RESEARCH PAPER 01/54 General Election results, [REVISED EDITION] 18 JUNE 2001 7 June 2001

This research paper summarises the results of the General Election held on 7 June 2001.

Results are given nationally, by region, by county and for individual constituencies. In this revised edition of the paper the results are consistent with those produced by the Electoral Commission.

The tables in this paper are derived from the Library’s election database which can be used to produce further analyses. Members requiring more information should contact the Social & General Statistics Section.

Bryn Morgan

SOCIAL & GENERAL STATISTICS SECTION

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ISSN 1368-8456 CONTENTS

I Introduction 5

II Analysis of results 6

A. Seats won 6

B. Votes 6

C. Turnout 8

D. Candidates 9

III Reference Tables 10

A. List of tables 10

B. National tables 11

C. Regional tables 18

D. County tables ( only) 21

E. Seats won and lost 26

F. Majorities 27

G. Turnout 36

IV Results by constituency 42 RESEARCH PAPER 01/54

I Introduction

This paper presents some analyses of the 2001 General Election. The figures in it are based on the House of Commons Library’s elections database, which is consistent with results produced by the Electoral Commission.1

The main points of the election were: • Labour won the most seats and most votes to give it a majority of 166 (Table 1a); • The Conservative share increased by 1.0 percentage points and they had a net gain of a single seat; • The Liberal Democrats increased their number of seats by six to 52, their highest total since 1929; • In , ’s share of the vote increased by 4.3 percentage points moving them into third place in terms of votes won (Table 1c); • In , the lost one seat to the Conservatives. The Liberal Democrats overtook the Conservatives in Scotland to take the third highest number of votes. • The Ulster Unionists lost three seats to the Democratic Unionists and two to Sinn Fein. The Democratic Unionist share of the vote increased by 8.9 percentage points, while Sinn Fein’s increased by 5.7. Sinn Fein had more votes than the SDLP. • Turnout was 59.4%, the lowest level since 1918.2

Comparisons in this paper are with the position after the 1997 General Election rather than at dissolution. Four seats were held by different parties at dissolution compared with the position after 1997. These were West Bromwich West (Labour at dissolution, was Speaker in 1997), Springburn (Speaker was Labour), Romsey (Liberal Democrat was Conservative) and South Antrim (Democratic Unionist was Ulster Unionist).

Throughout the paper turnout is defined as valid votes as a percentage of the electorate. The electorate figures used were provided by to the Electoral Commission by returning officers. A candidate loses their deposit if they gain less than 5% of the votes in a constituency. Only parties registered with the Electoral Commission are included in the paper – other candidates are recorded as independents.

Section II of the paper gives some more analysis of the results while section III contains a number of reference tables summarising results at the national, regional and county level. Section IV gives summary results for each constituency.

1 Election 2001, The Official Results, Electoral Commission, Politico’s 2 British Electoral Facts: 1832-1999, Rallings and Thrasher, Parliamentary Research Services

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II Analysis of results

This section offers some analysis of the results. A set of reference tables is given in the next chapter.

A. Seats won

Overall, Labour won the election with 412 seats, 6 down from their total in 1997 but still the second highest number of seats gained by one party since the war. The Conservatives won 166 seats, an increase of a single seat. The Liberal Democrats won 52, their highest total since 1929. For the second election running an independent candidate won a seat: Dr Richard Taylor in Wyre Forest campaigning as Kidderminster Hospital & Health Concern . The previous independent MP, Martin Bell, did not fight his Tatton seat, which was regained by the Conservatives, but did stand in Brentwood & Ongar where he failed to defeat the sitting Conservative MP.

Only 29 seats changed hands at the 2001 General Election, the lowest number since October 1974 (Tables 14 and 15).3 The Conservatives made nine gains – including five from Labour – but lost eight seats – seven of them to the Liberal Democrats. All of the Conservative gains were seats that they had lost in 1997. The Ulster Unionists lost five seats in Northern - half of their total from 1997 - three to the Democratic Unionists and two to Sinn Fein. They gained North Down from the Unionists to take their total to six.

B. Votes

The total number of valid votes cast was 26.4 million, the lowest total since 1945. Labour won with 10.7 million, the lowest number polled by a winning party since 1929 and fewer than their total in the 1979 and 1992 elections which they lost. Nationally, there was little change in the share of the vote for the major parties. The Labour share fell by 2.5 percentage points with the Conservative share increasing by 1.0 points and the Liberal Democrats' increasing by 1.5 points (Table 1a).

There were regional variations in the change in share (Table 6). The Labour share fell most in Wales and the North East, while it increased in the South East. The Conservative share increased in all regions except for London, Scotland and (where the party only fielded three candidates). The Liberal Democrat share fell only in the South West. Plaid Cymru increased their share of the vote in Wales by 4.3 percentage points (Table 1c) and the Liberal Democrats were the only main party in Scotland to gain share.

3 29 seats changed hands at the October 1974 election; 28 seats changed hands in 1951. These figures include only those elections where there were no boundary changes. British Electoral Facts: 1832-1999, Rallings and Thrasher, Parliamentary Research Services, Table 2.12

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Table 26 shows the constituencies where there were large changes in the share of the vote for the main parties. A feature of the 2001 election was that there were significant increases and decreases in each party’s share of the vote in particular constituencies; this is contrary to the model of uniform swing.

