View source for February 1974 United Kingdom general election

{{short description|none}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name = February 1974 United Kingdom general election
| country = United Kingdom
| type = parliamentary
| ongoing = no
| previous_election = 1970 United Kingdom general election
| previous_year = 1970
| outgoing_members = List of MPs elected in the 1970 United Kingdom general election
| next_election = October 1974 United Kingdom general election
| next_year = Oct 1974
| elected_members = List of MPs elected in the February 1974 United Kingdom general election
| seats_for_election = All [[List of United Kingdom Parliament constituencies (1974–1983)|635 seats]] in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]]
| majority_seats = 318
| elected_mps = List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, February 1974
| election_date = 28 February 1974
| turnout = 78.8% ({{increase}}6.8 [[Percentage point|pp]])
<!--      Labour      -->| image1 = {{CSS image crop|Image =Harold Wilson 1975.jpg|bSize = 120|cWidth = 120|cHeight = 160|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}
| leader1 = [[Harold Wilson]]
| leader_since1 = [[1963 Labour Party leadership election (UK)|14 February 1963]]
| party1 = Labour Party (UK)
| leaders_seat1 = [[Huyton (UK Parliament constituency)|Huyton]]
| last_election1 = 288 seats, 43.1%
| seats_before1 = 287
| seats1 = '''301'''
| seat_change1 = {{increase}}14
| popular_vote1 = 11,645,616
| percentage1 = 37.2%
| swing1 = {{decrease}}5.9%
<!--      Conservative     -->| image2 = {{CSS image crop|Image =Golda Meir and Edward Heath cropped (cropped).jpg|bSize = 140|cWidth = 120|cHeight = 160|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}
| leader2 = [[Edward Heath]]
| leader_since2 = [[1965 Conservative Party leadership election|28 July 1965]]
| party2 = Conservative Party (UK)
| leaders_seat2 = [[Sidcup (UK Parliament constituency)|Sidcup]]
| last_election2 = 330 seats, 46.4%
| seats_before2 = 325
| seats2 = 297{{efn|group=note|name=speaker|The seat and vote count figures for the Conservatives given here include the Speaker of the House of Commons}}
| seat_change2 = {{decrease}}28
| popular_vote2 = '''11,872,180'''
| percentage2 = '''37.9%'''
| swing2 = {{decrease}}8.5%
<!--       Liberal     -->| image3 = {{eppt|Liberal Party (UK)}}
| leader3 = [[Jeremy Thorpe]]
| leader_since3 = [[1967 Liberal Party leadership election|18 January 1967]]
| party3 = Liberal Party (UK)
| leaders_seat3 = [[North Devon (UK Parliament constituency)|North Devon]]
| last_election3 = 6 seats, 7.5%
| seats_before3 = 6
| seats3 = 14
| seat_change3 = {{increase}}8
| popular_vote3 = 6,059,519
| percentage3 = 19.3%
| swing3 = {{increase}}11.8%
| title = [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]]
| posttitle = Prime Minister after election
| before_election = [[Edward Heath]]
| before_party = Conservative Party (UK)
| after_election = [[Harold Wilson]]
| after_party = Labour Party (UK)
| opinion_polls = Opinion polling for the 1974 United Kingdom general elections
| map_image = UK General Election, February 1974.svg
| map_size = 200px
| map_caption = Colours denote the winning party—as shown in {{slink||Results}}
| map2_image = File:Feb 1974 UK GE Westminster apportionment diagram.svg
| map2_caption = Composition of the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] after the election
}}
The '''February 1974 United Kingdom general election''' was held on Thursday 28 February 1974. The [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]], led by Leader of the Opposition and former [[Prime Minister]] [[Harold Wilson]], gained 14 seats (301 total) but was seventeen short of an overall majority. The [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]], led by incumbent Prime Minister [[Edward Heath]], lost 28 seats (though it polled a higher share of the vote than Labour). That resulted in a [[hung parliament]], the first since [[1929 United Kingdom general election|1929]]. Heath sought a coalition with the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberals]], but the two parties failed to come to an agreement and so Wilson became prime minister for a second time, his first with a minority government. Wilson called another early election in September, [[October 1974 United Kingdom general election|which was held in October]] and resulted in a Labour majority. The February election was also the first general election to be held with the United Kingdom as a member state of the [[European Communities]] (EC), which was widely known as the "Common Market".
Its results saw [[Northern Ireland]] diverging heavily from the rest of the United Kingdom, with all twelve candidates elected being from local parties (eleven of them representing unionist parties) after the decision of the [[Ulster Unionists]] to withdraw support from the Conservative Party in protest over the [[Sunningdale Agreement]]. The [[Scottish National Party]] achieved significant success at the election by increasing its share of the popular vote in Scotland from 11% to 22%, and its number of MPs from one to seven. [[Plaid Cymru]] also succeeded for the first time in getting candidates elected at a general election in [[Wales]] (its sole previous seat was won at [[1966 Carmarthen by-election|a by-election in 1966]]).
Although Heath's incumbent Conservative government polled the most votes by a small margin, the Conservatives were overtaken in terms of seats by Wilson's Labour Party because of a more efficiently distributed Labour vote. Ultimately, the decision by the seven Ulster Unionist MPs not to take the Conservative [[Whip (politics)|whip]] proved decisive in giving Labour a slim plurality of seats. The other four unionists elected were hardliners who were not affiliated with the UUP.
Both the Labour and the Conservative parties lost a considerable share of the popular vote, largely to the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]] under [[Jeremy Thorpe]]'s leadership, which polled two-and-a-half times its share of the vote in the previous election. However, even with over 6,000,000 votes, only 14 Liberal MPs were elected. There had been some media projections that the Liberals could take twice as many seats.<ref name="BBC Feb '74 Election coverage">{{YouTube |id=_cB6ZxZBcqU |title=BBC Feb '74 Election coverage}}, {{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cB6ZxZBcqU |title=YouTube - Election 1974 (February) - Part 1 |website=[[YouTube]] |access-date=2 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110401212030/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cB6ZxZBcqU |archive-date=1 April 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
Given that it was not obvious who could command the support of the House, Heath did not resign immediately as prime minister. However, he knew that even if he could persuade all eleven of Northern Ireland's unionist MPs to support a Conservative government, at least on confidence matters, over one led by Wilson, he would still need the support of the Liberals to have a workable majority. Heath, therefore, started negotiations with Thorpe to form a [[coalition government]]. Thorpe, never enthusiastic about supporting the Conservatives, demanded major electoral reforms in exchange for such an agreement. Unwilling to accept such terms, Heath resigned, and Wilson [[Third Wilson ministry|returned for his second stint]] as [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]].
