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United Kingdom general election, 2005 All 646 seats to the House of Commons
5 May 2005
		Government	Opposition	Third Party
Leader		Tony Blair	Michael Howard	Charles Kennedy
Party		Labour	Conservative	Liberal Democrat
Leader since		21 July 1994	6 November 2003	9 August 1999
Leader's seat		Sedgefield	Folkestone and Hythe	Ross, Skye and Lochaber
Last election		413 seats, 40. Results |} Total votes cast 26368204 All parties with more than 500 votes shown Composition Graphical representation of the House of Commons This is a comparison of the party strengths in the British House of Commons Leadership of the main parties David Cameron became Conservative leader in December 2005 replacing Michael Howard. The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords Events 553 - The Second Council of Constantinople begins 1215 - Rebel Barons renounce their allegiance to King John Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to Michael Howard QC (born 7 July 1941 is a British Politician, a Conservative MP since the 1983 General Election for the constituency of Charles Peter Kennedy (born 25 November 1959 is a British politician. The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a liberal Political party in the United Kingdom, formed in 1988 by merging the Events 356 BC - Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) Events 355 - Roman Emperor Constantius II promotes his cousin Julian to the rank of Caesar, entrusting him with Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 48 BC - Caesar's civil war: Battle of Pharsalus - Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Sedgefield is a County constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Folkestone and Hythe is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Ross Skye and Lochaber is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom ( Westminster) 7%	166 seats, 31. 7%	52 seats, 18. 3%
Seats won		356	198	62
Seat change		-57	+33	+11
Popular vote		9,562,122	8,772,598	5,981,874
Percentage		35. 3%	32. 3%	22. 1%
Swing		-5. 5%	+0. 6%	+3. 7%
Incumbent PM Tony Blair Labour PM-Elect Tony Blair Labour

The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect members to the House of Commons The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, with a reduced overall majority of 66. Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Results The election was fought under new boundaries with a net increase of eight seats compared to the 1992 election Composition A |-!Constituency!!MP!!Party|-| Aberavon | John Morris |Labour |-| Aberdeen Central | Frank Doran |Labour |-| Results |} Total votes cast 26368204 All parties with more than 500 votes shown Composition Graphical representation of the House of Commons This is a comparison of the party strengths in the British House of Commons Composition Graphical representation of the House of Commons This is a comparison of the party strengths in the British House of Commons Leadership of the main parties David Cameron became Conservative leader in December 2005 replacing Michael Howard. Events 553 - The Second Council of Constantinople begins 1215 - Rebel Barons renounce their allegiance to King John Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to In the Westminster System, there is a majority government when the governing party enjoys an Absolute majority of seats in the Legislature or

The general election took place in 646 constituencies across the United Kingdom, under the first-past-the-post system, for seats in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom has five distinct types of Elections UK general elections elections to national/regional parliaments and assemblies elections to the European Parliament This is a list of the 646 constituencies currently represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, as at the 2005 general election The plurality voting system is a Single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member All but one constituency polled on 5 May; the South Staffordshire vote was postponed and took place on 23 June due to the death of a candidate. Events 553 - The Second Council of Constantinople begins 1215 - Rebel Barons renounce their allegiance to King John South Staffordshire is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Events 1180 - First Battle of Uji, starting the Genpei War in Japan 1305 - The Flemish For details by constituency, see 2005 general election results. Results of the United Kingdom general election 2005. Overall results See also United Kingdom general election 2005#Total seats for each party Speaker

Local elections in parts of England and in Northern Ireland were held on the same day. Elections for local government were held in the England and Northern Ireland on May 5, 2005 along with the 2005 general election across England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of The polls were open for 15 hours, from 07:00 to 22:00 BST (UTC+1). Western European Summer Time ( WEST) is a summer Daylight saving time scheme 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. The election came just over three weeks after the dissolution of Parliament on 11 April by Queen Elizabeth II, at the request of the Prime Minister, Tony Blair. In Parliamentary systems a dissolution of parliament is the dispersal of a Legislature at the call of an Election. The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories Events 491 - Flavius Anastasius becomes Byzantine Emperor, with the name of Anastasius I. For the ship see RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Context States headed by Elizabeth II The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom

Overview

For events leading up to the date of the election, see article: Pre-election day events of the United Kingdom general election, 2005

A map showing the constituency winners of the UK General Elections by their party colours. The Pre-election day events of the United Kingdom general election 2005 are the activities that were undertaken by the candidates and their political parties in the lead up to the

