1983 United Kingdom general election in England

none August 2019 1983 United Kingdom general election in England England parliamentary no 1979 United Kingdom general election in England 1979 List of MPs elected in the 1979 United Kingdom general election 1987 United Kingdom general election in England 1987 List of MPs elected in the 1983 United Kingdom general election All 523 English seats in the House of Commons 72.5% ( 3.4 pp) 9 June 1983 Margaret Thatcher (1983).jpg 120 120 160 0 0 Margaret Thatcher 11 February 1975 Conservative Party (UK) Finchley 306 seats, 47.2% 325boundary change Notional 1979 results. 362 37Notional Indicates boundary change—so this is a nominal figure. 11,711,519 46.0% 1.2 pp Michael Foot (1981).jpg 120 120 160 0 0 Michael Foot 10 November 1980 Labour Party (UK) Blaenau Gwent 203 seats, 36.7% 193boundary change 148 45Notional 6,862,422 26.8% 9.8 pp David Steel 1985 (cropped).jpg 120 120 160 0 0 David Steel 7 July 1976 Liberal Party (UK) SDP–Liberal Alliance Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale 7 seats, 14.9% 5boundary change 10 5Notional 3,658,903 14.4% 0.5 pp Roy Jenkins 1977 (cropped).jpg 120 120 160 0 0 Roy Jenkins 2 July 1982 Social Democratic Party (UK) SDP–Liberal Alliance Glasgow Hillhead Did not stand 0boundary change 3 3 3,056,054 12.0% New party On Thursday 9 June 1983, the 1983 United Kingdom general election was held in England, to elect all 650 members of the House of Commons, with 523 constituencies being in England. The number of seats for each region that were changed under the third periodic review of Westminster constituencies are indicated respectively. This was the first election following this review, with the number of English constituencies increasing from the 516 used between 1955 to 1979 to 523 constituencies, and over 90 per cent of boundaries of existing constituencies being changed. Candidates Below is a table summarising the candidates of the 1983 general election in England.https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7529/CBP-7529.pdf UK Election Statistics: 1918-2023, A Century of Elections Cracknell Richard Uberoi Elise Burton Matthew 9 August 2023 House of Commons Library 23 8 August 2026https://api.parliament.uk/uk-general-elections/general-elections/39 UK General Elections Results 1832-2019 12 August 2026British Electoral Facts Colin Rallings Micheal Thrasher Total Politics 978-1-907278-03-7 49 2006 Affiliation CandidatesConservative and Unionist Party 523 Labour Party 523 Liberal Party 267 Social Democratic Party 256 Ecology Party 90 Independent 81 National Front 60 British National Party 52 Communist Party of Great Britain 22 Workers Revolutionary Party 18 Other 108Total 2,000 Analysis The Conservative Party won a landslide majority of English seats, gaining 37 seats for a total of 362 under the new boundaries. The Labour Party came second, winning 148 MPs, a decline of 45. Labour's share of the vote in England was its lowest since 1918, and its number of English MPs was its smallest since 1931.http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-information-office/m09.pdf GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS, 9 JUNE 1983 1984 31 July 2018 The SDP–Liberal Alliance won 26.4% of the popular vote, just 0.4% behind Labour, but won only 13 seats compared to 148 for Labour, due to the first-past-the-post electoral system.https://www.libdemvoice.org/the-1983-election-highlights-and-hindsight-33960.html The 1983 election: highlights and hindsight Lindsay Caron 2 April 2013 Lib Dem Voice 31 May 2020 14 August 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200814042930/https://www.libdemvoice.org/the-1983-election-highlights-and-hindsight-33960.html