Table A shows the average changes in share of the vote by the 1997 result. This shows that the Labour share fell in the safer seats that they held at both the 1992 and 1997 General Elections. The Liberal Democrats increased their share most in seats that they won from the Conservatives in 1997.

Table A

Change in share by 1997 results percentage points

Average change in share 1997-2001 Con Lab LDem 1997 result Con hold +2.5 -0.5 -0.4 Lab gain from Con -0.1 -0.4 +0.7 Lab hold +0.3 -4.0 +2.8 LDem gain from Con -0.9 -1.5 +3.5 LDem hold +1.2 -1.7 +0.9

Table B looks at changes in share according to party placings in 1997. This shows that in seats where the Liberal Democrats were second to the Conservatives in 1997 their share increased but where Labour was second the Liberal Democrat share fell. Table B

Change in share by 1997 placings percentage points

Average change in share 1997-2001 1997 placing Con Lab LDem First Second Con Lab +2.9 -0.3 -0.9 Con LDem +2.0 -0.6 +0.2 Lab Con +0.5 -2.7 +2.0 Lab LDem -0.7 -3.2 +1.7 LDem Con -0.4 -1.3 +2.5 LDem Lab +0.9 -5.1 +5.1

As a proxy for looking at results by rurality Table C shows share of the vote, change in share and number of seats won in borough and county constituencies4. Labour had the highest share in both Borough and County constituencies and also won the most seats in both categories.

4 As designated by the Boundary Commission. Any constituencies with more than a small rural element are classed as County Constituencies and all other constituencies are Borough Constituencies.

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Table C

Borough and county constituencies

Party Con Lab LDem Share of vote: 2001 Borough constituencies 26.3% 51.0% 16.3% County constituencies 34.7% 37.8% 19.7%

Average change in share (percentage points) Borough constituencies -0.1 -2.3 +2.4 County constituencies +1.5 -1.7 +0.8

Seats won: 2001 Borough constituencies 32 244 16 County constituencies 134 168 36

C. Turnout

Turnout was 59.4% the lowest recorded since 1918. Turnout fell in England, Scotland and Wales although it increased in Northern Ireland. In 2001 Northern Ireland had the highest turnout of the home countries, it had the lowest in 1997 (Table 22). The regions with lowest turnouts were the North West and London (Table 5) with the North West and Scotland having the largest falls in turnout (Table 6).

The highest turnout in Great Britain was Winchester with 72.3%, although this was beaten by four Northern Ireland constituencies (Table 23). Table 24 shows the largest falls in turnout by country. All seats in Great Britain had a fall in turnout, with turnout falling in half of the Northern Ireland seats as well.

Table D shows turnout by the 1997 result and for borough and county constituencies. Turnout was lowest and fell most in seats won by Labour in both 1992 and 1997. Turnout was higher in the more rural county constituencies.

Table D

Turnout by 1997 result Average Change in turnout turnout 2001 from 1997 1997 result Con hold 63.2% -11.2 Lab gain from Con 61.5% -12.6 Lab hold 54.2% -13.3 LDem gain from Con 64.3% -10.9 LDem hold 61.5% -10.8

Borough constituencies 55.1% -12.9 County constituencies 62.5% -11.4

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D. Candidates

There were 3,319 candidacies5, representing 73 registered parties, 139 independents and The Speaker. The total of candidates is 405 fewer than in 1997. Table E shows the number of candidates in each seat by country.

Table E

Number of candidates per constituency

Northern United England Wales Scotland Ireland Kingdom Number 3442147 4188713197 5 156 13 33 6 208 6 8611334134 7 3674249 8 1522120 94 15

Average 4.9 5.6 5.7 5.6 5.0

636 candidates were women. Table F shows the number of candidates by gender for the main parties. The total of 118 women elected in 2001 is two fewer than in 1997.

Table F

Candidates and Members of Parliament by gender

Candidates MPs Male Female Total Male Female Total

Conservative 551 92 643 152 14 166 Labour 491 149 640 317 95 412 Liberal Democrat 500 139 639 47 5 52 Other 1,141 256 1,397 25 4 29

Total 2,683 636 3,319 541 118 659

According to the organisation Operation Black Vote, there were 16 Conservative, 16 Labour and 25 Liberal Democrat ethnic minority candidates.6 Of these, twelve candidates, all Labour, won seats.

5 Some candidates stood more than once. 6 http://www.obv.org.uk/electiongen/em_cand.html

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III Reference Tables

A. List of tables

National tables Table 1a Summary of voting in the United Kingdom 11 Table 1b Summary of voting in England 12 Table 1c Summary of voting in Wales 13 Table 1d Summary of voting in Scotland 14 Table 1e Summary of voting in Great Britain 15 Table 1f Summary of voting in Northern Ireland 16 Table 2 General Election results: 1974-2001 17 Regional tables Table 3 Votes cast for major parties by region 18 Table 4 Change in votes cast for major parties by region 18 Table 5 Share of votes cast for major parties by region 19 Table 6 Change in share of votes cast for major parties by region 19 Table 7 Seats won by region 20 Table 8 Change in seats won by region 20 County tables (England only) Table 9 Votes by county 21 Table 10 Share of vote by county 22 Table 11 Change from 1997 in share of vote by county 23 Table 12 Seats won by county 24 Table 13 Change from 1997 in seats won by county 25 Seats won and lost Table 14 Net gains and losses: 1997 to 2001 26 Table 15 Seats gained and lost by party 26 Table 16 List of seats changing hands 27 Majorities Table 17 Largest and smallest absolute majorities by party 28 Table 18 Largest and smallest percentage majorities by party 29 Table 19 Conservative seats ranked by marginality 30 Table 20 Labour seats ranked by marginality 32 Table 21 Liberal Democrat seats ranked by marginality 35 Turnout Table 22 Turnout by country: 1945-2001 36 Table 23 Highest and lowest turnouts 37 Table 24 Highest and lowest changes in turnout 38