The governing Labour Party, led by Tony Blair, was looking to secure a third consecutive term in office and to retain a large majority. The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to The Conservative Party was seeking to regain seats lost to both Labour and the Liberal Democrats since the 1992 General Election, and move from being the Official Opposition into government. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a liberal Political party in the United Kingdom, formed in 1988 by merging the Results |} The turnout was 33514074 from an Electorate of 43275316 voting in a total of 651 seats Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition, or the Official Opposition, in the United Kingdom is led by the Leader of the Opposition. The Liberal Democrats hoped to make gains from both main parties, but especially the Conservative Party, with a "decapitation" strategy targeting members of the Shadow Cabinet. The Shadow Cabinet (also called the Shadow Front Bench) is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the The Lib Dems had also wished to become the governing party, but more realistically hoped of making enough gains to become the Official Opposition and/or play a major part in a parliament led by a minority Labour or Conservative government. In Northern Ireland the Democratic Unionist Party sought to make further gains over the Ulster Unionist Party in unionist politics, and Sinn Féin hoped to overtake the Social Democratic and Labour Party in nationalist politics. The Democratic Unionist Party ( DUP) is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. The Ulster Unionist Party ( UUP, sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP or in a historic sense simply the Unionist Party Unionism in Ireland, is a belief in the desirability of a full constitutional and institutional relationship between Ireland and Great Britain based on the terms and Sinn Féin () is a political party in Ireland. The current party led by Gerry Adams was formed following a split in January 1970 The Social Democratic and Labour Party ( SDLP; Páirtí Sóisialta Daonlathach an Lucht Oibre is one of the two major nationalist parties in Northern Ireland Irish nationalism (Náisiúnachas Éireannach refers to political and sociological movements and sentiment that embodies a love for Irish ancestry, culture and language and (Note that Sinn Féin MPs do not take their seats in the House of Commons -- they refuse to swear an oath of allegiance to the Queen as required. The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords For the ship see RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Context States headed by Elizabeth II ) The pro-independence Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru (Party of Wales) stood candidates in every constituency in Scotland and Wales respectively. Independence is the Self-government of a Nation, Country, or State by its residents and population or some portion thereof generally exercising The Scottish National Party (SNP (Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba Scottis Naitional Pairtie is a Centre-left political party which campaigns for Scottish Plaid Cymru (plaɪd ˈkəmri The Party of Wales often referred to simply as Plaid) is a Political party in Wales.

Many seats were contested by other parties, including several parties without incumbents in the House of Commons. Parties that were not represented at Westminster, but had seats in the devolved assemblies and European Parliament included the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom Independence Party, the Green Party of England and Wales, the Scottish Green Party, and the Scottish Socialist Party. Devolution is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a State to government at subnational level The European Parliament ( Europarl or EP) is the only directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI is a Political party in Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom Independence Party (commonly known as UKIP, ˈjuːkɪp The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW (Plaid Werdd Cymru a Lloegr is the principal Green political party in England and Wales. The Scottish Green Party (Pàrtaidh Uaine na h-Alba is the Green party of Scotland. This article deals with the Scottish Socialist Party that was formed in 1998 and is still active today The Health Concern party stood again as well. Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern (often known by the shorter name Health Concern) is a Political party based in Kidderminster, A full list of parties which declared their intention to run can be found on the list of parties contesting the 2005 general election. In the United Kingdom general election of 2005, numerous minor or single issue candidates stood for election

All parties campaigned through such tools as party manifestos, party political broadcasts and touring the country in what are commonly referred to as battle buses. For the Roxy Music album see Manifesto (album. A manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions often A party political broadcast (also known as a party election broadcast or party conference broadcast depending on the date of broadcast is a short Television A battle bus is a luxury coach used by Reporters and political commentators to follow a Politician, usually a Party leader, to their speeches and other engagements

Seats in Scotland

Several years after the Scottish Parliament had been established by the Scotland Act 1998, the target electorate (population) size of Westminster Parliamentary seats in Scotland was adjusted to bring it in line with England's constituencies. The Scottish Parliament ( Scottish Gaelic: Pàrlamaid na h-Alba; Scots: Scottish Pairlament) is the devlolved national unicameral The Scotland Act 1998 (1998 c 46 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Before this reform Scotland had a smaller target electoral size per constituency resulting in more seats per head of population, which had been intended to compensate Scotland for its status as a nation, its lower population density (which causes very large constituencies geographically), its distance from the seat of Parliament in Westminster and finally, because prior to 1999 Scottish law had been wholly determined by the Westminster Parliament. These problems were perceived to have been addressed with the establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999.