deadhttps://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7529/CBP-7529.pdf UK Election Statistics: 1918 2023, A Long Century of Elections Cracknell Richard Uberoi Elise Burton Matthew 9 August 2023 House of Commons 25 February 2026 Two future leaders of the Labour Party were first elected to Parliament at this election in England: Tony Blair (1994–2007) in Sedgefield and Jeremy Corbyn (2015–2020) in Islington North. In addition, future Leader of the Liberal Democrats Paddy Ashdown was elected in Yeovil for the first time. Michael Howard, who later served as Home Secretary in government and as party leader from 2003 to 2005, was also first elected to Parliament in Folkestone and Hythe. Other prominent members in including Edwina Currie and Neil Hamilton for the Conservative Party and Clare Short for Labour also entered the House of Commons in English constituencies. A number of prominent Members of Parliament stepped aside or lost their seats. Former Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson stood down from Parliament after 38 years, while the Alliance's Shirley Williams and Bill Pitt lost their seats only a short time after having won them. Joan Lestor and Tony Benn and Speaker of the House of Commons and former Labour Cabinet Minister George Thomas also departed from Parliament at this election, although Benn would return after winning a by-election in Chesterfield the following year, and Lestor returned to Parliament after winning a seat at the next general election in 1987. Results +PartyBritish Electoral Facts Colin Rallings Micheal Thrasher Total Politics 978-1-907278-03-7 49 2006SeatsAggregate votes Total Gains Losses Net Of all (%) Total Of all (%) Change (%)   Conservative 362 40 3 37 69.2 11,711,519 46.0 1.2   Labour 148 colspan=2 45 28.3 6,862,422 26.8 9.8   SDP–Liberal Alliance 13 colspan=2 New 8 2.5 6,714,957 26.4 New Liberal Party (UK) 10 0 5 5 1.9 3,658,903 14.4 0.5 Social Democratic Party (UK) 3 colspan=2 New 3 0.6 3,056,054 12.0 New   Ecology Party 0 0 0 — 46,484 0.2 0.1   Independent 0 0 0 — 33,840 0.1   National Front 0 0 0 — 27,065 0.1 0.6   BNP 0 colspan=3 New — 14,364 0.0 New   Communist 0 0 0 — 6,368 0.0   Workers Revolutionary 0 0 0 — 3,280 0.0   Independent Labour 0 0 0 — 16,647 0.1   Ind. Conservative 0 0 0 — 12,837 0.1 0.1   Monster Raving Loony 0 colspan=3 New — 3,265 0.0 New   Pro-Corporal PunishmentThree such candidate stood in Arundel, Harrogate and Littleborough and Saddleworth. 0 colspan=3 New — 2,113 0.0 New   Mebyon Kernow 0 0 0 — 1,151 0.0   Wessex Regionalists 0 0 0 — 1,750 0.0   Anti-Common Market 0 0 0 — 1,177 0.0   Independent Communist 0 colspan=3 New — 1,116 0.0 New   Associates with Licensees 0 colspan=3 New — 934 0.0 New   Nationalist 0 colspan=3 New — 874 0.0 New   Independent Liberal 0 0 0 — 656 0.0   Revolutionary Communist 0 colspan=3 New — 581 0.0 New   Spare the Earth 0 colspan=3 New — 524 0.0 New   Women for Life on Earth 0 colspan=3 New — 517 0.0 New   National Labour 0 colspan=3 Did not stand in 1979 — 456 0.0 New   Nobody Party 0 colspan=3 New — 386 0.0 New   Fancy Dress Party 0 0 0 — 374 0.0   Cornish Nationalist 0 0 0 — 364 0.0   Loony Society 0 colspan=3 New — 358 0.0 New   Anti-Deportation 0 colspan=3 New — 355 0.0 New   Multi-Racial Party 0 colspan=3 New — 327 0.0 New   FTACMP 0 colspan=3 New — 325 0.0 New   Freedom 0 colspan=3 New — 324 0.0 New   Progressive Liberal 0 colspan=3 New — 319 0.0 New   Freddie's Alternative Medicine 0 colspan=3 New — 318 0.0 New   Fellowship 0 0 0 — 242 0.0   Nationalist (Cantebury) 0 colspan=3 New — 226 0.0 New   One-nation Conservative 0 colspan=3 New — 213 0.0 New   Gizza Job 0 colspan=3 New — 212 0.0 New   Prosperity for All 0 colspan=3 New — 221 0.0 New   Isle of Wight Residents 0 colspan=3 New — 208 0.0 New   Unemployment