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The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 and won by the Labour Party, led by Tony Blair. The Labour Party secured an overall majority of 66. For details by constituency see 2005 general election results. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x800, 6 KB) Please see the file description page for further information. ... The politics of the United Kingdom are based upon a unitary state and a constitutional monarchy. ... The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative institution in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories (it alone has parliamentary sovereignty). ... This article describes the British monarchy from the perspective of the United Kingdom. ... This article is about the British House of Lords. ... The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor and in former times Chancellor of England, is one of the most senior and important functionaries in the government of the United Kingdom. ... The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and is now the dominant elected branch of Parliament. ... In the United Kingdom, the Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the Lower House of Parliament, the House of Commons, and is seen historically as the First Commoner of the Land. ... In the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister is the head of government, exercising many of the executive functions nominally vested in the Sovereign, who is head of state. ... In the Politics of the United Kingdom, the Cabinet is a formal body comprised of government officials chosen by the Prime Minister. ... The Government of the United Kingdom contains a number of Ministries, known in the United Kingdom as Government Departments. ... The Scottish Parliament (Pàrlamaid na h-Alba in Gaelic, Scots Pairlament in Scots) is the national unicameral legislature of Scotland. ... The term Scottish Executive is used in two distinct but closely related senses. ... The National Assembly for Wales (or NAW) (Welsh: Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru) was established in 1998, following the approval by a small majority of Welsh voters in a referendum held in 1997 of the Labour Governments proposals for devolution. ... The Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) (Welsh: Llywodraeth Cynulliad Cymru, LlCC) is the executive body of the National Assembly for Wales, comprising the First Minister and his Cabinet. ... The logo of the Northern Ireland Assembly is a six flowered linen or flax plant, chosen for the plants historical economic importance to the region. ... The Northern Ireland Executive as established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998 is the (currently suspended) executive body for Northern Ireland, answerable to the Northern Ireland Assembly. ... The United Kingdom is made up of four parts - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. ... The Greater London Authority (GLA) administers the 1579 sq. ... The United Kingdom has five distinct types of elections: general, local, regional, European and mayoral. ... The UK general election, 2001 was held on 7 June 2001 and was dubbed the quiet landslide by the media. ... The next United Kingdom general election must be held on or before 3 June, 2010. ... Political parties in the United Kingdom lists political parties in the United Kingdom. ... May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (126th in leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... The Labour Party is the principal centrist/centre-left political party in the United Kingdom (see British politics). ... The Right Honourable Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953 in Edinburgh, Scotland) is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. ... Wikinews has news related to this article: Results of 2005 United Kingdom General Election Results of the United Kingdom general election, 2005. ...

The general election took place in 646 constituencies across the United Kingdom, for seats in the House of Commons. All but one constituency polled on 5 May; the remaining seat of Staffordshire South was postponed due to the death of a candidate and took place on 23 June. The United Kingdom has five distinct types of elections: general, local, regional, European and mayoral. ... To see the list in alphabetical order see the categories UK Parliamentary constituencies and UK Parliamentary constituencies (historic). ... The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and is now the dominant elected branch of Parliament. ... May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (126th in leap years). ... Staffordshire South is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... June 23 is the 174th day of the year (175th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 191 days remaining. ...

The election was held under the first-past-the-post system. Local elections in parts of England and in Northern Ireland were held on the same day. The polls were open for 15 hours, from 0700 to 2200 BST (0600 to 2100 UTC). The election came just over three weeks after the dissolution of Parliament on 11 April by Queen Elizabeth II, at the request of the Prime Minister, Tony Blair. The First Past the Post electoral system, is a voting system for single-member districts. ... Elections for local government are being held in the United Kingdom on May 5, 2005 along with the 2005 general election. ... England is a made up country where psychologists convince schitzofrenic people they are currently living while they are in fact in a mental asylum. ... Royal motto: Quis separabit (Latin: Who will separate?) Northern Irelands location within the UK Official languages English, Irish, Ulster Scots Capital and largest city Belfast First Minister Office suspended Area  - Total Ranked 4th 13,843 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 4th 1,685,267 122/km² NUTS 1... British Summer Time (BST), known in Ireland as Irish Summer Time (IST), is the daylight saving time in effect in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland between the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October each year. ... UTC also stands for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Coordinated Universal Time or UTC, also sometimes referred to as Zulu time, the basis for civil time, differs by an integral number of seconds from atomic time and a fractional number of seconds from UT1. ... In parliamentary systems, a dissolution of parliament is the dispersal of a legislature at the call of an election. ... The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative institution in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories (it alone has parliamentary sovereignty). ... April 11 is the 101st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (102nd in leap years). ... Queen Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor), styled HM The Queen (born 21 April 1926) is the Queen regnant of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and... In the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister is the head of government, exercising many of the executive functions nominally vested in the Sovereign, who is head of state. ...