Table 25 Highest and lowest shares of the vote, by party 39 Table 26 Highest and lowest changes in share of the vote, by party 40 Table 27 Candidates by party and placing 41

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B. National tables

Table 1a Summary of voting in the United Kingdom 2001 General Election Votes MPs elected Number % share Change Candidates Number Change Lost Average Party in share from 1997 deposits share Labour 10,724,953 40.7 -2.5 640 412 -6 43.8% Conservative (a) 8,357,615 31.7 +1.0 643 166 +1 5 30.9% Liberal Democrat 4,814,321 18.3 +1.5 639 52 +6 1 18.2% Scottish National 464,314 1.8 -0.2 72 5 -1 20.3% UK Independence Party 390,563 1.5 +1.1 428 422 2.1% Ulster Unionist 216,839 0.8 -0.0 17 6 -4 29.2% Plaid Cymru 195,893 0.7 +0.2 40 4 5 14.8% Democratic Unionist 181,999 0.7 +0.3 14 5 +3 29.2% Sinn Fein 175,933 0.7 +0.3 18 4 +2 4 20.7% SDLP 169,865 0.6 +0.0 18 3 2 20.0% Green 166,477 0.6 +0.4 145 135 2.8% Independent (b) 98,917 0.4 137 -1 127 1.8% 72,516 0.3 72 62 3.3% Socialist Alliance 57,553 0.2 98 96 1.7% Socialist Labour Party 57,288 0.2 +0.1 114 113 1.4% 47,129 0.2 +0.1 33 28 3.9% Alliance 28,999 0.1 -0.1 10 5 7.1% Independent Kidderminster 28,487 0.1 11+1 58.1% Hospital and Health Concern Speaker 16,053 0.1 1 1 66.6% Liberal Party 13,685 0.1 -0.1 14 13 2.5% UK Unionist 13,509 0.1 +0.0 1 -1 36.3% Prolife Alliance 9,453 0.0 -0.0 37 37 0.7% Legalise Cannabis 8,677 0.0 +0.0 13 13 1.6% People’s Justice Party 7,443 0.0 317.3% Monster Raving Loony Party 6,655 0.0 +0.0 15 15 1.0% Progressive Unionists 4,781 0.0 -0.0 216.4% 3,199 0.0 +0.0 332.1% Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition 2,968 0.0 17.8% Scottish Unionist 2,728 0.0 214.9% Rock ’N Roll Loony Party 2,634 0.0 770.9% National Front 2,484 0.0 +0.0 551.5% Workers Party 2,352 0.0 +0.0 660.9% Northern Ireland Unionist 1,794 0.0 222.1% Socialist Alternative 1,454 0.0 222.2% Reform 2000 Party 1,418 0.0 550.9% Isle of Wight Party 1,164 0.0 111.8% Muslim Party 1,150 0.0 440.9% Communist 1,003 0.0 +0.0 660.5% New Britain 888 0.0 112.3% Free Party 832 0.0 330.7% Left Alliance 770 0.0 111.9% New Millennium Bean Party 727 0.0 112.4% Workers Revolutionary Party 607 0.0 -0.0 660.3% Tatton Group 505 0.0 111.2% Others 8,789 0.0 37 37

Total 26,367,383 100.0 3,319 659 1,177

(a) Includes three candidates in Northern Ireland (b) Includes three candidates in Northern Ireland

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Table 1b

Summary of voting in England 2001 General Election

Votes MPs elected Number % share Change Candidates Number Change Lost Average Party in share from 1997 deposits share

