with the Liberal Party .[ 12] [ 13] In 1912 the Liberal Unionist Party merged with the party to form the Conservative and Unionist Party. Since the 1920s the Labour Party emerged to be the Conservatives' main rival and the Conservative–Labour political rivalry has shaped modern British politics for the last century.
National results
UK general elections
United Kingdom general elections are held under the first past the post voting system.[ 14] Each constituency in the United Kingdom will elect one Member of Parliament; overall 650 Members of Parliament are currently elected at each election.[ 14] Following the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022 , the date of the general election is at the discretion of the prime minister within a five-year period from the last general election.[ 14] The next general election will be held on 4 July 2024.[ 15]
In the 1931 general election , the Conservatives earned their best result to date, by vote share (55.5%) and seat number (474).[ 16] In the post-war era, the 1983 general election was the most successful for the Conservatives in terms of seats won (397), whereas 1955 was the most successful election for vote share (49.7%).[ 16] However, the 1997 general election was the least successful election since 1918 for the Conservatives, winning 165 seats and gaining 30.7% of the vote.[ 16]
This chart shows the electoral performance of the Conservative Party in each general election since 1835.[ 17] [ 18]
For results of the Tories, the party's predecessor, see here .
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Election
Leader
Votes
Seats
Position
Government
Ref
No.
Share
No.
±
Share
1835
Robert Peel
261,269
40.8%
98
41.5%
2nd
Whig
[ 19]
1837
379,694
48.3%
41
47.7%
2nd
Whig
1841
379,694
56.9%
53
55.8%
1st
Conservative
1847
Earl of Derby
205,481
42.7%
Includes Peelites
42
49.5%
1st
Whig
1852
311,481
41.9%
Includes Peelites
5
50.5%
1st
Conservative
1857
239,712
34.0%
66
40.4%
2nd
Whig
1859
193,232
34.3%
34
45.6%
2nd
Whig
1865
346,035
40.5%
9
43.9%
2nd
Liberal
1868 [ fn 1]
Benjamin Disraeli
903,318
38.4%
18
41.2%
2nd
Liberal
1874
1,091,708
44.3%
79
53.7%
1st
Conservative
1880
1,462,351
42.5%
113
36.3%
2nd
Liberal
1885 [ fn 2]
Marquess of Salisbury
1,869,560
43.4%
10
36.9%
2nd
Liberal minority
[ 17]
1886
1,417,627
51.4%
146
58.7%
1st
Conservative–Liberal Unionist
[ 17]
1892
2,028,586
47.0%
79
46.9%
2nd
Liberal
[ 17]
1895
1,759,484
49.3%
97
61.3%
1st
Conservative–Liberal Unionist
[ 17]
1900
1,637,683
50.2%
9
60.0%
1st
Conservative–Liberal Unionist
[ 17]
1906
Arthur Balfour
2,278,076
43.4%
246
23.3%
2nd
Liberal
[ 17]
January 1910
2,919,236
46.8%
116
40.6%
2nd
Liberal minority
[ 17]
December 1910
2,270,753
46.6%
1
40.5%
2nd
Liberal minority
[ 17]
Merged with Liberal Unionist Party in 1912 to become the Conservative and Unionist Party
1918 [ fn 3]
Bonar Law
4,003,848
38.4%
332 elected with Coupon
108
53.6%
1st
Coalition Liberal –Conservative
[ 17]
1922
5,294,465
38.5%
35
55.9%
1st
Conservative
[ 17]
1923
Stanley Baldwin
5,286,159
38.0%
86
41.3%
1st
Labour minority
[ 17]
1924
7,418,983
46.8%
124
67.0%
1st
Conservative
[ 17]