Overview

For events leading up to the date of the election, see article: Pre-election day events of the United Kingdom general election, 2005

A map showing the regional victors of the UK General Elections by their party colours.

The governing Labour Party, led by Tony Blair, was looking to secure a third consecutive term in office and to retain a large majority. The Conservative Party was seeking to regain seats lost to both Labour and the Liberal Democrats in the 1997 election, and become the governing party. The Liberal Democrats hoped to make gains from both parties, but especially Conservative Party, with "decapitation" strategy targeting specific constituencies. Like the Conservatives, the Lib Dems had ambitions to become the governing party, but more realistically aimed to to become the Official Opposition, replacing the Conservatives. In Northern Ireland, the elections was contested by the Democratic Unionist Party, looking to make further gains over the Ulster Unionist Party in unionist politics, and by Sinn Féin and the Social Democratic and Labour Party in nationalist politics. The nationalist Scottish Nationalist Party and Plaid Cymru (Party of Wales) stood several candidates in Scotland and Wales respectively. The Pre-election day events of the United Kingdom general election, 2005 are the activities that were undertaken by the candidates and their political parties in the lead up to the United Kingdom general election, 2005. ... Download high resolution version (629x1019, 24 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (629x1019, 24 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The Labour Party is the principal centrist/centre-left political party in the United Kingdom (see British politics). ... The Right Honourable Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953 in Edinburgh, Scotland) is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. ... The Conservative Party is the largest political party on the centre-right in the United Kingdom. ... The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a social liberal political party based in the United Kingdom. ... The UK general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997. ... The Official Opposition (more formally, Her Majestys Loyal Opposition) in the United Kingdom is usually the largest political party or coalition which is not a member of the government. ... The Democratic Unionist Party is a hardline Unionist party in Northern Ireland led by Ian Paisley. ... The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP, sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP) is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland, and was the party of government in Northern Ireland between 1921 and 1972. ... In the Irish context, Unionists form a group of exclusively Protestant people in Ireland, of all social classes, who wish to see the continuation of the 1801 Act of Union, as amended by the Government of Ireland Act 1920, under which the Northern Ireland provincial state created in that latter... The name Sinn Féin (pronounced in English, in Irish), which means ourselves or we ourselves (not as sometimes incorrectly translated, ourselves alone or we alone) has been applied to a series of political movements since 1905 in Ireland, each of which claim or claimed sole descent from the original... The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP — Irish: Páirtí Sóisialta Daonlathach an Lucht Oibre) is the smaller of the two major nationalist parties in Northern Ireland. ... An Irish nationalist is generally one who seeks (greater) independence of Ireland from Great Britain, including since 1921 the goal of a United Ireland. ... In Scotland, the Scottish National Party (SNP) is a centre-left political party which favours Scottish independence. ... Listen to this article · (info) This audio file was created from the revision dated 2005-07-12, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ...

Many seats were contested by other parties, including several parties without incumbents in the House of Commons. Parties that were not represented at Westminster, but had seats in the devolved assemblies and European Parliament included the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom Independence Party, the various national Green parties, and the Scottish Socialist Party. The Health Concern party also stood for election again. A full list of parties which declared their intention to run can be found on the list of parties contesting the UK general election, 2005. Devolution or home rule is the granting of powers from central government to government at regional or local level. ... The European Parliament is the parliamentary body of the European Union (EU), directly elected by EU citizens once every five years. ... The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI), is a political party operating in Northern Ireland. ... The United Kingdom Independence Party (commonly known as UKIP) is a Eurosceptic political party that aims at British withdrawal from the European Union. ... The Green Party was formed in 1973 as the Ecology Party. ... This article deals with the Scottish Socialist Party that was formed in 1998. ... Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern (often known by the shorter name Health Concern) is a political party based in Kidderminster, England. ... The United Kingdom general election of 2005 saw significant numbers of minor or single issue candidates standing for election. ...

During the period between the announcement of the election and the actual election itself, all of the parties embarked on intensive campaigns to win voters over. They did this by releasing manifestos, party political broadcasts and touring the country in buses (commonly referred to as "Battle Buses"). A manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions, often political in nature. ... A party political broadcast is a short television or radio broadcast made by a political party. ...

