Global Information2019 United Kingdom general election information
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All 650 seats in the House of Commons 326[n 1] seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Registered | 47,568,611 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 67.3% ( 1.5 pp)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 A map presenting the results of the election, by party of the MP elected from each constituency | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Composition of the House of Commons after the election | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2019 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 12 December 2019 with 47,074,800 registered voters[3] entitled to vote to elect members of the House of Commons. The Conservative Party won a landslide victory with a majority of 80 seats,[n 5] a net gain of 48, on 43.6% of the popular vote, the highest percentage for any party since the 1979 general election.[4]
Having failed to obtain a majority at the 2017 general election, the Conservative Party governed in minority with the support of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). This led to the resignation of Prime Minister Theresa May, with Boris Johnson becoming Conservative leader and Prime Minister in July 2019. Johnson could not persuade Parliament to approve a revised Brexit withdrawal agreement by the end of October, and chose to call a snap election, which the House of Commons supported under the Early Parliamentary General Election Act 2019.[5] Opinion polls showed a firm lead for the Conservatives against the opposition Labour Party throughout the campaign.[6]
The Conservatives won 365 seats, their highest number and proportion since 1987, and recorded their highest share of the popular vote since 1979; many of their gains were made in long-held Labour seats, dubbed the red wall, which had voted strongly for Leave in the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum. Labour won 202 seats, its lowest number and proportion since 1935.[7][8][9] The Scottish National Party (SNP) made a net gain of 13 seats with 45% of the vote in Scotland, winning 48 of the 59 seats there.[10] The Liberal Democrats improved their vote share to 11.6% but won only 11 seats, a net loss of one since the last election.[11] The DUP won a plurality of seats in Northern Ireland. The Social Democratic and Labour Party and the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland regained parliamentary representation as the DUP lost seats.
The election result gave Johnson the mandate he sought from the electorate to formally implement the Exit Day of the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union on 31 January 2020 and repeal the European Communities Act 1972, thereby ending hopes of the Remain movement and those opposed to Brexit. Labour's defeat led to Jeremy Corbyn announcing his intention to resign, triggering a leadership election that was won by Keir Starmer.[9][12] For the Liberal Democrats leader Jo Swinson, the loss of her constituency seat in East Dunbartonshire disqualified her as party leader under the party's rules, triggering a leadership election,[11] which was won by Ed Davey.[13] Jane Dodds, the party's leader in Wales, was also unseated in Brecon and Radnorshire.[14] In Northern Ireland, Irish nationalist MPs outnumbered unionists for the first time, although the unionist popular vote remained higher at 43.1%, and the seven Sinn Féin MPs did not take their seats due to their tradition of abstentionism.
This was the eighteenth and final general election to be held during the reign of Elizabeth II, as she died three years later and was succeeded by her son, Charles III.
- ^ a b "StackPath". Institute for Government. 20 December 2019.
- ^ "Results of the 2019 General Election". BBC News. 12 December 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
- ^ "Electoral statistics, UK - Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ "Election results 2019: Boris Johnson hails 'new dawn' after historic victory". BBC News. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ^ "UK set for 12 December general election". BBC News. 29 October 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
- ^ Stewart, Heather (12 December 2019). "Exit poll predicts 86-seat majority for Boris Johnson and Conservatives". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
- ^ "Results". BBC News. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ^ "Share of votes in general elections in the United Kingdom from 1918 to 2017, by political party". Statista. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ^ a b "Jeremy Corbyn: 'I will not lead Labour at next election'". BBC News. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ^ Carrell, Severin; Brooks, Libby (13 December 2019). "Scottish independence vote a 'democratic right', says Sturgeon". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ^ a b "Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson to step down". BBC News. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ^ "Labour leadership winner: Sir Keir Starmer". BBC News. 4 April 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "Sir Ed Davey wins Liberal Democrat leadership race". BBC News. 27 August 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "Jane Dodds to 'keep on fighting' after election loss". County Times.
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