1979 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland

none March 2019 March 2019 1979 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland United Kingdom parliamentary no October 1974 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland Oct. 1974 3 May 1979 1983 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland 1983 All 12 Northern Ireland seats in the House of Commons 67.7% ( pp) Harry West, 1971.tif 120 120 160 0 0 Harry West Ulster Unionist Party Jan. 1974 Ran in Fermanagh and South Tyrone (defeated) 6 seats, 36.5% 5 254,578 36.6% 1 0.1 pp Ian Paisley 1970.png 120 120 160 0 0 Ian Paisley Democratic Unionist Party 1971 Antrim North 1 seat, 8.5% 3 70,795 10.2% 2 1.7 pp Social Democratic and Labour Party SDLP Gerry Fitt 1970 Social Democratic and Labour Party Belfast West 1 seat, 22.4% 1 126,235 18.2% 4.2 pp United Ulster Unionist Party UUUP Ernest Baird 1975 United Ulster Unionist Party Ran in Fermanagh and South Tyrone (defeated) Did not stand 1 39,856 5.7% 1 New Party On 3 May 1979, the 1979 United Kingdom general election was held in Northern Ireland, to elect all 635 members of the House of Commons, with 12 constituencies being in Northern Ireland. The election was after Labour Party prime minister James Callaghan lost a vote of confidence by 311 votes to 310. The election was won by the Conservative Party led by Margaret Thatcher, and began a period of 18-year government by the party, with the election being the first of four consecutive election victories for the Conservative Party. Candidates Below is a table summarising the candidates of the February 1974 general election in Northern Ireland.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 27 8 August 2026https://api.parliament.uk/uk-general-elections/general-elections/38 UK General Elections Results 1832-2019 12 August 2026British Electoral Facts Colin Rallings Micheal Thrasher Total Politics 978-1-907278-03-7 48 2006 Affiliation CandidatesAlliance Party of Northern Ireland 12Ulster Unionist Party 11Social Democratic and Labour Party 9Republican Clubs 7Democratic Unionist Party 5Irish Independence Party 4Unionist Party of Northern Ireland 3Northern Ireland Labour Party 3United Ulster Unionist Party 2Independent Unionist 1James Kilfedder stood in North Down.United Labour Party 1Candidate Bob Kidd stood in South Antrim.Reform 1Candidate Peter Courtney stood in South Down.Inter-Dependence Party 1Candidate Francis Rice stood in South Down.Independent Republican 1Candidate Frank Maguire stood in Fermanagh and South Tyrone.Independent Labour 1Candidate William Webster stood in Londonderry.Independent Social Democratic and Labour 1Candidate Austin Currie stood in Fermanagh and South Tyrone.Labour Integrationist 1Candidate Jeff Dudgeon stood in Belfast South.Total 64 Analysis Ulster Unionist leader Harry West failed to win a seat for the second time, and would resign later that year after failing to win a seat at the first European Parliament election. The Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party had disbanded with its members and MPs primarily joining the Ulster Unionist Party. Of the Vanguard's three Members of Parliament, two joined the UUP. Robert Bradford was re-elected in Belfast South; however, the former party's leader William Craig lost Belfast East. Conversely, the newly formed United Ulster Unionist Party, which had split from the Vanguard, won the seat of Mid Ulster This was by way of John Dunlop, former member and MP in the seat for the Vanguard, retaining the seat and therefor winning the seat for the UUUP from his former party. The Democratic Unionist Party increased its representation from the one seat of Leader Ian Paisley in North Antrim. The party also won Belfast East from William Craig, with future Leader of the CUP and First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland Peter Robinson entering Parliament. the Democratic Unionist also won Belfast North from the UUP. Frank Maguire was re-elected as an Independent Nationalist, defeating the leaders of both the UUP and the new United Ulster Unionist Party, as well as Austin Currie, a member of the SDLP standing without the support of the party. Maguire's death on 5 March 1981 led to a by-election won by Bobby Sands, an IRA prisoner who died later that year as a result of a hunger strike. The Representation of the People Act 1981 disqualified prisoners detained for more than a year from membership of the House of Commons, so the resulting by-election was contested by Sands's election agent Owen Carron, rather than by another prisoner on hunger strike. Results +Partyhttps://api.parliament.uk/uk-general-elections/general-elections/38 UK General Elections Results 1832-2019 12 August 2026British Electoral Facts Colin Rallings Micheal Thrasher Total Politics 978-1-907278-03-7 48 2006SeatsAggregate Votes Total Gains Losses Net Of total (%) Total Of total (%) Change (%) Ulster Unionist Party 5 0 1 1 41.7 254,578 36.6 0.1 Social Democratic and Labour Party 1 0 0 8.3 126,235 18.2 4.2 Alliance Party of Northern Ireland 0 0 0 — 82,892 11.9 5.5 Democratic Unionist Party 3 2 0 2 25.0 70,795 10.2 1.7 United Ulster Unionist Party 1 colspan="2" New 1 8.3 39,856 5.7 New Independent Unionist 1 1 0 1 8.3 36,989 5.3 4.6 Irish Independence Party 0 colspan="3" New — 23,086 3.3 New Independent Republican (Ireland) 1 0 0 8.3 22,398 3.2 1.5 Republican Clubs 0 0 0 — 12,098 1.7 1.3   Independent SDLP 0 colspan="3" New — 10,795 1.6 New Unionist Party of Northern Ireland 0 0 0 — 8,021 1.2 1.9 Northern Ireland Labour Party 0 0 0 — 4,411 0.6 1.0 United Labour Party (Northern Ireland) 0 colspan="3" New — 1,895 0.3 New   Labour Integrationist 0 colspan="3" New — 692 0.1 New   Independent Labour 0 colspan="3" Did not stand in Oct. 1974 — 639 0.1   Inter-Dependence 0 colspan="3" New — 216 0.0 New   Reform 0 colspan="3" New — 31 0.0 New   Other 0 colspan="2" 33 Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party MPs when the party disbanded. — 31 0.0 Total 12 0 100.0 695,887 100.0 0.0 Registered voters, and turnout 67.7https://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 MPs elected Constituency Party MPAntrim North Democratic Unionist PartyIan PaisleyAntrim South Ulster Unionist PartyJames MolyneauxArmagh Ulster Unionist PartyHarold McCuskerBelfast East Democratic Unionist PartyPeter RobinsonBelfast North Democratic Unionist PartyJohn McQuadeBelfast South Ulster Unionist PartyRobert BradfordBelfast West Social Democratic and Labour PartyGerry FittDown North Independent UnionistJim KilfedderDown South Ulster Unionist PartyEnoch PowellFermanagh and South Tyrone Independent NationalistFrank MaguireLondonderry Ulster Unionist PartyWilliam RossMid Ulster United Ulster Unionist PartyJohn Dunlop By-elections Constituency Date Incumbent Party Winner Party CauseFermanagh and South Tyrone9 April 1981Frank Maguire Independent NationalistBobby Sands Anti H-BlockDeathFermanagh and South Tyrone20 August 1981Bobby Sands Anti H-BlockOwen Carron Anti H-BlockDeath from hunger strikeBelfast South4 March 1982Robert Bradford Ulster Unionist PartyMartin Smyth Ulster Unionist PartyKilled by the IRA See also 1979 United Kingdom general election in England 1979 United Kingdom general election in Scotland 1979 United Kingdom general election in Wales Notes References Politics Northern Ireland United Kingdom collapsed #Northern Ireland Category:1974 in Northern Ireland Category:1970s in Northern Ireland 1979 Category:1979 elections in Northern Ireland