Seats in Scotland

When the Scottish Parliament was established by the Scotland Act 1998, the target size of Westminster Parliamentary seats in Scotland was changed to the same as that for England. This removed the deliberate over-representation intended to compensate Scotland for its historic status as a nation and its distance from the seat of Parliament in Westminster. The Scottish Parliament (Pàrlamaid na h-Alba in Gaelic, Scots Pairlament in Scots) is the national unicameral legislature of Scotland. ... The Scotland Act 1998 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom at Westminster. ... Royal motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (Latin: No one provokes me with impunity) Scotlands location within the UK Languages with Official Status1 English Scottish Gaelic Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ... England is a made up country where psychologists convince schitzofrenic people they are currently living while they are in fact in a mental asylum. ...

The effect of the Boundary Commission's reform and the 2005 general election upon Scottish seats

The Boundary Commission for Scotland therefore started work on redrawing the boundaries, and in 2003 produced a scheme in which there were 59 constituencies, reduced from 72. In 2004, the Government passed the Scottish Parliament (Constituencies) Act 2004 which instituted these changes and broke the link between British- and Scottish-Parliamentary constituencies. This chart effectually summarises an unusual transition in UK elections: In 2001 to 2005 there were 72 Scottish consituencies who elected MPs to sit in Westminster. ... This chart effectually summarises an unusual transition in UK elections: In 2001 to 2005 there were 72 Scottish consituencies who elected MPs to sit in Westminster. ... In the United Kingdom, the four Boundary Commissions are responsible for determining the boundaries of House of Commons constituencies. ... In the United Kingdom, the four Boundary Commissions are responsible for determining the boundaries of House of Commons constituencies. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Scottish Parliament (Constituencies) Act 2004 is a British Act of Parliament that amends the Scotland Act 1998 which established the Scottish Parliament. ...

Three constituencies were left unchanged - the island seats of Orkney and Shetland, the Western Isles, though the latter changed its official name to the Gaelic "Na h-Eileanan an Iar", and Eastwood, which changed its name to "East Renfrewshire". Several other constituency names were carried forward, however in all cases the new seats had altered boundaries. Orkney and Shetland is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... Na h-Eileanan an Iar is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, created in 1918. ... Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig; IPA: ) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. ... For other things called Renfrewshire East see Renfrewshire East. ...

Predicted result of redrawn boundaries

Although it was impossible to guarantee a wholly accurate prediction of the strength of the parties within the 59 new constituencies, as this was be the first election in which they were used, estimates had been made prior to the poll on May 5th on the basis of a ward-by-ward breakdown of local council election results. An agreed set used by all media reports and most political commentators indicated that, had the new boundaries been used in the 2001 election, Labour would have won 46 seats, with the Liberal Democrats on 9 seats, the Scottish National Party on 4, and the Conservatives on zero. This represented a loss of 10 seats to Labour and one each for the Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party and the Conservatives. The arithmetic was however complicated by the fact that the boundary revision had produced some seats that were notionally highly marginal.

The results of the 2005 election showed some of the highest changes of the share of the vote for particular parties occurring in Scottish seats, leading some commentators to speculate that either the notional results were in error and/or they were unable to take into account factors such as personal votes, tactical voting and parties having stong support in local government but historically failing to convert that into a general election vote. In voting systems, tactical voting (or strategic voting) occurs when a voter misrepresents his or her sincere preferences in order to gain a more favorable outcome. ...

Actual result of redrawn boundaries

Labour in fact only won 41 seats (5 fewer than attributed to them by the breakdown of 2001 results detailed above), the Liberal Democrats won 11 (2 more than attributed to them by the breakdown of 2001 results), the SNP won 6 seats (2 more than attributed to them by the breakdown of 2001 results) and in Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale the Conservatives won their only seat (breakdown of 2001 election results had indicated no Conservative constituencies)[1]. Compared to the actual results of 2001 this then represented a loss of 14 seats for Labour, a gain of 1 seat for the SNP and Liberal Democrats, and no change for the Conservatives. [2] Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale was created as a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for the general election of 2005. ...

See also the list of parties standing in Scotland. The United Kingdom general election of 2005 will see significant numbers of minor or single issue candidates standing for election. ...