The effect of the Boundary Commission's reform and the 2005 general election upon Scottish seats

The Boundary Commission for Scotland therefore produced a plan in 2003 in which there would be 59 constituencies, reduced from 72. In 2004, the Government passed the Scottish Parliament (Constituencies) Act 2004 which instituted these changes and broke the link between British and Scottish Parliamentary constituencies. The Scottish Parliament (Constituencies Act 2004 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that amends the Scotland Act 1998 which established

Three constituencies were left unchanged - the island seats of Orkney and Shetland, the Western Isles, though the latter changed its official name to the Gaelic "Na h-Eileanan an Iar", and Eastwood, which changed its name to "East Renfrewshire". Orkney and Shetland is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Na h-Eileanan an Iar (formerly Western Isles) pron nə ˈhɪlənən ənˈjɪə(r is a constituency of the House of Commons of Scottish Gaelic ( Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. East Renfrewshire is a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (in Westminster) Several other new constituency names were also implemented; in all these cases the new seats had altered boundaries.

Predicted result of redrawn boundaries

Although it was impossible to guarantee a wholly accurate prediction of the strength of the parties within the 59 new Scottish constituencies, estimates had been made prior to the poll on 5 May on the basis of a ward-by-ward breakdown of local council election results. Events 553 - The Second Council of Constantinople begins 1215 - Rebel Barons renounce their allegiance to King John An agreed set used by all media reports and most political commentators suggested that had the new boundaries been in effect in the 2001 election, Labour would have won 46 seats, the Liberal Democrats 9, the Scottish National Party 4, and the Conservatives none. This would have represented a loss of 10 seats for Labour and one each for the Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party and the Conservatives. The arithmetic was however complicated by the fact that the boundary revision had produced some seats that were notionally highly marginal.

The results of the 2005 election showed some of the highest changes of the share of the vote for particular parties occurring in Scottish seats, leading some commentators to speculate that either the notional results were in error and/or they were unable to take into account factors such as tactical voting and people voting differently between General and Local Elections. In Voting systems tactical voting (or strategic voting or sophisticated voting) occurs when a voter supports a candidate other than his or her

Actual result of redrawn boundaries

Labour won 41 seats, the Liberal Democrats 11, the SNP 6 and in Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale the Conservatives won their only Scottish seat. Dumfriesshire Clydesdale and Tweeddale is a County constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom ( Westminster ^[1] Compared to the actual results of 2001 this meant a loss of 14 seats for Labour, a gain of 1 seat for the SNP and Liberal Democrats, and no change for the Conservatives. ^[2]

See also the list of parties standing in Scotland. In the United Kingdom general election of 2005, numerous minor or single issue candidates stood for election

The ballot

Unofficial tellers, wearing party rosettes, sit outside polling stations collecting voter registration numbers

At the close of voting (2200 BST) the ballot boxes were sealed and returned to the counting centre where counting proceeded under the supervision of the returning officer who was obliged to declare the result as soon as it was known. A teller is a person who counts the votes in an election vote or poll Western European Summer Time ( WEST) is a summer Daylight saving time scheme 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. In various parliamentary systems a Returning Officer is responsible for overseeing Elections in one or more constituencies As previously, there was serious competition amongst constituencies to be first to declare. Sunderland South repeated its performance in the last three elections and declared Labour incumbent Chris Mullin re-elected as MP with a majority of 11,059 at approximately 2245 BST (failing by two minutes to beat its previous best, but making it eligible for entry into the Guinness Book of World Records as longest consecutive delivery of first results). Sunderland South is a Constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Christopher John Mullin, known as Chris Mullin, (born 12 December 1947 in Chelmsford, Essex) is an UK Labour Politician Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records (and in previous U The vote itself represented a swing (in a safe Labour seat, in a safe Labour region) of approximately 4% to the Conservatives and 4. 5% to the Liberal Democrats, somewhat below the prediction of BBC/ITV exit polls published shortly after 2200 BST.