Labour 9,056,824 41.4 -2.1 529 323 -5 43.4% Conservative 7,705,870 35.2 +1.5 529 165 33.9% Liberal Democrat 4,246,853 19.4 +1.5 528 40 +6 18.8% UK Independence Party 374,775 1.7 +1.3 392 386 2.2% Green 158,173 0.7 +0.5 135 126 2.9% Independent 79,559 0.4 +0.1 116 -1 109 1.7% Socialist Alliance 55,295 0.3 92 90 1.7% Socialist Labour Party 51,299 0.2 +0.1 96 95 1.5% British National Party 46,851 0.2 +0.1 32 27 4.0% Independent Kidderminster Hospital 28,487 0.1 11+1 58.1% and Health Concern Liberal Party 13,302 0.1 -0.1 13 12 2.6% Legalise Cannabis 7,722 0.0 +0.0 11 11 1.6% People’s Justice Party 7,443 0.0 3 1 7.3% Prolife Alliance 7,058 0.0 -0.0 27 27 0.7% Monster Raving Loony Party 6,250 0.0 -0.0 14 14 1.0% Mebyon Kernow 3,199 0.0 +0.0 3 3 2.1% National Front 2,484 0.0 +0.0 5 5 1.5% Rock ’N Roll Loony Party 2,423 0.0 6 6 1.0% Socialist Alternative 1,454 0.0 2 2 2.2% Reform 2000 Party 1,418 0.0 5 5 0.9% Isle of Wight Party 1,164 0.0 1 1 1.8% Muslim Party 1,150 0.0 4 4 0.9% New Britain 888 0.0 1 1 2.3% Free Party 832 0.0 3 3 0.7% Left Alliance 770 0.0 1 1 1.9% Workers Revolutionary Party 607 0.0 -0.0 6 6 0.3% Tatton Group 505 0.0 1 1 1.2% Grey Party 479 0.0 1 1 1.1% Christian People’s Alliance 479 0.0 1 1 1.2% Residents and Motorists of Great Brita 460 0.0 1 1 1.6% Anti-Corruption Forum 456 0.0 1 1 1.7% Pro-Euro Conservative Party 454 0.0 1 1 1.2% Pensioner Coalition 453 0.0 1 1 0.9% Communist 445 0.0 +0.0 3 3 0.5% Lower Excise Duty Party 391 0.0 1 1 0.8% Others 4,490 0.0 22 22

Total 21,870,762 100.0 2,588 529 968

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Table 1c

Summary of voting in Wales 2001 General Election

Votes MPs elected Number % share Change Candidates Number Change Lost Average Party in share from 1997 deposits share

Labour 666,956 48.6 -6.2 40 34 48.6% Conservative 288,665 21.0 +1.5 40 1 20.4% Plaid Cymru 195,893 14.3 +4.3 40 4 5 14.8% Liberal Democrat 189,434 13.8 +1.5 40 2 1 13.8% UK Independence Party 12,552 0.9 +0.9 25 25 1.4% Independent 7,154 0.5 +0.5 9 7 2.5% Green 3,753 0.3 +0.2 6 6 1.8% Socialist Labour Party 2,805 0.2 -0.2 6 6 1.4% Socialist Alliance 2,258 0.2 6 6 1.1% Prolife Alliance 1,609 0.1 +0.1 7 7 0.7% New Millennium Bean Party 727 0.1 1 1 2.4% Communist 384 0.0 +0.0 2 2 0.6% British National Party 278 0.0 1 1 0.8% Direct Customer Service Party 78 0.0 1 1 0.2%

Total 1,372,546 100.0 224 40 69

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Table 1d

Summary of voting in Scotland 2001 General Election

Votes MPs elected Number % share Change Candidates Number Change Lost Average Party in share from 1997 deposits share

Labour 1,001,173 43.3 -2.3 71 55 -1 44.4% Scottish National 464,314 20.1 -2.0 72 5 -1 20.3% Liberal Democrat 378,034 16.3 +3.4 71 10 16.3% Conservative 360,658 15.6 -1.9 71 1 +1 1 14.9% Scottish Socialist Party 72,516 3.1 72 62 3.3% Speaker 16,053 0.7 11+1 66.6% Green 4,551 0.2 +0.1 4 3 3.5% Independent 3,825 0.2 +0.1 9 9 1.4% UK Independence Party 3,236 0.1 +0.1 11 11 0.9% Socialist Labour Party 3,184 0.1 +0.1 12 12 0.8% Scottish Unionist 2,728 0.1 2 1 4.9% Legalise Cannabis 955 0.0 2 2 1.3% Prolife Alliance 786 0.0 -0.1 3 3 0.9% Monster Raving Loony Party 405 0.0 1 1 1.1% Liberal Party 383 0.0 -0.0 1 1 1.2% Countryside Party 265 0.0 1 1 0.8% Scottish Freedom 250 0.0 1 1 0.8% Rock ’N Roll Loony Party 211 0.0 1 1 0.7% Communist 174 0.0 1 1 0.7% Total 2,313,701 100.0 407 72 110

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Table 1e

Summary of voting in Great Britain 2001 General Election

Votes MPs elected Number % share Change Candidates Number Change Lost Average Party in share from 1997 deposits share