1929 [ fn 4]
8,252,527
38.1%
152
42.3%
2nd
Labour minority
[ 17]
1931
11,377,022
55.0%
210
76.4%
1st
Conservative–Liberal–National Labour
[ 17]
1935
10,025,083
47.8%
83
62.8%
1st
Conservative–Liberal National –National Labour
[ 17]
1945
Winston Churchill
8,716,211
36.2%
189
30.8%
2nd
Labour
[ 17]
1950
11,507,061
40.0%
85
45.1%
2nd
Labour
[ 17]
1951
13,724,418
48.0%
20
48.3%
1st
Conservative–National Liberal
[ 17]
1955
Anthony Eden
13,310,891
49.7%
22
51.4%
1st
Conservative–National Liberal
[ 17]
1959
Harold Macmillan
13,750,875
49.4%
21
54.8%
1st
Conservative–National Liberal
[ 17]
1964
Alec Douglas-Home
12,002,642
43.4%
47
47.3%
2nd
Labour
[ 17]
1966
Edward Heath
11,418,455
41.9%
48
39.7%
2nd
Labour
[ 17]
1970 [ fn 5]
13,145,123
46.4%
80
52.4%
1st
Conservative
[ 17]
February 1974
11,872,180
37.9%
33
46.8%
2nd
Labour minority
[ 17]
October 1974
10,462,565
35.8%
20
43.6%
2nd
Labour
[ 17]
1979
Margaret Thatcher
13,697,923
43.9%
62
53.4%
1st
Conservative
[ 17]
1983
13,012,316
42.4%
38
61.1%
1st
Conservative
1987
13,760,935
42.2%
21
57.8%
1st
Conservative
1992
John Major
14,093,007
41.9%
40
51.6%
1st
Conservative
1997
9,600,943
30.7%
171
25.0%
2nd
Labour
2001
William Hague
8,357,615
31.7%
1
25.2%
2nd
Labour
2005
Michael Howard
8,785,941
32.4%
32
30.7%
2nd
Labour
2010
David Cameron
10,703,654
36.1%
96
47.1%
1st
Conservative–Liberal Democrats [ 20]
[ 21]
2015
11,299,609
36.8%
24
50.8%
1st
Conservative
[ 22]
2017
Theresa May
13,636,684
42.3%
13
48.8%
1st
Conservative minority with DUP confidence and supply [ 23]
[ 24]
2019
Boris Johnson
13,966,454
43.6%
48
56.2%
1st
Conservative
[ 25]
2024
Rishi Sunak
6,827,311
23.7%
251
18.6%
2nd
Labour
[ 26]
Note
Police and Crime Commissioner elections
Devolved national elections
Scottish Parliament elections
Election
Leader
Votes (Constituency)
Votes (List)
Seats
Position
Government
No.
Share
No.
Share
No.
±
Share
1999
David McLetchie
364,225
15.6%
359,109
15.4%
14.0%
3rd
Labour –Liberal Democrats
2003
318,279
16.6%
296,929
15.6%
0
14.0%
3rd
Labour–Liberal Democrats
2007
Annabel Goldie
334,743
16.6%
284,005
13.9%
1
13.4%
3rd
Scottish National minority
2011
276,652
13.9%
245,967
12.4%
2
11.6%
3rd
Scottish National
2016
Ruth Davidson
501,844
22.0%
524,222
22.9%
16
24.0%
2nd
Scottish National minority
2021
Douglas Ross
592,526
21.9%
637,131
23.5%
0
24.0%
2nd
Scottish National minority
Senedd elections
Election
Leader
Votes (Constituency)
Votes (List)
Seats
Position
Government
No.
Share
No.
Share
No.
±
Share
1999
Rod Richards
162,133
15.8%
168,206
16.5%
15.0%
3rd
Labour –Liberal Democrats
2003
Nick Bourne
169,832
19.9%
162,725
19.2%
2
18.3%
3rd
Labour
2007
218,739
22.4%
209,153
21.4%
1
20.0%
3rd
Labour–Plaid Cymru
2011
237,388
25.0%
213,773
22.5%
2
23.3%
2nd
Labour
2016
Andrew R. T. Davies
215,597
21.1%
190,846
18.8%
3
18.3%
3rd
Labour minority
2021
289,802
26.1%
278,560
25.1%
5
26.7%
2nd
Labour minority
Northern Ireland devolved elections
Prior to 1973, the Ulster Unionist Party acted as the de facto Northern Ireland branch of the Conservative Party. The UUP's results may be seen here .
Election
Leader
Votes
Seats
Position
Government
No.
Share
No.