The election night was covered live on the BBC and was presented by [[Alastair Burnet]], [[David Butler (psephologist)|David Butler]], [[Robert McKenzie (psephologist)|Robert McKenzie]] and [[Robin Day]].<ref name="BBC Feb '74 Election coverage"/><ref name="bbc-programmes-page">{{citation |title=Part 1, Election 74 |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00r2f6p |publisher=BBC |access-date=2 June 2018}}</ref>
Prominent members of Parliament who retired or were defeated at the election included [[Gordon Campbell, Baron Campbell of Croy|Gordon Campbell]], [[Bernadette McAliskey]], [[Enoch Powell]], [[Richard Crossman]], [[Tom Driberg]] and [[Patrick Gordon Walker]]. It was the first of two [[United Kingdom general elections]] held that year, the first to take place after the [[accession of the United Kingdom to the European Communities|United Kingdom became a member]] of the [[European Communities]] on 1 January 1973, and the first since [[1929 United Kingdom general election|1929]] [[hung parliament|not to produce an overall majority]] in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] for the party with the most votes. This was also the first time since 1910 that two general elections were held in the same year.
{{UK general election navigation|clear=none|1966|1970|February 1974|October 1974|1979}}
==Campaign==
On Thursday 7 February, it was announced that Prime Minister [[Edward Heath]] had asked Queen [[Elizabeth II]], who was then in [[New Zealand]] for the [[1974 British Commonwealth Games]], to dissolve Parliament for a general election to take place on 28 February. Because of the Queen's being abroad, the [[dissolution of parliament]] was required to be promulgated by [[Counsellors of State]], in this case [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother]] and [[Princess Margaret]], on her express instructions.<ref>''London Gazette'' [https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/46205/ no. 46205], 8&nbsp;February 1974, pp. 1851–1852</ref> The severe economic circumstances in which the election was held prompted both ''[[The Sun (United Kingdom)|The Sun]]'' and the ''[[Daily Mirror]]'' to characterise it as a "crisis election".{{sfn|Sandbrook|2010|pages=611–645}}
On 10 February, the [[National Union of Mineworkers (Great Britain)|National Union of Mineworkers]], as expected, went on strike, but it was more of a low-key affair than the high-profile [[1972 United Kingdom miners' strike|clashes of 1972]], with no violence and only six men on each picket line. [[Jim Prior]] later wrote that the miners had been "as quiet and well-behaved as mice".{{sfn|Sandbrook|2010|pages=611–645}} The [[Three-Day Week]] continued throughout the election, although Heath allowed the late-night television curfew to be lifted to allow more coverage of the campaign. The low profile of the miners' strike allowed worries over inflation to dominate the election. On 15 February, it was announced that the [[Retail Price Index]] showed a 20% increase in prices over the previous year.{{sfn|Sandbrook|2010|pages=611–645}}
On 21 February, the Pay Board released a report on miners' pay, which unexpectedly revealed that they were paid less than other manufacturing workers, contrary to the claims of the [[National Coal Board]]. That came as a severe blow to the Conservative position, and led to accusations that the National Coal Board did not understand its own pay system and that the strike was unnecessary.{{sfn|Taylor|1984|page=258}} Further bad news for Heath and his party came four days later, with the latest trade figures showing that the [[Current account (balance of payments)|current account]] deficit for the previous month had been £383,000,000, the worst in recorded history. Heath claimed the figures confirmed "the gravity of the situation" and the need for a new mandate, which prompted [[Roy Jenkins]] to quip: "He [Heath] presumably thinks a still worse result would have given him a still stronger claim".{{sfn|Sandbrook|2010|pages=611–645}}
One of the most unexpected and explosive events of the campaign was when the outspoken Conservative MP [[Enoch Powell]], who had already announced that he could not stand for re-election on the Conservative manifesto, urged people to vote against Heath for bringing about UK membership of the [[European Communities]]. In a speech in [[Birmingham]] on 23 February 1974, Powell claimed the main issue in the campaign was whether Britain was to "remain a democratic nation&nbsp;... or whether it will become one province in a new Europe super-state"; he said it was people's "national duty" to oppose those who had deprived Parliament of "its sole right to make the laws and impose the taxes of the country".{{sfn|Sandbrook|2010|pages=611–645}} The speech prompted ''The Sun'' to run the headline "Enoch puts the boot in". A few days later, he said he hoped for victory by "the party which is committed to a fundamental renegotiation of the [[Treaty of Brussels]] and to submitting to the British People&nbsp;... the outcome of that renegotiation". Those were the explicit manifesto promises of the Labour Party.{{sfn|Sandbrook|2010|pages=611–645}}
A further unforeseen blow to the Conservative campaign came on 26 February when [[Campbell Adamson]], Director-General of the [[Confederation of British Industry]] (CBI), was reported to have called for the repeal of the Heath Government's [[Industrial Relations Act]] and to have said that the Act had "sullied every relationship between employers and unions at national level". Adamson had been closely involved with the Downing Street talks over the mining dispute. Although Heath emphasised that Adamson was voicing a personal opinion and that his views did not express the official position of the CBI, he after the election acknowledged that the intervention had a negative impact on the Conservative campaign.<ref name="ClarkTimesGuideFeb74">{{cite book |last=Clark |first=George |title=The Times Guide to the House of Commons 1974 |date=1974 |publisher=Times Newspapers Limited |location=London |isbn=0-7230-0115-4 |page=28 |chapter=The 'Inevitable' Election}}</ref> Labour, meanwhile, cited Adamson's comments as proving the need "for everything they (had)... been urging on the Government".<ref name="GH27021974">{{cite news |title=Drop industry Act, urges CBI chief |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19740227&printsec=frontpage&hl=en |work=The Glasgow Herald |date=27 February 1974 |page=1 |access-date=7 February 2019}}</ref>
===Conservative campaign===
Heath addressed the country on television on the evening of 7 February, and asked:
{{blockquote|Do you want a strong Government which has clear authority for the future to take decisions which will be needed? Do you want Parliament and the elected Government to continue to fight strenuously against inflation? Or do you want them to abandon the struggle against rising prices under pressure from one particularly powerful group of workers&nbsp;... This time of strife has got to stop. Only you can stop it. It's time for you to speak—with your vote. It's time for your voice to be heard—the voice of the moderate and reasonable people of Britain: the voice of the majority. It's time for you to say to the extremists, the militants, and the plain and simply misguided: we've had enough. There's a lot to be done. For heaven's sake, let's get on with it.{{sfn|Sandbrook|2010|pages=611–645}}
}}
The Conservative campaign was, thus, encapsulated by the now-famous phrase "Who governs Britain?"