Party 0 colspan=3 New — 204 0.0 New   Modern Democratic 0 colspan=3 New — 189 0.0 New   Servicemen and Citizen 0 colspan=3 New — 177 0.0 New   Socialist (GB) 0 0 0 — 173 0.0   Assassin's Bullet 0 colspan=3 New — 173 0.0 New   Traditional English Food 0 colspan=3 New — 172 0.0 New   Socialist Workers 0 colspan=3 New — 199 0.0 New   Christian Democrat 0 colspan=3 New — 159 0.0 New   New Britain 0 0 0 — 154 0.0   Pro-Nuclear War Gay Rights 0 colspan=3 New — 147 0.0 New   Ethnic Minority 0 colspan=3 New — 146 0.0 New   Independent For Referendum 0 colspan=3 New — 135 0.0 New   Anti-Courription 0 colspan=3 New — 128 0.0 New   Against Cuts to Education 0 colspan=3 New — 123 0.0 New   Common Market Party 0 colspan=3 New — 113 0.0 New   Justice for Divorced Fathers 0 colspan=3 New — 113 0.0 New   Islington and Finsbury Party 0 colspan=3 New — 102 0.0 New   Black and White Unity 0 colspan=3 New — 86 0.0 New   Ban Licensing Law Society 0 colspan=3 New — 75 0.0 New   World Government 0 colspan=3 New — 67 0.0 New   Rail not Motorway 0 colspan=3 New — 42 0.0 New   Law and Order for Gotham 0 colspan=3 New — 37 0.0 New   Anti-Censorship 0 colspan=3 New — 28 0.0 New   Community Party 0 0 0 — 22 0.0   Belgrano Blood-Hunger 0 colspan=3 New — 13 0.0 New Total 523 0 100.0 25,472,646 100.0 0.0 Registered voters, and turnout 72.5https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7529/CBP-7529.pdf UK Election Statistics: 1918-2023, A Century of Elections Cracknell Richard Uberoi Elise Burton Matthew 9 August 2023 House of Commons Library 29 8 August 2026 3.4 Popular vote #ddd 600px 410px Conservative Conservative Party (UK) 46.0 Labour Labour Party (UK) 26.8 Alliance SDP–Liberal Alliance 26.4 Other #777777 0.7 Parliament seats #ddd 600px 410px Conservative Conservative Party (UK) 69.2 Labour Labour Party (UK) 28.3 Alliance SDP–Liberal Alliance 2.5 By region Note: these results are based on the previously-used standard statistical regions, not the current regions of England established in 1994. The number of seats for each region that were changed under the third periodic review of Westminster constituencies are indicated respectively. North This region included Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear and constituencies in the defunct county of Cleveland in the current English region of North East England, as well as Cumbria. +PartySeatsAggregate Votes Total Gains Losses Net Of all (%) Total Of all (%) Change (%) Labour Party (UK) 26 1 4 3 72.2 684,120 40.2 1.9 Conservative Party (UK) 8 3 1 2 22.2 589,128 34.6 9.2 SDP-Liberal Alliance 2 1 0 1 5.6 424,987 25.0 12.4   Others 0 0 0 0.0 2,507 0.1 1.4 Total 36 1,700,742 Yorkshire and the Humber Like the current statistical region, this region included North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire constituencies in Humberside. +PartySeatsAggregate Votes Total Gains Losses Net Of all (%) Total Of all (%) Change (%) Labour Party (UK) 28 0 6 6 51.9 925,084 35.3 9.5 Conservative Party (UK) 24 4 0 4 44.4 1,013,311 38.7 0.8 SDP-Liberal Alliance 2 1 0 1 3.7 669,377 25.5 10.7   Others 0 0 0 0.0 13,516 0.5 0.4 Total 54 1 2,621,288 Labour won the most seats in the region; however, the Conservatives won more votes. A similar result in which Labour won more seats despite the Conservatives winning more votes would next occur in 2019. East Midlands Like the current statistical region, this region included Derbyshire, Lincolnshire (excluding North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire), Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Rutland. +PartySeatsAggregate Votes Total Gains Losses Net Of all (%) Total Of all (%) Change (%) Conservative Party (UK) 34 11 0 11 81.0 1,013,384 47.2 0.5 Labour Party (UK) 8 0 8 8 19.0 600,624 