±
Share
Elections to the Northern Ireland Forum in 1996
1996
Barbara Finney
3,595
0.48
0.0%
12th
Dissolution
Elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly from 1998
1998
Unknown
1,835
0.23
0
0.0%
14th
UUP –Sinn Féin
2003
Unknown
1,604
0.20
0
0.0%
14th
Dissolution
2007
Unknown
3,457
0.50
0
0.0%
10th
DUP –Sinn Féin
2011
Unknown
Did not contest election
DUP–Sinn Féin
2016
Alan Dunlop
2,554
0.40
0
0.0%
11th
DUP–Sinn Féin
2022
Matthew Robinson
Did not contest election
tbc
Devolved London elections
London Mayoral elections
Election
Leader
Candidate
Votes (1st pref.)
Votes (run-off)
Position
No.
Share
No.
Share
2000
William Hague
Steven Norris
464,434
27.1%
564,137
42.1%
2nd
2004
Michael Howard
542,423
29.1%
667,180
44.6%
2nd
2008
David Cameron
Boris Johnson
1,043,761
43.2%
1,168,738
53.2%
1st
2012
971,931
44.0%
1,054,811
51.5%
1st
2016
Zac Goldsmith
909,755
35.0%
994,614
43.2%
2nd
2021
Boris Johnson
Shaun Bailey
893,051
35.3%
977,601
44.8%
2nd
2024
Rishi Sunak
Susan Hall
812,397
32.7%
2nd
London Assembly elections
Election
Leader
Assembly Leader
Votes (Constituency)
Votes (List)
Seats
Position
No.
Share
No.
Share
No.
+
Share
2000
William Hague
Eric Ollerenshaw
526,422
33.2%
481,053
29.0%
36.0%
1st
2004
Michael Howard
Bob Neill
562,047
31.2%
533,696
28.5%
0
36.0%
1st
2008
David Cameron
Richard Barnes
900,569
37.4%
835,535
34.1%
2
44.0%
1st
2012
James Cleverly
722,280
32.7%
708,528
32.0%
2
36.0%
2nd
2016
Gareth Bacon
812,415
31.1%
764,230
29.2%
1
32.0%
2nd
2021
Boris Johnson
Susan Hall
833,021
32.0%
795,081
30.7%
1
36.0%
2nd
2024
Rishi Sunak
Neil Garratt
673,036
27.2%
648,269
26.2%
1
32.0%
2nd
Combined authority elections
European
European Parliament elections
Election
Party Group
Leader
Votes
Seats
Position
No.
Share
No.
±
Share
1979
ED
Margaret Thatcher
6,508,492
48.4
75.0%
1st
1984
EPP
5,426,866
38.8
15
55.6%
1st
1989
5,331,077
34.7
13
39.5%
2nd
1994
John Major
4,274,122
26.8
13
20.7%
2nd
1999 [ fn 1]
EPP -ED
William Hague
3,578,218
35.8
18
41.4%
1st
2004
Michael Howard
4,397,087
26.7
8
34.6%
1st
2009 [ fn 2]
ECR
David Cameron
4,281,286
27.7
1
36.1%
1st
2014
3,792,549
23.1
7
26.0%
3rd
2019
Theresa May
1,512,809
8.8
15
5.5%
5th
Note
Notes
References
^ Saini, Rima; Bankole, Michael; Begum, Neema (April 2023). "The 2022 Conservative Leadership Campaign and Post-racial Gatekeeping" . Race & Class . 65 (2): 55– 74. doi :10.1177/03063968231164599 . ...the Conservative Party's history in incorporating ethnic minorities, and the recent post-racial turn within the party whereby increasing party diversity has coincided with an increasing turn to the Right
^ Bale, Tim (March 2023). The Conservative Party After Brexit: Turmoil and Transformation . Cambridge: Polity . pp. vi– x, passim . ISBN 9781509546015 . Retrieved 12 September 2023 .