The party's manifesto, which was largely written by the future Chancellor [[Nigel Lawson]], was entitled ''Firm Action for a Fair Britain'' and characterised by the historian [[Dominic Sandbrook]] as "strident rhetoric".{{sfn|Sandbrook|2010|pages=611–645}} It claimed the Labour opposition had been taken over by "a small group of power-hungry trade union leaders", who were "committed to a left-wing programme more dangerous and more extreme than ever before in its history". It went on to assert that a Labour victory would be a "major national disaster". Sandbrook criticised the Conservative manifesto as "very vague and woolly" and lacking in "detailed policies or [a] sense of direction."{{sfn|Sandbrook|2010|pages=611–645}}
[[Edward Heath]] played a dominant and crucial role in the campaign. In public, he appeared calm and in control. David Watt, in the ''[[Financial Times]]'', called him "statesmanlike" and "relaxed". In his party's final broadcast of the campaign he said: "I'll do all that I can for this country&nbsp;... We've started a job together. With your will, we shall go on and finish the job".{{sfn|Sandbrook|2010|pages=611–645}}
One Conservative political broadcast attracted controversy for its ferocity. In the film the narrator warned that Labour would confiscate "your bank account, your mortgage and your wage packet" while pictures of [[Harold Wilson]] and [[James Callaghan]] dissolved into those of [[Michael Foot]] and [[Tony Benn]]. It went on to allege that Labour would not have to move much further to the left before "you could find yourself not even owning your own home".{{sfn|Sandbrook|2010|pages=611–645}} Wilson was reportedly furious, and [[Lord Carrington]], the Secretary of State for Energy, made a formal apology.{{sfn|Sandbrook|2010|pages=611–645}}
===Labour campaign===
The Labour manifesto, ''Let us work together'', consisted of only ten pages only, the shortest since [[1955 United Kingdom general election|1955]]. It had been greatly influenced by the economist [[Stuart Holland]] and Shadow Industry Secretary [[Tony Benn]]. In it, Labour promised "a fundamental and irreversible shift in the balance of power and wealth in favour of working people and their families". It advocated planning agreements with industry and the creation of a [[National Enterprise Board]]. That section attracted criticism from some figures within the party. For example, [[Anthony Crosland]] privately called the programme "half-baked" and "idiotic".The manifesto also committed the party to renegotiating the terms of Britain's entry into the [[European Economic Community]] and to holding a national referendum on the issue.{{sfn|Sandbrook|2010|pages=611–645}}
The Labour campaign presented the party's leadership as competent negotiators, who would restore peace with the unions. Unlike in previous elections, Wilson took something of a back seat and allowed [[James Callaghan]], [[Denis Healey]] and [[Shirley Williams]] to play equal, if not greater, roles in the campaign. In the final broadcast of the campaign, a series of leading figures claimed Labour could put Britain "on the road to recovery". In the film, Wilson asserted: "Trades unionists are people. Employers are people. We can't go on setting one against the other except at the cost of damage to the nation itself".{{sfn|Sandbrook|2010|pages=611–645}}
===Liberal campaign===
The [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]] had undergone a revival under the leadership of [[Jeremy Thorpe]] by winning a string of by-elections in 1972 and 1973. It had begun to appeal to disaffected Conservative voters and continued to do so throughout the campaign. Thorpe came across as young and charismatic, often attempting to appear above the two-party fray. The manifesto, ''You can Change the Face of Britain'', promised voting reform and devolution, but Sandbrook described its economic policy as "impossibly vague".{{sfn|Sandbrook|2010|pages=611–645}} The Liberals began to contest more seats, standing in 517 constituencies across the country.<ref>{{cite book |last=Pugh |first=Martin |author-link=Martin Pugh (historian) |title=State and Society: A Social and Political History of Britain since 1870 |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing]] |edition=fifth |date=2017 |page=424 |isbn=978-1-4742-4346-9}}</ref>
===Scottish National Party campaign===
During the election, the [[Scottish National Party]] campaigned widely on the political slogan "[[It's Scotland's oil]]". It was argued that the discovery of [[North Sea oil]] off the coast of [[Scotland]] and the revenue that it created would not benefit Scotland to any significant degree while it remained part of the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite news |last=Shuster |first=Alvin |title=Scottish Nationalism Comes Out of Slump in Election Issue of Who Owns Offshore |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/02/20/archives/scottish-nationalism-comes-out-of-slump-in-election-issue-of-who.html |work=The New York Times |date=20 February 1974 |access-date=15 October 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Brocklehurst |first=Steven |title=Who has a right to claim North Sea oil? |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-20042070 |publisher=BBC News |date=16 April 2013 |access-date=15 October 2022}}</ref>
=== Position of press ===
The historian [[Dominic Sandbrook]] describes the "level of partisanship" amongst the national newspapers during the election as "unprecedented" in post-war Britain, with most of the media prejudiced in favour of Heath and the Conservatives. The ''Daily Mirror'' was one of the few national newspapers to support Labour, with many others urging their readers to re-elect Heath. In the right-wing media, there was fierce condemnation of Wilson and his party. ''The Sun'', which had supported Labour in 1970, claimed a Labour victory would result in "galloping inflation", and an editorial in ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' said a Labour government would be "complete ruin public and private" and condemned what it saw as Wilson's "craven subservience to trade union power". The ''[[Evening Standard]]'' published a piece by [[Kingsley Amis]] calling the Labour politician [[Tony Benn]], who was to be appointed [[Secretary of State for Industry]] after the election, "the most dangerous man in Britain", and in the ''[[Daily Express]]'', the cartoonist Cummings depicted the miners' leader [[Joe Gormley (trade unionist)|Joe Gormley]], Wilson and other Labour figures as French revolutionaries [[Guillotine|guillotining]] Heath. ''[[The Guardian]]'', in contrast, chose to support no party openly. Its columnist [[Peter Jenkins (journalist)|Peter Jenkins]] claimed the last ten years had proved that "neither party" had the ability to deal with the country's problems.{{sfn|Sandbrook|2010|pages=611–645}}