28.0 10.2 SDP-Liberal Alliance 0 0 0 0.0 517,098 24.1 9.9   Others 0 0 0 0.0 17,266 0.8 0.1 Total 42 3 2,148,372 East Anglia This region included Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. +PartySeatsAggregate Votes Total Gains Losses Net Of all (%) Total Of all (%) Change (%) Conservative Party (UK) 18 5 0 5 90.0 539,418 51.0 0.2 SDP-Liberal Alliance 1 0 0 5.0 298,624 28.2 12.2 Labour Party (UK) 1 0 2 2 5.0 216,906 20.5 12.1   Others 0 0 0 0.0 2,934 0.3 0.3 Total 20 3 1,057,882 Greater London This consisted of the constituencies within the county and region of Greater London. These results are separate from those recorded in South East England. +PartySeatsAggregate Votes Total Gains Losses Net Of all (%) Total Of all (%) Change (%) Conservative Party (UK) 56 6 0 6 67.7 1,517,105 43.9 2.1 Labour Party (UK) 26 0 16 16 31.0 1,031,539 29.8 9.8 SDP-Liberal Alliance 2 2 0 2 2.4 853,360 24.7 12.8   Others 0 0 0 0.0 55,774 1.6 0.8 Total 84 8 3,457,778 South East England This region included Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Kent, Surrey, East Sussex and West Sussex within the current South East England. However, it also included Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Essex within the current East of England region. In addition, the standard statical region included the results of the constituencies within the county and region of Greater London, though the results for Greater London were also recorded separately. +PartySeatsAggregate Votes Total Gains Losses Net Of all (%) Total Of all (%) Change (%) Conservative Party (UK) 162Figure includes 56 Conservative MPs elected in Greater London. 19 0 19 84.4 4,593,712 50.5 0.9 Labour Party (UK) 27Figure includes 26 Labour MPs elected in Greater London. 0 19 19 14.1 1,924,854 21.1 10.7 SDP-Liberal Alliance 3Figure includes 2 Liberal MPs elected in Greater London. 2 0 2 1.6 2,940,105 27.4 12.1   Others 0 0 0 0.0 92,773 1.0 0.5 Total 19284 Seats were in Greater London; 108 seats were in the standard statistical region of South East England. 2 9,101,444 South West England Like the current statistical region, this region included Cornwall, Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire, and the defunct county of Avon. +PartySeatsAggregate Votes Total Gains Losses Net Of all (%) Total Of all (%) Change (%) Conservative Party (UK) 44 5 1 4 91.7 1,295,737 51.4 0.2 SDP-Liberal Alliance 3 2 0 2 6.2 836,547 14.7 10.7 Labour Party (UK) 1 0 4 4 2.1 370,541 33.2 9.9   Others 0 0 0 0.0 19,129 0.8 0.5 Total 48 2 2,521,954 West Midlands Like the current statistical region, this region included Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, the county of West Midlands, Herefordshire and Worcestershire. +PartySeatsAggregate Votes Total Gains Losses Net Of all (%) Total Of all (%) Change (%) Conservative Party (UK) 36 5 0 5 62.1 1,261,378 45.0 2.1 Labour Party (UK) 22 0 3 3 37.9 874,190 31.2 8.9 SDP-Liberal Alliance 0 0 0 0.0 655,982 23.4 11.9   Others 0 0 0 0.0 12,444 0.4 0.9 Total 58 2 2,803,994 North West This region included Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire. +PartySeatsAggregate Votes Total Gains Losses Net Of all (%) Total Of all (%) Change (%) Conservative Party (UK) 36 8 2 6 49.3 1,405,451 40.0 3.6 Labour Party (UK) 35 2 12 10 47.9 1,266,103 36.0 6.8 SDP-Liberal Alliance 2 0 0 2.7 822,237 23.4 10.5   Others 0 0 0 0.0 23,179 0.7 Total 73 4 3,516,970 See also 1983 United Kingdom general election in Scotland 1983 United Kingdom general election in Wales 1983 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland Notes References Politics England United Kingdom #England Category:1983 in England Category:1980s in England Category:General elections in England to the Parliament of the United Kingdom