Sunderland North was the next to declare, followed by Houghton & Washington East, both Labour holds but with reductions in the incumbent majorities of up to 9%. Sunderland North is a Constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Houghton and Washington East is a Constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The first Scottish seat to declare was Rutherglen and Hamilton West — another safe Labour seat, also a Labour hold, but with the majority reduced by 4%. Rutherglen and Hamilton West is a Burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which was first used in the The first seat to change hands was Putney, where Labour's majority of around 2500 fell to a strong Conservative challenge, with a total swing of about 5000 (6. Putney is a Constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. 2%). This was also the first seat to be declared for the Conservatives. The first Liberal Democrat seat to be declared was North East Fife, the constituency of LibDem party deputy leader Sir Menzies Campbell which he has held since 1987. North East Fife is a Constituency in Fife, Scotland, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom Sir Walter Menzies Campbell CBE QC (born 22 May 1941) commonly known as Ming Campbell, is a British Politician

The Constituency of Crawley in West Sussex had the slimmest majority of any seat with Labour holding off the Conservatives by 37 votes after three recounts. Crawley ( is a town and Local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England Settlements Most settlements in West Sussex are either along the south coast or are situated in the M23 corridor The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom.

Exit polls

Following problems with exit polls in previous British elections, the BBC and ITV agreed for the first time to pool their respective data, using results from Mori and NOP. An exit poll is a poll of voters taken immediately after they have exited the polling stations More than 20,000 people were interviewed for the poll at 120 polling stations across the country. The predictions were very accurate -- initial projections saw the Labour party returned to power with a majority of 66 (down from 160),^[3] and the final result (including Staffordshire South, where the election was postponed due to the death of a candidate) would indeed be a Labour majority of 66. The Sky News network has refused to use exit polls since the 1980s, citing their previous inaccuracies.

The projected shares of the vote on mainland Britain were Labour 37% (down 4% on 2001), Conservatives 33% (unchanged), Liberal Democrats 22% (up 3%) and other parties 8% (up 2%) ^[4]. The Conservatives were expected to make the biggest gains, however — forty-four seats according to the exit numbers — with the Liberal Democrats expected to take as few as two. Whilst the exit-poll-predicted vote share for the Lib Dems was accurate (22. 6% vs an actual 22. 0%), they had actually done better in some Lib Dem-Labour marginals than predicted on the basis of the national share of the vote, producing a net gain of 11 seats.

Election results

• For results by constituency, see Results of the United Kingdom general election, 2005
• For details by MP, see MPs elected in the UK general election, 2005

At 04:28 BST, it was announced that Labour had won Corby, giving them 324 seats in the House of Commons out of those then declared and an overall majority, Labour's total reaching 356 seats out of the 646 House of Commons seats. Results of the United Kingdom general election 2005. Overall results See also United Kingdom general election 2005#Total seats for each party Speaker Composition Graphical representation of the House of Commons This is a comparison of the party strengths in the British House of Commons Corby is a County constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Labour received 35. 3% of the popular vote, equating to approximately 22% of the electorate on a 61. An election is a Decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold formal office 3% turnout, up from 59. 4% turnout in 2001. Increased turnout was mostly attributed to the extension and promotion of the postal voting system, which has however been criticised by many as being too insecure increasing the risk of Electoral fraud. Postal voting describes the method of voting in an election whereby ballot papers are distributed and/or returned by post to electors in contrast to electors voting in person at a Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an Election.

As expected, voter disenchantment led to an increase of support for many opposition parties, and caused many eligible to vote, not to turnout. Though Labour achieved a third successive term in office for the first time in their history, the reduction of the Labour majority from 163 to 67(as it was before the declaration of South Staffordshire) was viewed by many across the political spectrum as a positive development, countering an alleged presidential style of government. President is a Title leaders of Organizations companies, Trade unions universities, and countries. As it became clear that Labour had won an overall majority, Michael Howard, the leader of the Conservative party, announced his intention to retire from frontline politics. Michael Howard QC (born 7 July 1941 is a British Politician, a Conservative MP since the 1983 General Election for the constituency of The final seat to declare was the delayed poll in South Staffordshire, at just after 1 a. m. on Friday 24 June. Events 972 - Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces takes place

The election was followed by further criticism of the UK electoral system. Calls for reform came particularly from Lib Dem supporters, citing that they received only just over 10% of the overall seats with 22. 3% of the popular vote. The only parties to win a higher percentage of seats than they achieved in votes were Labour, the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin, and Health Concern, which ran only one candidate. Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern (often known by the shorter name Health Concern) is a Political party based in Kidderminster, The results of the election give a Gallagher index of disproportionality of 16. The Gallagher Index (or least squares index) is used to measure the disproportionality of an electoral outcome that is the difference between the percentage of votes received 76.