==Economic background==
It was the first general election in the United Kingdom to be held during an economic crisis since the [[1931 United Kingdom general election|1931 general election]], which had been held in the depths of the [[Great Depression]].<ref>{{citation |title=28 February 1974 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/politics97/background/pastelec/ge74feb.shtml |work=BBC Politics 97 |access-date=2 June 2018}}</ref>
==Opinion polls==
{{main|Opinion polling for the 1974 United Kingdom general elections}}
Throughout the campaign 25 of the 26 opinion polls had a Conservative lead and one even by 9%. Of the six polls on election day (28 February), two had a 2% lead, two a 4% lead, one a 3% lead and one a 5% lead.{{sfn|Butler|Kavanagh|1974|page=95}}
==Timeline==
As the Queen was in New Zealand on 7 February, the Prime Minister notified her of his intentions via telegram, rather than by the usual protocol of visiting [[Buckingham Palace]]. The key dates were as follows:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| style="width:25%;"|Friday 8 February||Dissolution of the [[List of MPs elected in the 1970 United Kingdom general election|45th Parliament]] and official beginning of campaign
|-
|Monday 18 February||Last day to file nomination papers; 2,135 candidates enter to contest 635 seats
|-
|Wednesday 27 February|| Campaigning officially ends
|-
|Thursday 28 February|| Polling day
|-
|Friday 1 March||Election results in a [[hung parliament]] with Labour narrowly ahead as the largest party but short of a majority
|-
|Sunday 3 March||[[Edward Heath]] begins meetings with Liberal Party leader [[Jeremy Thorpe]] to discuss the terms of a potential coalition
|-
|Monday 4 March||Conservative Prime Minister [[Edward Heath]] resigns shortly after the Liberals reject his coalition terms, which allows [[Harold Wilson]] to return to power as leader of a Labour [[minority government]]
|-
|Wednesday 6 March||[[List of MPs elected in the February 1974 United Kingdom general election|46th Parliament]] assembles
|-
|Tuesday 12 March||[[State Opening of Parliament]]
|}
==Results==
The election was fought on new constituency boundaries with five more seats added to the 630 used in 1970. This led to many seats changing hands on the new notional boundaries. [[Notional election results]] from the 1970 general election were calculated on behalf of the BBC by [[Michael Steed]] to of compare constituency results with those of February 1974.
For the first time since [[1929 United Kingdom general election|1929]], the two largest political parties had received less than a combined share of 80% of the vote, and the Liberals had also won more than 10% of the vote.
{{Election summary begin with leaders| title = UK General Election February 1974{{efn|group=note|name=notional|Results based on the notional 1970 results on the boundaries which came into force in 1974.<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.election.demon.co.uk/changes.html|title=Seats changing hands at General Elections|website=election.demon.co.uk |access-date=2 June 2018}}</ref> The seats won by the Ulster Unionists are compared with those won by Unionist MPs at the 1970 general election. The [[Protestant Unionist Party]] became the core of the Democratic Unionist Party and their candidates are compared with the result of the Protestant Unionist in 1970. The sole [[Republican Labour Party]] MP elected in 1970 subsequently left that party to co-found the Social Democrat and Labour Party in 1970 and the remains of the party disintegrated by 1974.}}
}}
[[File:1974 (1) UK parliament.svg|center|300px]]
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = Conservative Party (UK)
|leader     = [[Edward Heath]]
|candidates = 623
|seats      = 297{{efn|group=note|name=speaker}}
|gain       = 5
|loss       = 42
|net        = &minus;37
|votes      = 11,872,180
|votes %    = 37.9
|seats %    = 46.8
|plus/minus = &minus;8.5
|government =
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = Labour Party (UK)
|leader     = [[Harold Wilson]]
|candidates = 623
|seats      = 301
|gain       = 34
|loss       = 14
|net        = +20
|votes      = 11,645,616
|votes %    = 37.2
|seats %    = 47.4
|plus/minus = &minus;5.9
|government = yes
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = Liberal Party (UK)
|leader     = [[Jeremy Thorpe]]
|candidates = 517
|seats      = 14
|gain       = 8
|loss       = 0
|net        = +8
|votes      = 6,059,519
|votes %    = 19.3
|seats %    = 2.2
|plus/minus = +11.8
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = Scottish National Party
|leader     = [[William Wolfe]]
|candidates = 70
|seats      = 7
|gain       = 6
|loss       = 0
|net        = +6
|votes      = 633,180
|votes %    = 2.0
|seats %    = 1.1
|plus/minus = +0.9
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = Ulster Unionist Party
|leader     = [[Harry West]]
|candidates = 7
|seats      = 7
|gain       = [[Fermanagh and South Tyrone (UK Parliament constituency)|1]]
|loss       = 2
|net        = &minus;1
|votes      = 232,103
|votes %    = 0.8
|seats %    = 1.1
|plus/minus = ''N/A''
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = Plaid Cymru
|leader     = [[Gwynfor Evans]]
|candidates = 36
|seats      = 2
|gain       = 2
|loss       = 0
|net        = +2
|votes      = 171,374
|votes %    = 0.5
|seats %    = 0.3
|plus/minus = &minus;0.1
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = Social Democratic and Labour Party
|leader     = [[Gerry Fitt]]
|candidates = 12
|seats      = [[Belfast West (UK Parliament constituency)|1]]
|gain       = [[Belfast West (UK Parliament constituency)|1]]
|loss       = 0
|net        = +1
|votes      = 160,137
|votes %    = 0.5
|seats %    = 0.2
|plus/minus = ''N/A''
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = Pro-Assembly Unionist
|leader     = [[Brian Faulkner]]
|candidates = 7
|seats      = 0
|gain       = 0
|loss       = 0
|net        = 0
|votes      = 94,301
