United Kingdom general election, 1951

1950 ← members 25 October 1951 Members elected → 1955 members

All 625 seats in the House of Commons 313 seats needed for a majority   First party Second party Third party   Leader Winston Churchill Clement Attlee Clement Davies Party Conservative Labour Liberal Leader since 9 October 1940 25 October 1935 2 August 1945 Leader's seat Woodford Walthamstow West Montgomeryshire Last election 298 seats (total strength) 315 seats 9 seats, 9.1% Seats won 321 (total strength) 295 6 Seat change 22 20 3 Popular vote 13,717,850 13,948,385 730,546 Percentage 48.0% 48.8% 2.5% Swing 8% 2.7% 6.6%

PM before election Clement Attlee Labour Subsequent PM Winston Churchill Conservative

The 1951 United Kingdom general election was held eighteen months after the 1950 general election, which the Labour Party had won with a slim majority of just five seats. Labour called the election for 25 October 1951 hoping to increase their majority.

Attlee had decided to call the election after the King's concerns over leaving the country to go on his Commonwealth tour in 1952 with a government that had such a slim majority. The Labour government, which by now had achieved most of what it had set out to do, was now beginning to lose many cabinet ministers such as Ernest Bevin due to old age. The Conservatives however, due to the recent election, looked more fresh with more new MPs. As Labour began to have some policy splits during the election campaign, the Conservatives ran an efficient campaign that was well funded and orchestrated. As for the Liberals, the poor election results in 1950 only got worse.^[1]

In the event, despite Labour polling almost a quarter of a million votes more than the Conservative Party (and its National Liberal allies) - and more votes than in the 1950 election - it was the Conservatives who went on to form the next government. This was largely because, unlike in 1950, not every seat had a Liberal candidate, and those that did tended to be Conservative rather than Labour seats.^{[citation needed]} In addition (but less significantly) under the first past the post electoral system, the Labour votes translated into increased majorities for MPs in already safe seats, rather than into gaining new seats.

This was one of three elections where this happened (a party losing the popular vote but winning the most seats), the others being 1929 and February 1974. It was also the last general election in which some candidates were elected unopposed, in this case four Conservatives,^[2] although there have since been unopposed by-elections.

The Conservatives, under Winston Churchill, formed the next government with the help of the National Liberals - giving the Government a majority of 16 seats over all other parties.

  Results

Total votes cast: 28,596,594. All parties shown. Conservative result includes the Ulster Unionists.

¹ The National Liberals were in alliance with the Conservatives, bringing total Conservative strength to 321 seats (51.36%); votes total 13,717,850 (47.97%).

  Votes summary

Headline Swing: 1.13% to Conservative

  Seats summary

  Seats changing hands

• From Conservative to Liberal (0 seats):
• From Labour to Conservative (21 seats): Barry, Battersea South, Bedfordshire South, Berwick and East Lothian, Bolton East, Buckingham, Conway, Darlington, Doncaster, Dulwich, King's Lynn, Manchester Blackley, Middlesbrough West, Norfolk South West, Oldham East, Plymouth Sutton, Reading North, Rochdale, Rutherglen, Wycombe and Yarmouth
• From Labour to Liberal (1 seat): Bolton West
• From Liberal to Conservative (2 seats): Eye and Roxburgh
• From Liberal to Labour (2 seats): Anglesey and Meirioneth
• From Ulster Unionist to Irish Labour (1 seat): Belfast West

  See also

• MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1951
• 1951 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours

  References

  Bibliography

• F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987
• United Kingdom election results - summary results 1885-1979

  Manifestos

• CONSERVATIVE PARTY: 1951- 1951 Conservative manifesto.
• Labour Party Election Manifesto - 1951 Labour Party manifesto.
• The Nation's Task - 1951 Liberal Party manifesto.

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