Labour 10,724,953 42.0 -2.4 640 412 -6 43.8% Conservative 8,355,193 32.7 +1.2 640 166 +1 2 31.0% Liberal Democrat 4,814,321 18.8 +1.6 639 52 +6 1 18.2% Scottish National 464,314 1.8 -0.2 72 5 -1 20.3% UK Independence Party 390,563 1.5 +1.2 428 422 2.1% Plaid Cymru 195,893 0.8 +0.2 40 4 5 14.8% Green 166,477 0.7 +0.4 145 135 2.8% Independent 90,538 0.4 +0.1 134 -1 125 1.7% Scottish Socialist Party 72,516 0.3 72 62 3.3% Socialist Alliance 57,553 0.2 98 96 1.7% Socialist Labour Party 57,288 0.2 +0.1 114 113 1.4% British National Party 47,129 0.2 +0.1 33 28 3.9% Independent Kidderminster Hospital 28,487 0.1 11+1 58.1% and Health Concern Speaker 16,053 0.1 -0.0 1 1 66.6% Liberal Party 13,685 0.1 -0.1 14 13 2.5% Prolife Alliance 9,453 0.0 -0.0 37 37 0.7% Legalise Cannabis 8,677 0.0 +0.0 13 13 1.6% People’s Justice Party 7,443 0.0 3 1 7.3% Monster Raving Loony Party 6,655 0.0 +0.0 15 15 1.0% Mebyon Kernow 3,199 0.0 +0.0 3 3 2.1% Scottish Unionist 2,728 0.0 2 1 4.9% Rock ’N Roll Loony Party 2,634 0.0 7 7 0.9% National Front 2,484 0.0 +0.0 5 5 1.5% Socialist Alternative 1,454 0.0 2 2 2.2% Reform 2000 Party 1,418 0.0 5 5 0.9% Isle of Wight Party 1,164 0.0 1 1 1.8% Muslim Party 1,150 0.0 4 4 0.9% Communist 1,003 0.0 +0.0 6 6 0.5% New Britain 888 0.0 1 1 2.3% Free Party 832 0.0 3 3 0.7% Left Alliance 770 0.0 1 1 1.9% New Millennium Bean Party 727 0.0 1 1 2.4% Workers Revolutionary Party 607 0.0 -0.0 6 6 0.3% Tatton Group 505 0.0 1 1 1.2% Christian People’s Alliance 479 0.0 1 1 1.2% Grey Party 479 0.0 1 1 1.1% Others 7,297 0.0 30 30 Total 25,557,009 100.0 3,219 641 1,147

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Table 1f

Summary of voting in Northern Ireland 2001 General Election

Votes MPs elected Number % share Change Candidates Number Change Lost Average Party in share from 1997 deposits share

Ulster Unionist 216,839 26.8 -5.9 17 6 -4 29.2% Democratic Unionist 181,999 22.5 +8.9 14 5 +3 29.2% Sinn Fein 175,933 21.7 +5.7 18 4 +2 4 20.7% SDLP 169,865 21.0 -3.2 18 3 2 20.0% Alliance 28,999 3.6 -4.4 10 5 7.1% UK Unionist 13,509 1.7 +0.0 1 -1 36.3% Independent 8,379 1.0 +0.4 3 2 5.8% Progressive Unionists 4,781 0.6 -0.8 2 1 6.4% Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition 2,968 0.4 17.8% Conservative 2,422 0.3 -0.9 3 3 2.2% Workers Party 2,352 0.3 -0.1 6 6 0.9% Northern Ireland Unionist 1,794 0.2 2 2 2.1% Vote For Yourself 418 0.1 4 4 0.3% Third Way 116 0.0 1 1 0.3%

Total 810,374 100.0 100 18 30

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Table 2

Trend in voting: 1974-2001: United Kingdom

1974 1974 1979 1983 1987 1992 1997 2001 Feb Oct Votes by party (millions) Conservative 11.9 10.5 13.7 13.0 13.8 14.1 9.6 8.4 Labour 11.6 11.5 11.5 8.5 10.0 11.6 13.5 10.7 Liberal Democrat(a) 6.1 5.3 4.3 7.8 7.3 6.0 5.2 4.8 PC/SNP 0.8 1.2 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.8 0.8 0.7 Other 1.0 0.7 1.0 1.0 0.9 1.2 2.1 1.8 Total 31.3 29.2 31.2 30.7 32.5 33.6 31.3 26.4

Share of votes (per cent) Conservative 37.9% 35.8% 43.9% 42.4% 42.3% 41.9% 30.7% 31.7% Labour 37.2% 39.3% 36.9% 27.6% 30.8% 34.4% 43.2% 40.7% Liberal Democrat(a) 19.3% 18.3% 13.8% 25.4% 22.6% 17.8% 16.8% 18.3% PC/SNP 2.6% 4.1% 2.0% 1.5% 1.7% 2.3% 2.5% 2.5% Other 3.1% 2.4% 3.3% 3.1% 2.6% 3.5% 6.8% 6.9% Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Seats won Conservative 297 277 339 397 376 336 165 166 Labour 301 319 269 209 229 271 418 412 Liberal Democrat(a) 14 13 11 23 22 20 46 52 PC/SNP 9144467109 Other 1412121717172020 Total 635 635 635 650 650 651 659 659

(a) Liberal Party before 1983, Liberal and SDP in 1983 and 1987

British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987, F. Craig, Parliamentary Research Services, 1989 British Parliamentary Election Results: 1983-1997, Rallings and Thrasher, Parliamentary Research Services, 1999 House of Commons Library

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C. Regional tables

Table 3

Votes cast for major parties by region thousands

Conservative Labour Liberal PC/SNP Other Total Democrat

England 7,705.9 9,056.8 4,246.9 861.2 21,870.8 North East 233.8 651.8 182.8 28.5 1,096.9 North West 848.9 1,469.7 485.3 96.0 2,899.8 & The Humber 644.8 1,037.1 365.7 86.4 2,134.0 East Midlands 727.4 879.9 300.8 43.8 1,951.9 818.8 1,049.2 343.9 128.5 2,340.4 East 1,053.2 926.3 440.4 99.1 2,519.1 London 841.8 1,307.2 482.9 128.9 2,760.7 South East 1,590.6 1,090.4 879.2 151.4 3,711.6 South West 946.6 645.1 765.8 98.8 2,456.3 Wales 288.7 667.0 189.4 195.9 31.6 1,372.5 Scotland 360.7 1,001.2 378.0 464.3 109.5 2,313.7 Great Britain 8,355.2 10,725.0 4,814.3 660.2 1,002.3 25,557.0 Northern Ireland 2.4 808.0 810.4 United Kingdom 8,357.6 10,725.0 4,814.3 660.2 1,810.3 26,367.4