|votes %    = 0.3
|seats %    =
|plus/minus = ''N/A''
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = National Front (UK)
|leader     = [[John Tyndall (politician)|John Tyndall]]
|candidates = 54
|seats      = 0
|gain       = 0
|loss       = 0
|net        = 0
|votes      = 76,865
|votes %    = 0.2
|seats %    =
|plus/minus = +0.1
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party
|leader     = [[William Craig (Northern Ireland politician)|William Craig]]
|candidates = 3
|seats      = 3
|gain       = 3
|loss       = 0
|net        = +3
|votes      = 75,944
|votes %    = 0.2
|seats %    = 0.5
|plus/minus = ''N/A''
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = Democratic Unionist Party
|leader     = [[Ian Paisley]]
|candidates = 2
|seats      = [[North Antrim (UK Parliament constituency)|1]]
|gain       = 1
|loss       = 0
|net        = +1
|votes      = 58,656
|votes %    = 0.2
|seats %    = 0.2
|plus/minus = +0.1
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = Independent Liberal
|leader     = ''N/A''
|candidates = 8
|seats      = 0
|gain       = 0
|loss       = 0
|net        = 0
|votes      = 38,437
|votes %    = 0.2
|seats %    =
|plus/minus = +0.2
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = Communist Party of Great Britain
|leader     = [[John Gollan]]
|candidates = 44
|seats      = 0
|gain       = 0
|loss       = 0
|net        = 0
|votes      = 32,743
|votes %    = 0.1
|seats %    =
|plus/minus = 0.0
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = Independent Labour
|leader     = ''N/A''
|candidates = 6
|seats      = [[Blyth (UK Parliament constituency)|1]]
|gain       = [[Blyth (UK Parliament constituency)|1]]
|loss       = [[Merthyr Tydfil (UK Parliament constituency)|1]]
|net        = 0
|votes      = 29,892
|votes %    = 0.1
|seats %    = 0.2
|plus/minus = 0.0
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
|leader     = [[Oliver Napier]]
|candidates = 3
|seats      = 0
|gain       = 0
|loss       = 0
|net        = 0
|votes      = 22,660
|votes %    = 0.1
|seats %    =
|plus/minus = ''N/A''
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = Independent politician
|leader     = ''N/A''
|candidates = 43
|seats      = 0
|gain       = 0
|loss       = 0
|net        = 0
|votes      = 18,180
|votes %    = 0.1
|seats %    =
|plus/minus = 0.0
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = Unity (Northern Ireland)
|leader     = ''N/A''
|candidates = 2
|seats      = 0
|gain       = 0
|loss       = 2
|net        = &minus;2
|votes      = 17,593
|votes %    = 0.0
|seats %    =
|plus/minus = &minus;0.4
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = Independent Socialist
|leader     = ''N/A''
|candidates = 2
|seats      = 0
|gain       = 0
|loss       = 0
|net        = 0
|votes      = 17,300
|votes %    = 0.0
|seats %    =
|plus/minus = ''N/A''
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = Northern Ireland Labour Party
|leader     = [[Alan Carr (politician)|Alan Carr]]
|candidates = 5
|seats      = 0
|gain       = 0
|loss       = 0
|net        = 0
|votes      = 17,284
|votes %    = 0.0
|seats %    =
|plus/minus = ''N/A''
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = Republican Clubs
|leader     = [[Tomás Mac Giolla]]
|candidates = 4
|seats      = 0
|gain       = 0
|loss       = 0
|net        = 0
|votes      = 15,152
|votes %    = 0.0
|seats %    =
|plus/minus = ''N/A''
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = Lincoln Democratic Labour Association
|leader     = [[Dick Taverne]]
|candidates = [[Lincoln (UK Parliament constituency)|1]]
|seats      = [[Lincoln (UK Parliament constituency)|1]]
|gain       = [[Lincoln (UK Parliament constituency)|1]]
|loss       = 0
|net        = +1
|votes      = 14,780
|votes %    = 0.0
|seats %    =
|plus/minus = ''N/A''
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = Independent Conservative
|leader     = ''N/A''
|candidates = 18
|seats      = 0
|gain       = 0
|loss       = 0
|net        = 0
|votes      = 11,451
|votes %    = 0.0
|seats %    =
|plus/minus = &minus;0.1
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = Independent Republican (Ireland)
|leader     = ''N/A''
|candidates = [[Belfast West (UK Parliament constituency)|1]]
|seats      = 0
|gain       = 0
|loss       = 0
|net        = 0
|votes      = 5,662
|votes %    = 0.0
|seats %    =
|plus/minus = ''N/A''
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = PEOPLE Party
|leader     = [[Tony Whittaker]]
|candidates = 6
|seats      = 0
|gain       = 0
|loss       = 0
|net        = 0
|votes      = 4,576
|votes %    = 0.0
|seats %    =
|plus/minus = ''N/A''
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = Workers Revolutionary Party (UK)
|leader     = [[Gerry Healy]]
|candidates = 9
|seats      = 0
|gain       = 0
|loss       = 0
|net        = 0
|votes      = 4,191
|votes %    = 0.0
|seats %    =
|plus/minus = ''N/A''
}}
{{Election summary with leaders
|party      = [[Campaign for Social Democracy|Social Democracy]]
|leader     = [[Dick Taverne]]
|candidates = 4
|seats      = 0
|gain       = 0
|loss       = 0
|net        = 0
|votes      = 2,646
|votes %    = 0.0
|seats %    =
|plus/minus = ''N/A''
}}
{{Election summary with leaders
|party      = [[Independent Democratic Alliance|Independent Democratic]]
|leader     = [[John Creasey]]
|candidates = 6
|seats      = 0
|gain       = 0
|loss       = 0
|net        = 0
|votes      = 1,976
|votes %    = 0.0
|seats %    =
|plus/minus = ''N/A''
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = Communist Party of England (Marxist-Leninist)
|leader     = John Buckle
|candidates = 6
|seats      = 0
|gain       = 0
|loss       = 0
|net        = 0
|votes      = 1,419
|votes %    = 0.0
|seats %    =
|plus/minus = ''N/A''
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = National Independence Party (UK)
|leader     = John Davis
|candidates = [[Tottenham (UK Parliament constituency)|1]]
|seats      = 0
|gain       = 0
|loss       = 0
|net        = 0
|votes      = 1,373
|votes %    = 0.0
|seats %    =
|plus/minus = ''N/A''
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = National Democratic Party (UK, 1966)
|leader     = David Brown
|candidates = [[Ipswich (UK Parliament constituency)|1]]
|seats      = 0
|gain       = 0
|loss       = 0
|net        = 0
|votes      = 1,161
|votes %    = 0.0
|seats %    =
|plus/minus = &minus;0.1
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = Independent Labour Party
