1955-1974
The elections of this period took place in the context of the decolonialisation of the British Empire and the UK's declining status as a Great Power. It also saw the UK enter the European Union and some periods of high unemployment. The early years of the period saw Conservative consolidation of power, before Harold Wilson's two general election wins in 1964 and 1966. There was then a series of close fought elections, including two in 1974. This period was also the one in which the Liberal Party was at its all time low, never having more than 14 seats (though it had been in 1951 when they'd had their lowest ever percentage of the vote).
The Ulster Unionists dominated in Northern Ireland, whilst the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru became major players for the first time, the SNP gaining 11 seats in 1974. This period also saw the demise of the autonomous Scottish Unionist Party, when it merged with the Conservative Party.
| Party | Oct 1974 | Feb 1974 | 1970 | 1966 | 1964 | 1959 | 1955 | |||||||
| % Popular vote | Seats | % Popular vote | Seats | % Popular vote | Seats | % Popular vote | Seats | % Popular vote | Seats | % Popular vote | Seats | % Popular vote | Seats | |
| Alliance (NI) | 0.2 | 0 | 0.1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| BNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0.0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Communist | 0.1 | 0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Conservative Party | 35.8 | 277 | 37.9 | 297 | 46.4 | 330 | 41.9 | 253 | 43.4 | 304 | 49.4 | 365 | 49.7 | 345 |
| Democratic Labour | 0.1 | 0 | 0.1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Democratic Party | - | - | - | - | 0.1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Democratic Unionist Party | 0.3 | 1 | 0.2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Labour Party | 39.2 | 313 | 37.2 | 301 | 43.1 | 287 | 48.0 | 364 | 44.1 | 317 | 43.4 | 258 | 46.4 | 277 |
| Labour Party (Ireland) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0.1 | 0 |
| Labour Party(NI) | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Liberal Party | 18.3 | 13 | 19.3 | 14 | 7.5 | 6 | 8.5 | 12 | 11.2 | 9 | 5.9 | 6 | 2.7 | 6 |
| National Front | 0.4 | 0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0.1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Plaid Cymru | 0.6 | 3 | 0.5 | 2 | 0.6 | 0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0.2 | 0 |
| Independents | 0.0 | 0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.2 | 0 |
| Independent Conservative | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.1 | 1 | - | - |
| Independent Labour | 0.2 | 0 | 0.1 | 1 | 0.1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 0.0 | 0 |
| Independent Liberal | 0.0 | 0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | - | - |
| Independent Socialist | - | - | 0.0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Independent Republican / Sinn Féin | 0.2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | - | - | 0.2 | 0 | 0.4 | 0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0.6 | 2 |
| National Democratic | - | - | - | - | 0.1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | - | - | ||
| National Democrats (NI) | - | - | - | - | 0.1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Nationalist (NI) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0.1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| NI Independent Labour | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0.1 | 0 | ||
| Protestant Unionist Party | - | - | - | - | 0.1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Republican Clubs | 0.1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Republican Labour | - | - | - | - | 0.1 | 1 | 0.1 | 1 | 0.1 | 0 | - | - | ||
| Scottish National Party | 2.9 | 11 | 2.0 | 7 | 1.1 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| SDLP | 0.6 | 1 | 0.5 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Ulster Unionist Party | 0.9 | 6 | 0.8 | 7 | Before 1974, The UUP MPs sat in parliament as part of the Conservative Party | |||||||||
| Unionist (NI) / Pro-Assembly Unionist | 0.1 | 0 | 0.3 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Unity | - | - | 0.0 | 0 | 0.4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party | 0.3 | 3 | 0.2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Read more about this topic: General Elections In The United Kingdom