Interpretation of result

The Labour Government claimed that being returned to office for a third term for the first time ever showed the remarkable achievements of New Labour and the continued unpopularity of the Conservatives. Nevertheless, Labour's vote declined to 35. 3%, the lowest share of the popular vote to form a government with a majority in the UK House of Commons in history.

The Conservatives claimed that their increased number of seats showed disenchantment with the Labour government and was a precursor of a Conservative breakthrough at the next election. Following three consecutive elections of declining representation and then in 2001 a net gain of just one seat, 2005 was the first General Election since 1983 where the number of Conservative seats increased appreciably, although the Conservatives' vote share increased only slightly and this election did mark the third successive General Election in which the Conservatives polled below 35%.

The Liberal Democrats claimed that their continued gradual increase in seats and percentage vote showed they were in a position to make further gains from both parties. They pointed in particular to the fact that they were now in second place in roughly 190 constituencies and that having had net losses to Labour in the 1992 General Election and having not taken a single seat off Labour in 1997, they had held their gains off Labour from the 2001 General Election and had actually made further gains off of them.

The Liberal Democrats increased their percentage of the vote by 3. 7%, the Conservatives by 0. 6%, and Labour's dropped by 5. 4%. Most seats lost by Labour changed to the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats suffered a net loss of two seats to the Conservative Party, possibly because of Lib Dem voters' tactical unwind. In Voting systems tactical voting (or strategic voting or sophisticated voting) occurs when a voter supports a candidate other than his or her

The results were interpreted by the UK media as an indicator of a breakdown in trust in the government, and in Prime Minister Tony Blair in particular. The United Kingdom has an extremely diverse media with an almost unrivalled number of outlets second only to the United States.

It was the first General Election since 1929 that no party received more than 10 million votes. The 1929 UK general election was held on 30 May 1929 and resulted in a Hung parliament. It was the most "three-cornered" election since 1923, though the Liberal Democrats failed to match the higher national votes of the SDP-Liberal Alliance in the 1980s either in absolute or percentage terms. The UK general election of 1923 was held on 6 December 1923 The Conservatives, led by Stanley Baldwin, won the most seats but Labour, led by The SDP-Liberal Alliance was an electoral alliance of the Social Democratic Party (SDP and the Liberal Party in the United Kingdom that operated The total combined vote for Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats proved to be the lowest main 3 party vote since 1922. The UK general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922 It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish

England

The average Labour vote in England declined by approximately 7% and by varying amounts in every English Region, but with sharp variations locally. The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the The Labour vote fell sharply in safe Labour seats and in areas with large Muslim populations, yet a few constituencies saw slight Labour increases. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion In particular, the Labour vote declined dramatically in the northern half of London, where 11% of voters abandoned Labour for other parties and in Bethnal Green and Bow, London, former Labour MP George Galloway, running as a candidate for the anti-war Respect, defeated Oona King (Labour) who in the previous General Election had a majority of 10,057. Bethnal Green and Bow is a Constituency located in Greater London, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. George Galloway (born 16 August 1954 in Dundee) is a Scottish Politician, author and talkshow host noted for his Left-wing views confrontational style Respect – The Unity Coalition is a Left wing political party in England and Wales founded on 25 January, 2004 in London. Oona Tamsyn King (born 22 October 1967 in Sheffield) is a British politician Following the result, a hostile interview with Jeremy Paxman attracted press attention. Jeremy Dixon Paxman (born 11 May 1950) is an English Journalist, Author and Television presenter. Labour lost the fewest votes in South West England, only 2. 5% -- but Labour's vote in South West England is historically poor. Notably, the Labour Party failed to take a single seat of another party.

Labour regained one of its by-election losses, Leicester South, but saw an increased Liberal Democrat majority in the other, Brent East. A by-election or bye-election (called special election in the United States) is an Election held to fill a political office that has become vacant Leicester South is a Borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Brent East is a parliamentary constituency in North West London.