Table 4

Change in votes cast for major parties by region thousands

Conservative Labour Liberal PC/SNP Other Total Democrat

England -1,075.0 -2,291.1 -430.7 -391.2 -4,188.0 North East -32.5 -210.4 +13.6 -20.3 -249.7 North West -151.7 -472.2 -38.9 -62.9 -725.7 Yorkshire & The Humber -76.0 -302.1 -46.6 -19.6 -444.2 East Midlands -73.6 -217.8 -10.4 -41.1 -342.8 West Midlands -134.7 -277.6 -44.9 -28.3 -485.4 East -111.6 -211.3 -64.0 -41.2 -428.1 London -194.3 -336.1 -2.6 -27.3 -560.3 South East -226.7 -174.4 -133.2 -95.7 -630.0 South West -74.0 -89.2 -103.7 -54.8 -321.7 Wales -28.5 -220.0 -10.6 +34.9 -23.3 -247.5 Scotland -132.4 -282.2 +12.7 -157.2 +56.1 -503.0 Great Britain -1,235.9 -2,793.2 -428.6 -122.4 -358.4 -4,938.5 Northern Ireland -7.4 +27.0 +19.6 United Kingdom -1,243.3 -2,793.2 -428.6 -122.4 -331.4 -4,918.9

18 RESEARCH PAPER 01/54

Table 5

Share of votes cast for major parties by region per cent

Conservative Labour Liberal PC/SNP Other Turnout Democrat

England 35.2 41.4 19.4 3.9 59.1 North East 21.3 59.4 16.7 2.6 56.4 North West 29.3 50.7 16.7 3.3 55.9 Yorkshire & The Humber 30.2 48.6 17.1 4.0 56.8 East Midlands 37.3 45.1 15.4 2.2 60.8 West Midlands 35.0 44.8 14.7 5.5 58.6 East 41.8 36.8 17.5 3.9 61.7 London 30.5 47.4 17.5 4.7 55.3 South East 42.9 29.4 23.7 4.1 61.6 South West 38.5 26.3 31.2 4.0 64.9 Wales 21.0 48.6 13.8 14.3 2.3 61.4 Scotland 15.6 43.3 16.3 20.1 4.7 58.1 Great Britain 32.7 42.0 18.8 2.6 3.9 59.1 Northern Ireland 0.3 99.7 68.0 United Kingdom 31.7 40.7 18.3 2.5 6.9 59.4

Table 6

Change in share of votes cast for major parties by region percentage points

Conservative Labour Liberal PC/SNP Other Turnout Democrat

England +1.5 -2.1 +1.5 -0.9 -12.2 North East +1.5 -4.6 +4.1 -1.0 -12.1 North West +1.7 -2.9 +2.3 -1.1 -14.3 Yorkshire & The Humber +2.3 -3.3 +1.1 -0.1 -11.5 East Midlands +2.4 -2.8 +1.8 -1.5 -12.4 West Midlands +1.2 -2.1 +0.9 -0.1 -12.3 East +2.3 -1.8 +0.4 -0.8 -12.5 London -0.7 -2.1 +2.9 -0.0 -12.3 South East +1.0 +0.2 +0.4 -1.6 -12.0 South West +1.8 -0.2 -0.1 -1.5 -10.1 Wales +1.5 -6.2 +1.5 +4.3 -1.1 -12.2 Scotland -1.9 -2.3 +3.4 -2.0 +2.8 -13.3 Great Britain +1.2 -2.4 +1.6 +0.0 -0.5 -12.3 Northern Ireland -0.9 +0.9 +0.8 United Kingdom +1.0 -2.5 +1.5 +0.0 +0.0 -12.0

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Table 7

Seats won by region

Conservative Labour Liberal PC/SNP Other Total Democrat

England 165 323 40 1 529 North East 1 28 1 30 North West 9 64 3 76 Yorkshire & The Humber 7 47 2 56 East Midlands 15 28 1 44 West Midlands 13 43 2 1 59 East 34 20 2 56 London 13 55 6 74 South East 53 22 8 83 South West 20 16 15 51 Wales 34 2 4 40 Scotland 1 55 10 5 1 72 Great Britain 166 412 52 9 2 641 Northern Ireland 18 18 United Kingdom 166 412 52 9 20 659

Table 8

Change in seats won by region compared with 1997

Conservative Labour Liberal PC/SNP Other Democrat

England -5 +6 -1 North East North West +1 -1 Yorkshire & The Humber East Midlands +1 -2 +1 West Midlands -1 +1 East +1 -2 +1 London +2 -2 South East -1 +1 South West -2 +1 +1 Wales Scotland +1 -1 -1 +1 Great Britain +1-6+6-1 Northern Ireland United Kingdom +1 -6 +6 -1