|leader     = [[Emrys Thomas]]
|candidates = [[St Helens (UK Parliament constituency)|1]]
|seats      = 0
|gain       = 0
|loss       = 0
|net        = 0
|votes      = 991
|votes %    = 0.0
|seats %    =
|plus/minus = 0.0
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = Mebyon Kernow
|leader     = [[Richard Jenkin]]
|candidates = [[Truro (UK Parliament constituency)|1]]
|seats      = 0
|gain       = 0
|loss       = 0
|net        = 0
|votes      = 850
|votes %    = 0.0
|seats %    =
|plus/minus = 0.0
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = International Marxist Group
|leader     = ''N/A''
|candidates = 3
|seats      = 0
|gain       = 0
|loss       = 0
|net        = 0
|votes      = 716
|votes %    = 0.0
|seats %    =
|plus/minus = ''N/A''
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = British Movement
|leader     = [[Colin Jordan]]
|candidates = 1
|seats      = 0
|gain       = 0
|loss       = 0
|net        = 0
|votes      = 711
|votes %    = 0.0
|seats %    =
|plus/minus = 0.0
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = Independent Social Democrat
|leader     = ''N/A''
|candidates = [[Dover and Deal (UK Parliament constituency)|1]]
|seats      = 0
|gain       = 0
|loss       = 0
|net        = 0
|votes      = 661
|votes %    = 0.0
|seats %    =
|plus/minus = ''N/A''
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = Wessex Regionalist Party
|leader     = [[Alexander Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath|Viscount Weymouth]]
|candidates = [[Westbury (UK Parliament constituency)|1]]
|seats      = 0
|gain       = 0
|loss       = 0
|net        = 0
|votes      = 521
|votes %    = 0.0
|seats %    =
|plus/minus = ''N/A''
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = Independent Democrat
|leader     = ''N/A''
|candidates = [[Reigate (UK Parliament constituency)|1]]
|seats      = 0
|gain       = 0
|loss       = 0
|net        = 0
|votes      = 386
|votes %    = 0.0
|seats %    =
|plus/minus = ''N/A''
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = Campaign for a More Prosperous Britain
|leader     = Tom Keen and Harold Smith
|candidates = [[Huyton (UK Parliament constituency)|1]]
|seats      = 0
|gain       = 0
|loss       = 0
|net        = 0
|votes      = 234
|votes %    = 0.0
|seats %    =
|plus/minus = ''N/A''
}}
{{Election summary party with leaders
|party      = National Independent
|leader     = ''N/A''
|candidates = 1
|seats      = 0
|gain       = 0
|loss       = 0
|net        = 0
|votes      = 229
|votes %    = 0.0
|seats %    =
|plus/minus = ''N/A''
}}
{{Election summary with leaders
|party      = [[John Hampden New Freedom Party|John Hampden New Freedom]]
|leader     = [[Frank Hansford-Miller]]
|candidates = [[Lewisham East (UK Parliament constituency)|1]]
|seats      = 0
|gain       = 0
|loss       = 0
|net        = 0
|votes      = 203
|votes %    = 0.0
|seats %    =
|plus/minus = ''N/A''
}}
|-
|+ style="caption-side: bottom; font-weight:normal" |All parties shown.
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="width:70%"
| '''Government's new majority'''
| '''&minus;33'''
|-
| Total votes cast
| 31,321,982
|-
| Turnout
| 78.8%
|}
===Votes summary===
{{bar box
|title=Popular vote
|titlebar=#ddd
|width=600px
|barwidth=360px
|bars=
{{bar percent|Conservative|{{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}|37.90}}
{{bar percent|'''Labour'''|{{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}|37.18}}
{{bar percent|Liberal|{{party color|Liberal Party (UK)}}|19.35}}
{{bar percent|SNP|{{party color|Scottish National Party}}|2.02}}
{{bar percent|Others|#A9A9A9|3.55}}
}}
===Seats summary===
{{bar box
|title=Parliamentary seats
|titlebar=#ddd
|width=600px
|barwidth=360px
|bars=
{{bar percent|'''Labour'''|{{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}|47.40}}
{{bar percent|Conservative|{{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}|46.77}}
{{bar percent|Liberal|{{party color|Liberal Party (UK)}}|2.20}}
{{bar percent|SNP|{{party color|Scottish National Party}}|1.10}}
{{bar percent|Others|#A9A9A9|2.52}}
}}
==Incumbents defeated==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%;"
! colspan="2" |Party
!Name
!Constituency
!Office held whilst in Parliament
!Defeated by
! colspan="2" |Party
|-
| rowspan="21" style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
| rowspan="34" |{{party shortname linked|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|[[Patricia Hornsby-Smith]]
|[[Aldridge-Brownhills]]
|
|[[Geoff Edge]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
|[[Patrick Wolrige-Gordon]]
|[[East Aberdeenshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Aberdeenshire East]]
|
|[[Douglas Henderson (SNP politician)|Douglas Henderson]]
! class="unsortable" style="background-color: {{party color|Scottish National Party}}" |
|[[Scottish National Party]]
|-
|[[Wilfred Baker]]
|[[Banffshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Banffshire]]
|
|[[Hamish Watt]]
! class="unsortable" style="background-color: {{party color|Scottish National Party}}" |
|[[Scottish National Party]]
|-
|[[Eric Cockeram]]
|[[Bebington (UK Parliament constituency)|Bebington]] (contested [[Bebington and Ellesmere Port]])
|
|[[Alfred Bates|Alf Bates]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
|[[Geoffrey Stewart-Smith]]
|[[Belper (UK Parliament constituency)|Belper]]
|
|[[Roderick MacFarquhar]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
|[[Sydney Chapman (politician)|Sydney Chapman]]
|[[Birmingham Handsworth (UK Parliament constituency)|Birmingham Handsworth]]
|
|[[John Lee (Labour politician)|John Lee]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
|[[Joseph Kinsey (politician)|Joseph Kinsey]]
|[[Birmingham Perry Barr]]
|
|[[Jeff Rooker]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
|[[Derek Coombs]]
|[[Birmingham Yardley]]
|
|[[Syd Tierney]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
|[[Robert Hicks (British politician)|Robert Hicks]]
|[[Bodmin (UK Parliament constituency)|Bodmin]]
|
|[[Paul Tyler]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Liberal Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Liberal Party (UK)}}
|-
|[[Laurance Reed]]
|[[Bolton East]]
|
|[[David Wright Young|David Young]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
|[[John Wilkinson (British politician)|John Wilkinson]]
|[[Bradford West]]
|
