1997 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 seats in Northern Ireland of the 659 seats in the House of Commons | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Turnout | 67.4% () | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The 1997 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland was held on 1 May with 18 MPs elected in single-seat constituencies using first-past-the-post as part of the wider general election in the United Kingdom. This was an increase of one seat in Northern Ireland, where the House of Commons as a whole had increased from 650 to 659 seats.
1,177,969 people were eligible to vote, up 53,069 from the 1992 general election. 67.39% of eligible voters turned out, down 2.6 percentage points from the last general election.[1]
Results
The Labour Party led by Tony Blair won a large majority with 418 of 659 seats, returning to office after 18 years of Conservative Party government. In Northern Ireland, Sinn Féin gained two seats, beginning a steady growth in support in elections to the House of Commons.
Less than a year after this election, on 10 April 1998, the Good Friday Agreement was signed, providing for a Northern Ireland Assembly and devolved government through the Northern Ireland Executive.
Party | MPs | Votes | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Change | No. | % | Change | ||
UUP | 10 | 1 | 258,439 | 32.7% | 1.8 | |
SDLP | 3 | 1 | 190,844 | 24.1% | 0.6 | |
Sinn Féin | 2 | 2 | 126,921 | 16.1% | 6.1 | |
DUP | 2 | 1 | 107,348 | 13.6% | 0.5 | |
UK Unionist | 1 | 1 | 12,817 | 1.6% | 1.6 | |
Alliance | 0 | 62,972 | 8.0% | 0.7 | ||
PUP | 0 | 10,934 | 1.4% | 1.4 | ||
NI Conservatives | 0 | 9,858 | 1.2% | 4.5 | ||
NI Women's Coalition | 0 | New | 3,024 | 0.4% | New | |
Workers' Party | 0 | 2,766 | 0.3% | 0.2 | ||
Natural Law | 0 | 2,210 | 0.3% | 0.1 | ||
Green (NI) | 0 | 539 | 0.1% | |||
National Democrats | 0 | New | 81 | New | ||
Independent | 0 | 2,136 | 0.3% | 0.5 | ||
Total | 18 | 1 | 790,889 | 100 |
MPs elected
Constituency | Party | MP | |
---|---|---|---|
East Antrim | UUP | Roy Beggs | |
North Antrim | DUP | Ian Paisley | |
South Antrim | UUP | Clifford Forsythe | |
Belfast East | DUP | Peter Robinson | |
Belfast North | UUP | Cecil Walker | |
Belfast South | UUP | Martin Smyth | |
Belfast West | Sinn Féin | Gerry Adams | |
North Down | UK Unionist | Robert McCartney | |
South Down | SDLP | Eddie McGrady | |
Fermanagh and South Tyrone | UUP | Ken Maginnis | |
Foyle | SDLP | John Hume | |
Lagan Valley | UUP | Jeffrey Donaldson | |
East Londonderry | UUP | William Ross | |
Mid Ulster | Sinn Féin | Martin McGuinness | |
Newry and Armagh | SDLP | Seamus Mallon | |
Strangford | UUP | John Taylor | |
West Tyrone | UUP | William Thompson | |
Upper Bann | UUP | David Trimble |
By-elections
Constituency | Date | Incumbent | Party | Winner | Party | Cause | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
South Antrim | 21 September 2000 | Clifford Forsythe | UUP | William McCrea | DUP | Death |
References
- ^ "UK Parliamentary Election 1997 - Turnout". EONI. Archived from the original on 6 August 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
- ^ "Elections to the United Kingdom Parliament held in Northern Ireland: General Election 1 May 1997". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 31 August 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
- ^ "Westminster election, 1 May 1997". ARK: Northern Ireland Elections. Archived from the original on 10 December 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
- v
- t
- e
- MPs elected
- Northern Ireland
- Scotland
- Wales
- MPs who lost their seat
- Opinion polling
- Results
- Incumbent prime minister: John Major (Conservative)
- Appointed prime minister: Tony Blair (Labour)
the House of Commons
- Labour (Tony Blair)
- Conservative (John Major)
- Liberal Democrats (Paddy Ashdown)
- Ulster Unionist Party (David Trimble)
- Scottish National Party (Alex Salmond)
- Plaid Cymru (Dafydd Wigley)
- Social Democratic and Labour Party (John Hume)
- Sinn Féin (Gerry Adams)
- Democratic Unionist Party (Ian Paisley)
- UK Unionist Party (Robert McCartney)
- "Things Can Only Get Better"
- Blair Babe
- Martin Bell
- Enfield Southgate in the election
- New Labour, New Danger
- Referendum Party
- The Queen
This Politics of Northern Ireland related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- v
- t
- e