The Conservatives made gains in most regions of England, though their vote declined in some areas, notably East Midlands and Yorkshire (2% and 1. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. The East Midlands is one of the Regions of England and consists of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. Yorkshire is a historic county of Northern England and the largest in Great Britain. 5% declines, respectively). However, even in regions where the Conservative vote declined, the Labour vote declined by a greater margin, allowing the Conservatives to make gains against Labour. Overall, the Conservatives gained approximately 1% of the vote in England from 2001. In Enfield Southgate, Conservative David Burrowes ousted Labour Stephen Twigg, who had famously defeated Michael Portillo for that seat in the 1997 elections. Enfield Southgate is a Constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. David John Barrington Burrowes (born 12 June 1969 is a British Politician. Stephen Twigg (born 25 December 1966) is a British Labour Party politician Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo (born 26 May 1953 is a British Journalist, broadcaster, former Conservative Party Politician and Cabinet Results The election was fought under new boundaries with a net increase of eight seats compared to the 1992 election

The Liberal Democrats made modest gains in all regions of England, improving by at least 1% in every region. The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a liberal Political party in the United Kingdom, formed in 1988 by merging the No particular region showed greatly expanded support for the Liberal Democrats though, continuing the trend of approximately equal showings in all regions of England for them and their "decapitation policy" that targeted Conservative front-benchers failed, removing only Tim Collins in Westmorland and Lonsdale. Timothy William George Collins, CBE, (born 7 May, 1964) is a British politician Westmorland and Lonsdale is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Former BBC presenter, Robert Kilroy-Silk, who had joined the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) before leaving to set up Veritas, came fourth in Erewash in what was the best performance by Veritas, receiving 2,957 votes. Robert Michael Kilroy-Silk (born 19 May 1942) is an English Politician, independent Member of the European Parliament and a former The United Kingdom Independence Party (commonly known as UKIP, ˈjuːkɪp Veritas ( Latin: "Truth" is a Political party in the United Kingdom, formed in February 2005 by politician-celebrity Robert Kilroy-Silk Erewash is a County constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The seat was taken by Labour's Liz Blackman. Elizabeth Marion 'Liz' Blackman (born September 26, 1949) is a British politician and is the Labour Party Member of Parliament for

There were also regional surges in support for the British National Party, who however failed to win any seats, their highest poll being 16. The British National Party (BNP is a Far-right and whites only political party in the United Kingdom. 9% in the Labour stronghold of Barking, East London. Barking is a Constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Scotland

Results in Scotland for Labour were also down, though less so than in England. Labour lost approximately 4% of the vote in East Scotland and approximately 6% of the vote in West Scotland. Labour's vote declined the most in the Edinburgh area and in the north of Scotland (where Labour lost all of its rural seats). Edinburgh ( ˈɛdɪnb(ərə Dùn Èideann) is the Capital of Scotland and is its second largest city after Glasgow.

The Conservative vote declined marginally in both East and West Scotland, but the Conservatives nonetheless managed to win a seat in the South (Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale), so maintaining their one Scottish seat in the Westminster Parliament. Dumfriesshire Clydesdale and Tweeddale is a County constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom ( Westminster Having once been the largest party in Scotland (most recently in 1959), the 2001 and 2005 General Elections have done very little to reverse the downward trend that culminated in the 1997 loss of all 11 Conservative seats.

The Liberal Democrats made gains against Labour in both regions of Scotland and picked up a modest number of seats. On average, their vote rose approximately 5% across Scotland, though again this translated into few gains as the Liberal Democrat vote was not particularly concentrated.

The Scottish National Party's vote declined slightly across Scotland, but they managed to win one rural and one urban seat from Labour. The Scottish National Party (SNP (Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba Scottis Naitional Pairtie is a Centre-left political party which campaigns for Scottish

Wales

The Labour Party lost approximately 6% of the vote across Wales, with losses varying by region. However, Labour managed to mitigate their losses in losing only six seats. The Conservatives returned MPs from Wales for the first time since 1997 with three Welsh seats on a slightly increased share of the vote. The Liberal Democrats also improved their share of the vote slightly and won two additional seats, one from Labour and one from Plaid Cymru. Plaid Cymru (plaɪd ˈkəmri The Party of Wales often referred to simply as Plaid) is a Political party in Wales. Plaid Cymru, the Welsh nationalist party, saw a slight decline in its vote, losing a seat to the Liberal Democrats.