|[[Edward Lyons (British politician)|Edward Lyons]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
|[[Fergus Montgomery]]
|[[Brierley Hill (UK Parliament constituency)|Brierley Hill]], contested [[Dudley West]]
|
|[[Colin Phipps]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
|[[Wilfred Proudfoot]]
|[[Brighouse and Spenborough]]
|
|[[Colin Jackson (UK politician)|Colin Jackson]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
|[[Constance Monks]]
|[[Chorley (UK Parliament constituency)|Chorley]]
|
|[[George Rodgers (politician)|George Rodgers]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
|[[Peter Trew]]
|[[Dartford (UK Parliament constituency)|Dartford]]
|
|[[Sydney Irving]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
|[[Roger White (politician)|Roger White]]
|[[Gravesend (UK Parliament constituency)|Gravesend]]
|
|[[John Ovenden]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
|[[Albert Cooper (British politician)|Albert Cooper]]
|[[Ilford South]]
|
|[[Arnold Shaw (politician)|Arnold Shaw]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
|[[Mark Woodnutt]]
|[[Isle of Wight (UK Parliament constituency)|Isle of Wight]]
|
|[[Stephen Ross, Baron Ross of Newport|Stephen Ross]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Liberal Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Liberal Party (UK)}}
|-
|[[Joan Hall (British politician)|Joan Hall]]
|[[Keighley (UK Parliament constituency)|Keighley]]
|
|[[Bob Cryer]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
|[[John Gummer]]
|[[Lewisham West (UK Parliament constituency)|Lewisham West]]
|
|[[Christopher Price (UK politician)|Christopher Price]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
|[[Charles Simeons]]
|[[Luton (UK Parliament constituency)|Luton]], contested [[Luton East (UK Parliament constituency)|Luton East]]
|
|[[Ivor Clemitson]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
|[[Frank Taylor (British politician)|Frank Taylor]]
|[[Manchester Moss Side (UK Parliament constituency)|Manchester Moss Side]]
|
|[[Frank Hatton (UK politician)|Frank Hatton]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
|[[Keith Speed]]
|[[Meriden (UK Parliament constituency)|Meriden]]
|
|[[John Tomlinson, Baron Tomlinson|John Tomlinson]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
|[[John Sutcliffe (British politician)|John Sutcliffe]]
|[[Middlesbrough West]], contested [[Thornaby (UK Parliament constituency)|Thornaby]]
|
|[[Ian Wrigglesworth]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
|[[Alan Haselhurst]]
|[[Middleton and Prestwich]]
|
|[[Jim Callaghan (Lancashire politician)|Jim Callaghan]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
|[[Gordon Campbell, Baron Campbell of Croy|Gordon Campbell]]
|[[Moray and Nairn]]
|[[Secretary of State for Scotland]]
|[[Winnie Ewing]]
! class="unsortable" style="background-color: {{party color|Scottish National Party}}" |
|[[Scottish National Party]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
|[[Thomas Stuttaford]]
|[[Norwich South]]
|
|[[John Garrett (British politician)|John Garrett]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
|[[Harold Soref]]
|[[Ormskirk (UK Parliament constituency)|Ormskirk]]
|
|[[Robert Kilroy-Silk]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
|[[Nicholas Scott]]
|[[Paddington South]], contested [[Paddington (UK Parliament constituency)|Paddington]]
|
|[[Arthur Latham]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
|[[Joan Vickers]]
|[[Plymouth Devonport]]
|
|[[David Owen]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
|[[Mary Holt]]
|[[Preston North]]
|
|[[Ronald Atkins]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
|[[Alan Green (MP)|Alan Green]]
|[[Preston South]]
|
|[[Stan Thorne]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
|[[Idris Owen]]
|[[Stockport North (UK Parliament constituency)|Stockport North]]
|
|[[Andrew Bennett (politician)|Andrew Bennett]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
|[[Anthony Trafford]]
|[[The Wrekin (UK Parliament constituency)|The Wrekin]]
|
|[[Gerry Fowler|Gerald Fowler]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|[[Nigel Spearing]]
|[[Acton (UK Parliament constituency)|Acton]]
|
|[[Sir George Young, 6th Baronet|George Young]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|[[Terry Davis (politician)|Terry Davis]]
|[[Bromsgrove (UK Parliament constituency)|Bromsgrove]], contested [[Bromsgrove and Redditch]]
|
|[[Hal Miller]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|[[Ivor Richard]]
|[[Barons Court (UK Parliament constituency)|Barons Court]], contested [[Blyth (UK Parliament constituency)|Blyth]]
|
|[[John Ryman]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|[[John Mackintosh (Scottish politician)|John Mackintosh]]
|[[Berwick and East Lothian]]
|
|[[Michael Ancram]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|-
| rowspan="1" style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| rowspan="1" |{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|[[Michael Barnes (British politician)|Michael Barnes]]
|[[Brentford and Chiswick (UK Parliament constituency)|Brentford and Chiswick]], contested [[Brentford and Isleworth]]
|
|[[Barney Hayhoe]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|[[Goronwy Roberts]]
|[[Caernarfon (UK Parliament constituency)|Caernarvon]]
|
|[[Dafydd Wigley]]
! class="unsortable" style="background-color: {{party color|Plaid Cymru}}" |
|[[Plaid Cymru]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|[[Elystan Morgan]]
|[[Ceredigion (UK Parliament constituency)|Cardiganshire]]
|Chairman of [[Welsh Labour]]
|[[Geraint Howells]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Liberal Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Liberal Party (UK)}}
|-
| rowspan="1" style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| rowspan="1" |{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|[[Dick Douglas]]
|[[Clackmannan and Eastern Stirlingshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Clackmannan and East Stirlingshire]]
|
|[[George Reid (Scottish politician)|George Reid]]
! class="unsortable" style="background-color: {{party color|Scottish National Party}}" |
|[[Scottish National Party]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|[[David Clark, Baron Clark of Windermere|David Clark]]
|[[Colne Valley (UK Parliament constituency)|Colne Valley]]
|