20 RESEARCH PAPER 01/54

D. County tables (England only)

Table 9

Votes by county(a): England 2001 General Election

Con Lab LibDem Other Total Avon 152,030 177,782 134,170 19,185 483,167 Bedfordshire 100,265 109,113 37,599 7,817 254,794 Berkshire 142,280 108,675 91,964 11,002 353,921 145,128 98,165 63,221 12,724 319,238 138,798 104,506 68,824 11,843 323,971 Cheshire 164,470 214,236 72,118 11,609 462,433 Cleveland 61,092 138,520 28,966 5,015 233,593 Cornwall 82,227 43,674 113,000 13,216 252,117 96,163 94,191 46,736 5,563 242,653 Derbyshire 141,717 227,768 79,845 6,392 455,722 212,576 128,599 173,639 30,182 544,996 Dorset 156,222 72,715 108,426 7,339 344,702 Durham 55,254 170,329 38,533 6,890 271,006 East Sussex 138,652 105,937 84,232 22,053 350,874 Essex 315,589 255,526 122,663 42,887 736,665 Gloucestershire 114,812 94,693 61,656 9,855 281,016 Greater 245,361 540,982 184,334 37,573 1,008,250 Hampshire 316,520 210,610 211,595 23,583 762,308 & Worcester 146,806 97,932 69,215 43,092 357,045 Hertfordshire 202,569 188,308 81,899 11,878 484,654 Humberside 122,005 173,958 63,664 12,528 372,155 Isle of Wight 25,223 9,676 22,397 6,186 63,482 314,496 272,877 112,024 24,460 723,857 232,940 298,739 84,827 22,618 639,124 Leicestershire 167,748 182,290 74,964 14,776 439,778 Lincolnshire 141,109 109,150 49,225 5,943 305,427 London 841,751 1,307,229 482,888 128,855 2,760,723 Merseyside 109,965 321,552 97,247 18,624 547,388 165,174 141,129 78,050 13,068 397,421 North Yorkshire 162,679 110,412 87,841 12,571 373,503 123,986 131,835 37,831 7,535 301,187 Northumberland 39,368 65,067 41,986 4,269 150,690 Nottinghamshire 152,826 228,843 58,966 9,153 449,788 Oxfordshire 108,296 84,269 78,007 15,092 285,664 82,711 80,814 39,459 8,934 211,918 Somerset 104,502 42,162 101,080 7,458 255,202 South Yorkshire 94,503 296,403 90,624 21,282 502,812 Staffordshire 171,461 229,216 59,678 17,086 477,441 Suffolk 130,802 127,762 51,370 11,612 321,546 236,024 107,897 133,636 17,878 495,435 Tyne & Wear 78,088 277,905 73,339 12,280 441,612 Warwickshire 98,531 106,093 39,084 6,262 249,970 West Midlands 319,267 535,187 136,493 53,085 1,044,032 West Sussex 164,009 92,261 82,152 18,405 356,827 West Yorkshire 265,615 456,341 123,533 40,026 885,515 124,260 85,496 73,853 11,531 295,140

England 7,705,870 9,056,824 4,246,853 861,215 21,870,762

(a) Shire counties as established at the time of the last Boundary Commission review and former Metropolitan counties

21 RESEARCH PAPER 01/54

Table 10

Share of votes won by county(a): England 2001 General Election Con Lab LibDem Other Turnout Avon 31.5% 36.8% 27.8% 4.0% 64.2% Bedfordshire 39.4% 42.8% 14.8% 3.1% 60.9% Berkshire 40.2% 30.7% 26.0% 3.1% 60.2% Buckinghamshire 45.5% 30.7% 19.8% 4.0% 63.3% Cambridgeshire 42.8% 32.3% 21.2% 3.7% 62.2% Cheshire 35.6% 46.3% 15.6% 2.5% 60.4% Cleveland 26.2% 59.3% 12.4% 2.1% 56.9% Cornwall 32.6% 17.3% 44.8% 5.2% 64.6% Cumbria 39.6% 38.8% 19.3% 2.3% 63.5% Derbyshire 31.1% 50.0% 17.5% 1.4% 60.9% Devon 39.0% 23.6% 31.9% 5.5% 65.6% Dorset 45.3% 21.1% 31.5% 2.1% 63.6% Durham 20.4% 62.9% 14.2% 2.5% 58.6% East Sussex 39.5% 30.2% 24.0% 6.3% 61.2% Essex 42.8% 34.7% 16.7% 5.8% 59.5% Gloucestershire 40.9% 33.7% 21.9% 3.5% 64.9% Greater Manchester 24.3% 53.7% 18.3% 3.7% 52.9% Hampshire 41.5% 27.6% 27.8% 3.1% 60.9% Hereford & Worcester 41.1% 27.4% 19.4% 12.1% 65.1% Hertfordshire 41.8% 38.9% 16.9% 2.5% 62.6% Humberside 32.8% 46.7% 17.1% 3.4% 56.3% Isle of Wight 39.7% 15.2% 35.3% 9.7% 60.8% Kent 43.4% 37.7% 15.5% 3.4% 61.5% Lancashire 36.4% 46.7% 13.3% 3.5% 59.1% Leicestershire 38.1% 41.5% 17.0% 3.4% 62.2% Lincolnshire 46.2% 35.7% 16.1% 1.9% 61.4% London 30.5% 47.4% 17.5% 4.7% 55.3% Merseyside 20.1% 58.7% 17.8% 3.4% 51.9% Norfolk 41.6% 35.5% 19.6% 3.3% 64.1% North Yorkshire 43.6% 29.6% 23.5% 3.4% 64.5% Northamptonshire 41.2% 43.8% 12.6% 2.5% 63.1% Northumberland 26.1% 43.2% 27.9% 2.8% 62.0% Nottinghamshire 34.0% 50.9% 13.1% 2.0% 57.5% Oxfordshire 37.9% 29.5% 27.3% 5.3% 62.7% Shropshire 39.0% 38.1% 18.6% 4.2% 62.8% Somerset 40.9% 16.5% 39.6% 2.9% 67.0% South Yorkshire 18.8% 58.9% 18.0% 4.2% 52.7% Staffordshire 35.9% 48.0% 12.5% 3.6% 59.0% Suffolk 40.7% 39.7% 16.0% 3.6% 62.9% Surrey 47.6% 21.8% 27.0% 3.6% 62.4% Tyne & Wear 17.7% 62.9% 16.6% 2.8% 53.4% Warwickshire 39.4% 42.4% 15.6% 2.5% 63.9% West Midlands 30.6% 51.3% 13.1% 5.1% 54.7% West Sussex 46.0% 25.9% 23.0% 5.2% 61.3% West Yorkshire 30.0% 51.5% 14.0% 4.5% 56.7% Wiltshire 42.1% 29.0% 25.0% 3.9% 64.4% England 35.2% 41.4% 19.4% 3.9% 59.1% (a) Shire counties as established at the time of the last Boundary Commission review and former Metropolitan counties