Peter Law, standing as an independent candidate in protest at the imposition of an all-female candidate shortlist by the national Labour Party, managed to overturn a Labour majority of 19,313 to win Blaenau Gwent. Peter John Law ( 1 April, 1948 &ndash 25 April, 2006) was a Welsh Politician. In Politics, an independent is a Politician who is not Affiliated with any Political party. Blaenau Gwent is a Constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, the election was dominated in the unionist community by a battle between the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of The Ulster Unionist Party ( UUP, sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP or in a historic sense simply the Unionist Party The Democratic Unionist Party ( DUP) is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. In the nationalist community, the contest was largely between the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) and Sinn Féin. The Social Democratic and Labour Party ( SDLP; Páirtí Sóisialta Daonlathach an Lucht Oibre is one of the two major nationalist parties in Northern Ireland Sinn Féin () is a political party in Ireland. The current party led by Gerry Adams was formed following a split in January 1970

The DUP and Sinn Féin emerged as the largest unionist and nationalist parties respectively, at the expense of the UUP and SDLP who both stood on a platform more favourable towards the Labour government's position on power sharing in Northern Ireland devolution. The UUP fared particularly badly, with leader David Trimble losing Upper Bann and resigning as party leader on May 7, and the party's representation reduced to one seat, North Down, held by Sylvia Hermon continuing a trend of consolidation of the Unionist, especially UUP support to the DUP. William David Trimble Baron Trimble (born 15 October 1944 is a Northern Irish Politician from Northern Ireland who served as leader of the Ulster Upper Bann is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. Events 558 - In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses North Down is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. Sylvia Lady Hermon (née Paisley (born 11 August 1955) is a Ulster Unionist Party politician and Member of Parliament for the Northern Although the UUP won more MPs at the 2001 General Election, the defection of Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson to the DUP in January 2004 had already reversed the position.

The results of the 2005 general election in Northern Ireland, compared against the previous two Westminster elections. This shows the considerable gains by the DUP and Sinn Féin largely at the expense of the UUP.

In the nationalist community, elections since 1992 have shown a clear shift in support from the SDLP to Sinn Féin. Two of the three SDLP MPs elected in 2001 had retired, while all four of the Sinn Féin MPs stood again. Sinn Féin's victory over the SDLP in Newry and Armagh, giving it a fifth seat, reduced the number of Northern Ireland MPs at Westminster as Sinn Féin members do not take their Westminster seats. Newry and Armagh is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. The largest surprise in Northern Ireland came in South Belfast where the SDLP won the traditionally unionist seat, aided by a split between the two main unionist parties. Belfast South is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. This, together with their retention of two other seats did much to boost the SDLP's fortunes and morale when many commentators had been predicting a disaster as great as that which met the UUP.

See also the list of parties standing in Northern Ireland. In the United Kingdom general election of 2005, numerous minor or single issue candidates stood for election

Total seats for each party

Ordered by number of votes; for the results in order number of seats won, see results by number of seats won. Results of the United Kingdom general election 2005. Overall results See also United Kingdom general election 2005#Total seats for each party Speaker

Formation of the new government

Following the election result, Labour remained in power and Tony Blair remained Prime Minister, reshuffling government positions over the following weekend, with formal announcements made on 9 May 2005. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom In the Parliamentary system a cabinet shuffle or reshuffle is an informal term for an event that occurs when a Head of government rotates or changes the Events 1457 BC - Battle of Megiddo (15th century BC between Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition under the King of Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The most senior positions of Chancellor, Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary remained the same, but a few new faces were added; most notably David Blunkett returned to cabinet as the Work and Pensions Secretary, although he was forced to resign again due to another scandal before the end of the year that spawned a national press and opposition campaign for his dismissal. The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all Economic and Financial The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the United Kingdom Home Office The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a member of the United Kingdom Government heading the David Blunkett (born 6 June 1947 is a British Labour Party Politician and has been Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is a position in the UK cabinet responsible for the Department for Work and Pensions. Patricia Hewitt became the new Health Secretary, Tessa Jowell remained as Culture Secretary, whilst Alan Johnson was promoted to Trade and Industry Secretary. Patricia Hope Hewitt (born 2 December 1948) is a British Politician. Tessa Jowell (born 17 September 1947 in London) is a British Politician. The Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport is a UK cabinet position with responsibility for the Department for Culture Media and Sport. Alan Arthur Johnson (born 17 May 1950 is a British Labour Party Politician and the Secretary of State for Health. The Secretary of State for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (formerly the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry before the June 28, 2007 In other moves Ruth Kelly retained the Education job and Margaret Beckett stayed put at Environment. Ruth Maria Kelly (born 9 May 1968 is a British politician, currently Member of Parliament for the Bolton West Constituency representing Margaret Mary Beckett (née Jackson; born 15 January 1943 is a British Labour Politician, Member of Parliament (MP for Derby