^ de Geus, Roosmarijn A.; Shorrocks, Rosalind (2022). "Where Do Female Conservatives Stand? A Cross-National Analysis of the Issue Positions and Ideological Placement of Female Right-Wing Candidates". In Och, Malliga; Shames, Shauna; Cooperman, Rosalyn (eds.). Sell-Outs or Warriors for Change? A Comparative Look at Conservative Women in Politics in Democracies . Abingdon/New York: Routledge . pp. 1– 29. ISBN 9781032346571 . right-wing parties are also increasing the presence of women within their ranks. Prominent female European leaders include Theresa May (until recently) and Angela Merkel, from the right-wing Conservative Party in the UK and the Christian Democratic Party in Germany respectively. This article examines the extent to which women in right-wing parties are similar to their male colleagues, or whether they have a set of distinctive opinions on a range of issues
^ Alonso, José M.; Andrews, Rhys (September 2020). "Political Ideology and Social Services Contracting: Evidence from a Regression Discontinuity Design" . Public Administration Review . 80 (5). Hoboken: Wiley-Blackwell : 743– 754. doi :10.1111/puar.13177 . S2CID 214198195 . In particular, there is a clear partisan division between the main left-wing party (Labour) and political parties with pronounced pro-market preferences, such as the right-wing Conservative Party
^ Alzuabi, Raslan; Brown, Sarah; Taylor, Karl (October 2022). "Charitable behaviour and political affiliation: Evidence for the UK" . Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics . 100 . Amsterdam: Elsevier : 101917. doi :10.1016/j.socec.2022.101917 . ...alignment to the Liberal Democrats (centre to left wing) and the Green Party (left wing) are positively associated with charitable behaviour at both the extensive and intensive margins, relative to being aligned with the right wing Conservative Party.
^ Oleart, Alvaro (2021). "Framing TTIP in the UK". Framing TTIP in the European Public Spheres: Towards an Empowering Dissensus for EU Integration . Cham: Palgrave Macmillan . pp. 153– 177. doi :10.1007/978-3-030-53637-4_6 . ISBN 978-3-030-53636-7 . S2CID 229439399 . the right-wing Conservative Party in government supported TTIP...This logic reproduced also a government-opposition dynamic, whereby the right-wing Conservative Party championed the agreement
^ Falk, Thomas (20 July 2022). "How a change in leadership could affect UK's Conservative Party" . Al Jazeera English . London: Al Jazeera Media Network.
^ Walker, Peter (1 August 2022). "Righter than Right: Tories' Hardline Drift May Lose the Public" . The Guardian . London. Archived from the original on 24 August 2022.
^ [ 1] [ 2] [ 3] [ 4] [ 5] [ 6] [ 7] [ 8]
^ James, William (1 October 2019). "Never mind the politics, get a Brexit deal done, says UK business" . Reuters . Retrieved 21 September 2019 .
^ "Party Conferences" . Institute for Government . 26 August 2020. Retrieved 7 September 2022 .
^ Ivor Bulmer-Thomas, The Growth of the British Party System Volume I: 1640–1923 (1965) pp. 66–81
^ David Paterson, Liberalism and Conservatism, 1846–1905 (2001) p. 5
^ a b c Richard Cracknell, Elise Uberoi, Matthew Burton (9 August 2023). "UK Election Statistics: 1918–2023, A Long Century of Elections (p106)" (PDF) . House of Commons Library. Retrieved 21 October 2023 . {{cite web }}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link )
^ Landler, Mark (22 May 2024). "Sunak Announces U.K. Elections for July 4, Months Earlier Than Expected" . The New York Times . ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved 22 May 2024 .
^ a b c Richard Cracknell, Elise Uberoi, Matthew Burton (9 August 2023). "UK Election Statistics: 1918–2023, A Long Century of Elections (p8)" (PDF) . House of Commons Library. Retrieved 21 October 2023 . {{cite web }}
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^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa "General Election Results 1885–1979" . Election.demon.co.uk. Archived from the original on 30 January 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2010 .
^ "1835 General Election Results | From A Vision of Britain through Time" . www.visionofbritain.org.uk . Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2020 .
^ "1835 General Election Results | From A Vision of Britain through Time" . www.visionofbritain.org.uk . Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2020 .
^ "Election 2010 Timeline: How coalition was agreed" . BBC News. 13 May 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2023 .
^ "General Election 2010 (p28, 86)" (PDF) . House of Commons Library . 2 February 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2023 .
^ "General Election 2015" (PDF) . House of Commons Library. 28 July 2015. Retrieved 16 October 2023 .
^ Alex Hunt (26 June 2017). "Theresa May and the DUP deal: What you need to know" . BBC News. Retrieved 16 October 2023 .
^ "General Election 2017: results and analysis (p8–12)" (PDF) . House of Commons Library. 29 January 2019. Retrieved 16 October 2023 .
^ "General Election 2019: results and analysis (p8–12)" (PDF) . House of Commons Library. 28 January 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2023 .
^ "UK General election 2024 Results" . BBC News . 6 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024 .
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