Home > UK general election, 1974 (October)
The UK general election of October 1974 took place on October 10, 1974. It was the second of two United Kingdom general elections held that year. Prime Minister Harold Wilson, having taken power in a minority government after the February election, returned to the polls and won a tiny majority.
It was at this election that the Scottish National Party secured their best ever representation inside the House of Commons, 11 MPs.
| Party
| Votes
| Seats
| Loss/Gain
| Share of Vote (%)
|
| Labour
| 11,457,079
| 319
| + 18
| 39.2
|
| Conservative
| 10,462,565
| 277
| - 20
| 35.8
|
| Liberal
| 5,346,704
| 13
| - 1
| 18.3
|
| SNP
| 839,617
| 11
| + 4
| 2.9
|
| Ulster Unionist
| 256,065
| 6
| -1
| 0.9
|
| Plaid Cymru
| 166,321
| 3
| + 1
| 0.6
|
| SDLP
| 154,193
| 1
|
| 0.6
|
| National Front
| 113,843
| 0
|
| 0.4
|
| VUPPThe Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party also known as the Vanguard Ulster Progressive Party (and several variations of word order), was a political party which existed in Northern Ireland between 1973 and 1978. It has its roots in the Vanguard wing of the
| 92,262
| 3
|
| 0.3
|
| Democratic UnionistThe Democratic Unionist Party is a hardline Unionist party in Northern Ireland led by Ian Paisley. It is the largest unionist party at both the Northern Ireland Assembly level and in the Westminster Parliament. Established in the 1970s by Ian Paisley, it
| 59,451
| 1
|
| 0.3
|
| Alliance (NI)The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland or APNI is a political party operating in Northern Ireland. They were formed in April, 1970 as an alternative to the established parties, particularly the Ulster Unionist Party. In the context of a rapidly worsening
| 44,644
| 0
|
| 0.2
|
| Independent Labour
| 33,317
| 0
|
| 0.2
|
| Independent Republican
| 32,795
| 1
| +1
| 0.2
|
| Republican Clubs
| 21,633
| 0
|
| 0.1
|
| UPNIThe Unionist Party of Northern Ireland was a political party founded by Brian Faulkner in September 1974. The party emerged following splits in the Ulster Unionist Party in 1974 over the Sunningdale Agreement. Faulkner had led the UUP into a power-sharing
| 20,454
| 0
|
| 0.1
|
| CommunistThe Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was a political party in the United Kingdom, which existed from 1920 to 1991. Formation The party was founded in 1920 after the Third International decided that greater attempts should be made to establish commu
| 17,426
| 0
|
| 0.1
|
| Democratic Labour
| 13,714
| 0
|
| 0.0
|
| Labour (NI)
| 11,539
| 0
|
| 0.0
|
| Independent
| 8,812
| 0
|
| 0.0
|
| Independent Ulster Unionist
| 4,982
| 0
|
| 0.0
|
| UDP
| 4,810
| 0
|
| 0.0
|
| Independent Conservative
| 4,559
| 0
|
| 0.0
|
| CfMPB
| 4,301
| 0
|
| 0.0
|
| WRP
| 3,404
| 0
|
| 0.0
|
| Independent Liberal
| 3,277
| 0
|
| 0.0
|
| Volunteer Political
| 2,690
| 0
|
| 0.0
|
| ICRA
| 2,381
| 0
|
| 0.0
|
| People Movement
| 1,996
| 0
|
| 0.0
|
Total number of votes: 29,189,104. All parties gaining more than 1,500 votes shown.
See also MPs elected in the UK general election, 1974 (October).
UK General Election results