The new Parliament met on 11 May for the election of the Speaker of the House of Commons. Events 330 - Byzantium is renamed ''Nova Roma'' during a dedication ceremony but is more popularly referred to as Constantinople

New party leaders

On 6 May Michael Howard announced he would be standing down as leader of the Conservative Party, but not before a review of the leadership rules. Events 1527 - Spanish and German troops sack Rome; some consider this the end of the Renaissance. Michael Howard QC (born 7 July 1941 is a British Politician, a Conservative MP since the 1983 General Election for the constituency of The formal leadership election began in October, and was ultimately won by David Cameron. David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966 is a British Politician and the current leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of Her Majesty's See Conservative Party (UK) leadership election, 2005. The 2005 Conservative leadership election was called by party leader Michael Howard on 6 May 2005, when he announced that he would be stepping The following day David Trimble resigned as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party. His successor, Sir Reg Empey, was elected at the meeting of the Ulster Unionist Council on 24 June. Sir Reginald Norman Morgan Empey MLA (born October 26, 1947) is a Northern Ireland politician and a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly The Ulster Unionist Party ( UUP, sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP or in a historic sense simply the Unionist Party Events 972 - Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces takes place See Ulster Unionist Party leadership election, 2005. The 2005 Ulster Unionist Party leadership election began on May 7 2005 when David Trimble resigned as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party following

End of the term

Assuming that the law is not changed, the term of the 2005 Parliament will end on or before 10 May 2010. Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England. For the film see 2010 The Year We Make Contact. For the book see 2010 Odyssey Two. The delay in the time of year from the date of the end of the previous Parliament to this date is due to administrative procedures after the gathering of the Parliament. The last conceivable day upon which the next General Election could take place is 3 June 2010. Leadership of the main parties David Cameron became Conservative leader in December 2005 replacing Michael Howard. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman Emperor, entering For the film see 2010 The Year We Make Contact. For the book see 2010 Odyssey Two.

References

1. ^ BBC NEWS | Election 2005 | Results | Scotland
2. ^ General Election results, 7 June 2001
3. ^ Broadcasters hail success of joint poll | Media | MediaGuardian
4. ^ Broadcasters hail success of joint poll | Media | MediaGuardian

External links

Media coverage

• BBC Election 2005
• Channel 4 - Election 2005
• Angus Reid Consultants - Election Tracker
• The Guardian Election 2005 weblog
• The Guardian Politics - Special Report: Election 2005
• The Times Election 2005 Log
• Yahoo! News - Election 2005
• How the British election works

Electoral information

• The Electoral Commission - Election results
• Electoral Calculus: If there were a General Election tomorrow, what would happen?
• UK Polling Report - analysis of polls on a day-by-day basis.
• Candidates by Party - All 3405 candidates listed by their 124 distinct party labels.
• SourceWatch's article on the 2005 UK general election - with a focus on the strategists and public relations experts involved in the campaigns of the various parties.
• Strategic Voter 2005 - Information for each constituency to strategically vote against the invasion of Iraq
• Catalogue of 2005 general election ephemera at the Archives Division of the London School of Economics. The London School of Economics and Political Science, more commonly referred to as The London School of Economics or LSE, is a specialist college of the

Manifestos

• Alliance Party of Northern Ireland: Alliance works. Tribal politics costs (PDF File)
• British National Party: Rebuilding British Democracy (Abbreviated) (PDF)
• Conservatives: It's Time For Action/The British Dream
• Democratic Unionist Party: Leadership That's Working (PDF File)
• Green Party of England and Wales: People, Planet, Peace
• Labour: Britain: forward not back
• Liberal Democrats: The REAL Alternative
• Official Monster Raving Loony Party: Vote for insanity, you know it makes sense!
• Scottish National Party: Make Scotland Matter (PDF file)
• Plaid Cymru – The Party of Wales: We can build a better Wales (PDF file)
• English Democrats: See Web Site- Putting England First
• Respect – The Unity Coalition: Policy
• Scottish Socialist Party: Make Capitalism History
• Social Democratic and Labour Party: A Better Way to a Better Ireland (PDF File)
• Sinn Féin: Manifesto
• Ulster Unionist Party: Simply British
• United Kingdom Independence Party: We want our country back

Miscellaneous

• Who Do I Vote For? - An alternative tool to show which party's policies most closely match your opinions on 20 key policy areas
• OSCE Final Report on the United Kingdom general election on 2005-05-05, by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
• Maps of the 2005 results by constitutencies (in French)