22 RESEARCH PAPER 01/54

Table 11

Change from 1997 in share of votes won by county(a): England C Con Lab LibDem Other Turnout Avon -1.2% +0.3% +1.4% -0.5% -10.9% Bedfordshire +0.8% -1.1% +1.9% -1.6% -13.9% Berkshire -2.0% +2.2% +1.4% -1.6% -12.7% Buckinghamshire +1.8% +0.1% -1.4% -0.6% -10.1% Cambridgeshire +0.8% -2.2% +3.4% -1.9% -11.6% Cheshire +2.2% -0.2% +3.3% -5.3% -14.4% Cleveland +1.0% -3.1% +2.6% -0.5% -13.6% Cornwall +2.3% +0.2% +0.9% -3.4% -10.0% Cumbria +6.1% -7.0% +2.7% -1.8% -10.4% Derbyshire +1.6% -3.6% +3.7% -1.7% -13.7% Devon +2.2% -2.3% +0.6% -0.5% -9.6% Dorset +3.5% +2.3% -2.6% -3.2% -10.0% Durham +2.8% -5.7% +4.5% -1.6% -11.5% East Sussex +0.1% +1.0% -0.0% -1.1% -11.4% Essex +2.5% -1.8% -1.6% +0.8% -13.3% Gloucestershire +1.4% -0.3% -0.6% -0.4% -11.2% Greater Manchester +0.2% -2.7% +2.2% +0.3% -14.9% Hampshire +0.3% -0.7% +2.4% -2.0% -12.0% Hereford & Worcester +0.1% -5.2% -2.5% +7.5% -10.3% Hertfordshire +1.2% -0.8% +0.9% -1.3% -13.3% Humberside +2.4% -3.6% +1.3% +0.0% -11.2% Isle of Wight +5.7% +2.1% -7.5% -0.3% -11.2% Kent +3.0% +0.6% -1.6% -2.0% -12.0% Lancashire +2.3% -2.5% +0.6% -0.4% -13.1% Leicestershire +1.4% -2.4% +1.9% -0.9% -11.3% Lincolnshire +3.8% -1.2% -1.4% -1.2% -11.0% London -0.7% -2.1% +2.9% -0.0% -12.3% Merseyside +0.3% -3.1% +3.3% -0.5% -15.7% Norfolk +4.8% -4.4% +1.4% -1.9% -10.8% North Yorkshire +3.6% -3.2% +0.5% -0.8% -9.4% Northamptonshire +0.8% -1.3% +1.4% -0.9% -11.3% Northumberland +3.4% -5.5% +2.9% -0.8% -10.8% Nottinghamshire +3.4% -3.5% +2.3% -2.2% -14.0% Oxfordshire -0.1% -2.2% +2.6% -0.3% -13.0% Shropshire +1.9% -1.5% -1.9% +1.6% -10.2% Somerset +4.4% -0.9% -1.0% -2.5% -8.8% South Yorkshire +2.1% -3.3% +1.4% -0.2% -11.5% Staffordshire +2.2% -3.3% +1.8% -0.6% -14.1% Suffolk +3.0% -0.4% -1.6% -1.0% -11.7% Surrey +1.4% -0.5% +2.5% -3.4% -12.2% Tyne & Wear +0.4% -4.2% +4.8% -1.0% -12.2% Warwickshire +0.7% -1.4% +1.7% -1.1% -11.7% West Midlands +0.8% -0.2% +1.7% -2.3% -12.7% West Sussex +1.3% +1.6% -2.6% -0.3% -12.5% West Yorkshire +1.2% -2.5% +1.0% +0.3% -12.6% Wiltshire +1.9% +1.0% -1.2% -1.7% -10.0% England +1.5% -2.1% +1.5% -0.9% -12.2% (a) Shire counties as established at the time of t