|[[Richard Wainwright (politician)|Richard Wainwright]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Liberal Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Liberal Party (UK)}}
|-
| rowspan="1" style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| rowspan="1" |{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|[[George Machin]]
|[[Dundee East (UK Parliament constituency)|Dundee East]]
|
|[[Gordon Wilson (Scottish politician)|Gordon Wilson]]
! class="unsortable" style="background-color: {{party color|Scottish National Party}}" |
|[[Scottish National Party]]
|-
| rowspan="1" style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| rowspan="1" |{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|[[William Edwards (British politician)|William Edwards]]
|[[Merionethshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Merionethshire]]
|
|[[Dafydd Elis-Thomas]]
! class="unsortable" style="background-color: {{party color|Plaid Cymru}}" |
|[[Plaid Cymru]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|Liberal Party (UK)}}" |
| rowspan="2" |{{party shortname linked|Liberal Party (UK)}}
|[[David Austick]]
|[[Ripon (UK Parliament constituency)|Ripon]]
|
|[[Keith Hampson]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|Liberal Party (UK)}}" |
|[[Graham Tope]]
|[[Sutton and Cheam]]
|
|[[Neil Macfarlane (politician)|Neil Macfarlane]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|-
! class="unsortable" style="background-color: {{party color|Scottish National Party}}" |
|[[Scottish National Party]]
|[[Margo MacDonald]]
|[[Glasgow Govan (UK Parliament constituency)|Glasgow Govan]]
|
|[[Harry Selby]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|{{party shortname linked|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|Ulster Unionist Party}}" |
|[[Pro-Assembly Unionist]]
|[[Rafton Pounder]]
|[[Belfast South (UK Parliament constituency)|Belfast South]]
|Former UUP MP
|[[Robert Bradford (Northern Irish politician)|Robert Bradford]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party}}" |
|[[Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party|Vanguard Unionist Progressive]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|Ulster Unionist Party}}" |
|[[Ulster Unionist]]
|[[Stanley McMaster]]
|[[Belfast East (UK Parliament constituency)|Belfast East]]
|
|[[William Craig (Northern Ireland politician)|William Craig]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party}}" |
|[[Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party|Vanguard Unionist Progressive]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|Unity (Northern Ireland)}}" |
|[[Unity (Northern Ireland)|Unity]]
|[[Frank McManus (Irish politician)|Frank McManus]]
|[[Fermanagh and South Tyrone (UK Parliament constituency)|Fermanagh and South Tyrone]]
|
|[[Harry West]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Ulster Unionist Party}}" |
|[[Ulster Unionist]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|Independent Socialist}}" |
|Independent Socialist
|[[Bernadette McAliskey]]
|[[Mid Ulster (UK Parliament constituency)|Mid Ulster]]
|
|[[John Dunlop (Northern Ireland politician)|John Dunlop]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party}}" |
|[[Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party|Vanguard Unionist Progressive]]
|}
==See also==
* [[List of MPs elected in the February 1974 United Kingdom general election]]
* [[February 1974 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland]]
==Notes==
{{notelist|group=note}}
== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{reflist}}
=== Sources ===
{{refbegin}}
* {{citation |last1=Butler |first1=David |author1-link=David Butler (psephologist) |last2=Kavanagh |first2=Dennis |author2-link=Dennis Kavanagh |title=The British General Election of February 1974 |url=https://archive.org/details/britishgeneralel0000butl_m7o7 |url-access=registration |publisher=Macmillan |year=1974 |isbn=0333172973}}
* {{citation |last=Sandbrook |first=Dominic |author-link=Dominic Sandbrook |title=State of Emergency: The Way We Were: Britain, 1970–1974 |publisher=Allen Lane |year=2010 |isbn=9781846140310}}
* {{citation |last=Taylor |first=Andrew |title=The Politics of the Yorkshire Miners |publisher=Croom Helm |location=London |year=1984 |isbn=0-7099-2447-X}}
{{refend}}
==Further reading==
*{{citation |last=Butler |first=David E. |author-link=David Butler (psephologist) |display-authors=etal |title=The British General Election of February 1974 |year=1975 |postscript=,}} the standard scholarly study.
*{{citation |last=Craig |first=F.W.S. |author-link=F. W. S. Craig |title=British Electoral Facts: 1832–1987 |year=1989 |location=Dartmouth |publisher=Gower |isbn=0900178302}}
==External links==
*[http://www.election.demon.co.uk/geresults.html United Kingdom election results—summary results 1885–1979] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130011015/http://www.election.demon.co.uk/geresults.html |date=30 January 2012}}
===Manifestos===
*[http://politicsresources.net/area/uk/man/con74feb.htm ''Firm action for a fair Britain''] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170509104411/http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/man/con74feb.htm |date=9 May 2017}}, February 1974 Conservative Party manifesto
*http://politicsresources.net/area/uk/man/lab74feb.htm {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111206090024/http://politicsresources.net/area/uk/man/lab74feb.htm |date=6 December 2011}}, February 1974 Labour Party manifesto
*[http://politicsresources.net/area/uk/man/lib74feb.htm ''Change the face of Britain''] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170509104451/http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/man/lib74feb.htm |date=9 May 2017}}, February 1974 Liberal Party manifesto
{{February 1974 United Kingdom general election|state=collapsed}}
{{British elections}}
{{1975 United Kingdom European Communities membership referendum}}
{{Harold Wilson}}
{{Edward Heath}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:1974 02 United Kingdom general election}}
[[Category:February 1974 United Kingdom general election| ]]
[[Category:General elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1974 elections in the United Kingdom|General election]]
[[Category:February 1974 events in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Harold Wilson]]
[[Category:Edward Heath]]
[[Category:History of the Labour Party (UK)]]