View source for 1997 United Kingdom general election

{{Infobox election
| election_name = 1997 United Kingdom general election
| country = United Kingdom
| type = parliamentary
| ongoing = no
| previous_election = 1992 United Kingdom general election
| previous_year = 1992
| outgoing_members = List of MPs elected in the 1992 United Kingdom general election
| next_election = 2001 United Kingdom general election
| next_year = 2001
| elected_members = List of MPs elected in the 1997 United Kingdom general election
| seats_for_election = All 659 seats to the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]]
| majority_seats = 330
| elected_mps = [[List of MPs elected in the 1997 United Kingdom general election|Members elected]]
| election_date = 1 May 1997
| turnout = 71.3% ({{decrease}}6.4%)
| opinion_polls = Opinion polling for the 1997 United Kingdom general election
<!--      Labour      -->| image1 = [[File:Tony Blair in 1997.jpg|160x160px]]
| leader1 = [[Tony Blair]]
| leader_since1 = [[1994 Labour Party leadership election|21 July 1994]]
| party1 = Labour Party (UK)
| leaders_seat1 = [[Sedgefield (UK Parliament constituency)|Sedgefield]]
| last_election1 = 271 seats, 34.4%
| seats_before1 = 273<sup>†</sup>
| seats1 = ''' 418'''<!-- note: this figure does not include the speaker -->
| seat_change1 = {{increase}}145*<!-- Note: the boundaries changed from the previous election—145 is a nominal change figure from the seats the party would have won based on those boundaries. -->
| popular_vote1 = '''13,518,167'''
| percentage1 = '''43.2%'''
| swing1 = {{increase}}8.8%
<!--      Conservative     -->| image2 = [[File:Major PM full (cropped).jpg|160x160px]]
| leader2 = [[John Major]]
| leader_since2 = [[1995 Conservative Party leadership election|4 July 1995]]{{refn|name=MajorLeadershipElection|group=n|[[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative party]] leader [[John Major]] resigned as [[Leader of the Conservative Party (UK)|Leader of the Conservative Party]] on 22 June 1995 to face critics in his party and government, and was reelected as Leader on 4 July 1995. Prior to his resignation he had held the post of [[Leader of the Conservative Party (UK)|Leader of the Conservative Party]] since 28 November 1990.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/4/newsid_2493000/2493037.stm|title=1995: Major wins Conservative leadership|date=4 July 1995|work=BBC News}}</ref>}}
| party2 = Conservative Party (UK)
| leaders_seat2 = [[Huntingdon (UK Parliament constituency)|Huntingdon]]
| last_election2 = 336 seats, 41.9%
| seats_before2 = 343<sup>†</sup>
| seats2 = 165
| seat_change2 = {{decrease}}171*<!-- Note: the boundaries changed from the previous election—178 is a nominal change figure from the seats the party would have won based on those boundaries. -->
| popular_vote2 = 9,600,943
| percentage2 = 30.7%
| swing2 = {{decrease}}11.2%
<!--      Liberal Democrats      -->| image3 = [[File:ASHDOWN Paddy.jpg|160x160px]]
| leader3 = [[Paddy Ashdown]]
| leader_since3 = [[1988 Social and Liberal Democrats leadership election|16 July 1988]]
| party3 = Liberal Democrats (UK)
| leaders_seat3 = [[Yeovil (UK Parliament constituency)|Yeovil]]
| last_election3 = 20 seats, 17.8%
| seats_before3 = 18<sup>†</sup>
| seats3 = 46
| seat_change3 = {{increase}}26*<!-- Note: the boundaries changed from the previous election—28 is a nominal change figure from the seats the party would have won based on those boundaries. -->
| popular_vote3 = 5,242,947
| percentage3 = 16.8%
| swing3 = {{decrease}}1.0%
| map_image = UK General Election, 1997.svg
| map_size = 370px
| map_caption = Colours show the winning party, as shown in the main table of results.<br />* Indicates boundary change, so this is a nominal figure.<br /> <sup>†</sup> Notional 1992 results on new boundaries.<br />^ Figure does not include the speaker.<!-- DO NOT CHANGE TO NATIONAL. THIS IS NOT A MISTAKE. "Notional" means recalculated on the new boundaries. -->

|map2_image = File:House of Commons elected members, 1997.svg
|map2_size = 360px
|map2_caption = Composition of the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] after the election

| title = [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]]
| posttitle = Prime Minister after election
| before_election = [[John Major]]
| before_party = Conservative Party (UK)
| after_election = [[Tony Blair]]
| after_party = Labour Party (UK)
}}
The '''UK general election, 1997''' was an [[election]] held on 1 May 1997 to elect 659 members to the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom]]. The three main candidates to become [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] are shown to the right: 

The [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] and its leader [[Tony Blair]] gained the majority of seats and created the first Labour government since 1979. The Labour Party won 418 seats which was the highest majority of seats for any party since the Conservatives in the 1931 General Election. The [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] suffered it's lowest number of seats since [[1906 United Kingdom general election|1906]] and lost all of its seats in [[Scotland]] and [[Wales]]. Several prominent Conservative politicians lost their seats such as Defence Secretary [[Michael Portillo]], Foreign Secretary [[Malcolm Rifkind]], Scottish Secretary [[Michael Forsyth]] as well as [[Edwina Currie]], [[David Mellor]] and [[Ian Lang]]. 

The [[Liberal Democrats]] won 46 seats, which was the highest number of seats for a third party since 1929. The Referendum Party ran on the single issue of taking Britain out of the [[European Union]] and won 2.6% of the vote but no seats.

The final results of the election were:

* '''[[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]]''' (418 MP's, 43.2% of vote)
* '''[[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]]''' (165 MP's, 30.7% of vote)
* '''[[Liberal Democrats]]''' (46 MP's, 16.8% of vote)
* [[Referendum Party]] (0 MP's, 2.6% of vote)
* '''[[Scottish National Party]]''' (6 MP's, 2.0% of vote) - Scotland only
* '''[[Ulster Unionist Party]]''' (10 MP's, 0.8% of vote) - [[Northern Ireland]] only
* '''[[Social Democratic and Labour Party]]''' (3 MP's, 0.6% of vote) - Northern Ireland only
* '''[[Plaid Cymru]]''' (4 MP's, 0.5% of vote) - [[Wales]] only
* '''[[Sinn Fein]]''' (2 MP's, 0.4% of vote) - Northern Ireland only
* '''[[Democratic Unionist Party]]''' (2 MP's, 0.3% of vote) - Northern Ireland only
* [[UK Independence Party]] (0 MP's, 0.3% of vote)
* [[Green Party of England and Wales|Green Party]] (0 MP's, 0.3% of vote)
* [[Alliance Party of Northern Ireland]] (0 MP's, 0.2% of vote) - Northern Ireland only
* [[Socialist Labour Party (UK)|Socialist Labour Party]] (0 MP's, 0.2% of vote)
* [[Liberal Party (UK, 1989)|Liberal Party]] (0 MP's, 0.1% of vote)
* [[British National Party]] (0 MP's, 0.1% of vote)

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=n}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{United Kingdom elections}}

[[Category:1997 in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1997 elections]]
[[Category:United Kingdom general elections]]