The election in Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, the election was dominated in the unionist community by a battle between the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to be the region's largest unionist party in Parliament. Similarly, in the nationalist community, there was a battle between the Social Democratic and Labour Party and Sinn Féin. Royal motto: Quis separabit (Latin: Who will separate?) Northern Irelands location within the UK Official languages English, Irish, Ulster Scots Capital and largest city Belfast First Minister Office suspended Area  - Total Ranked 4th 13,843 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 4th 1,685,267 122/km² NUTS 1... The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP, sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP) is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland, and was the party of government in Northern Ireland between 1921 and 1972. ... The Democratic Unionist Party is a hardline Unionist party in Northern Ireland led by Ian Paisley. ... The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP — Irish: Páirtí Sóisialta Daonlathach an Lucht Oibre) is the smaller of the two major nationalist parties in Northern Ireland. ... The name Sinn Féin (pronounced in English, in Irish), which means ourselves or we ourselves (not as sometimes incorrectly translated, ourselves alone or we alone) has been applied to a series of political movements since 1905 in Ireland, each of which claim or claimed sole descent from the original...

As expected, the DUP and Sinn Féin have emerged as the largest unionist and nationalist parties respectively, at the expense of the more moderate UUP and SDLP.

The UUP fared particularly badly, with leader David Trimble losing Upper Bann, and the party's representation being reduced to one seat, North Down, held by Sylvia Hermon. Although the UUP won more MPs at the 2001 General Election, the defection of Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson to the DUP in January 2004 reversed the position. Other elections in the province have shown both a shift in votes towards the DUP but also a collapse of support for the cross-community Alliance Party which is likely to be more marked in a first past the post election and thus which may work in the UUP's favour. Shortly afterwards, on May 7, Trimble announced his resignation as party leader. The Right Honourable David Trimble (born on October 15, 1944 in Belfast) is a Northern Ireland politician, and former leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), former First Minister of Northern Ireland. ... Upper Bann is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. ... North Down is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. ... Lady Sylvia Hermon (born 11 August 1955) is a Northern Ireland unionist politician. ... The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI), is a political party operating in Northern Ireland. ... The first-past-the-post electoral system is a voting system for single-member districts, variously called first-past-the-post (FPTP or FPP), winner-take-all, plurality voting, or relative majority. ... May 7 is the 127th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (128th in leap years). ...

In the nationalist community, recent elections have shown a clear shift in support from the SDLP to Sinn Féin but events such as the Northern Bank robbery and the murder of Robert McCartney have been used by Sinn Féin's opponents, including the British and Irish governments, to criticise their alleged links to the Provisional IRA, in the hope of reversing this trend. Notes such as this Northern Bank £20 note were stolen. ... Robert McCartney (1971 – 31 January 2005) was the victim of a murder in Belfast, in Northern Ireland, carried out by members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army. ... The Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA; more commonly referred to as the IRA, the Provos, or by some of its supporters as the army or the Ra) is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation. ...

Two of the three SDLP MPs elected in 2001 had retired, while all four of the Sinn Féin MPs stood again. Sinn Féin's victory over the SDLP in Newry and Armagh, giving it a fifth seat, will reduce the number of Northern Ireland MPs who vote in Westminster because Members of Parliament cannot formally take their seats until they swear allegiance to the Queen (which Sinn Féin members refuse to do). The big shock of the election came in South Belfast where the SDLP won the traditionally unionist seat, aided by a split between the two big unionist parties. This, together with their retention of two other seats did much to boost the party's fortunes and morale when many commentators had been predicting a disaster as great as that which met the UUP. Newry and Armagh is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. ... South Belfast is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. ...

See also the list of parties standing in Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom general election of 2005 will see significant numbers of minor or single issue candidates standing for election. ...

Jeffrey Donaldson defection source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/3368223.stm

The ballot

A polling station situated inside a suburban library in the north of Cambridge. Two tellers, wearing party rosettes, are seated collecting voter registration numbers.

At the close of voting (2200 BST) the ballot boxes are sealed and returned to the counting centre where counting proceeds under the supervision of the returning officer who is obliged to declare the result as soon as it is known. There has been stiff competition amongst constituencies to be first to declare. Sunderland South has repeated its performance in the last three elections and in 2005 declared Labour incumbent Chris Mullin re-elected as MP with a majority of 11,059 at approximately 2245 BST (failing by two minutes to beat its previous best, but making it eligible for entry into the Guinness Book of World Records as longest consecutive delivery of first results). The vote itself represented a swing (in a safe Labour seat, in a safe Labour region) of approximately 4% to the Conservatives and 4.5% to the Liberal Democrats. This was somewhat below the prediction of BBC/ITV exit polls published shortly after 2200 BST. Download high resolution version (852x1082, 213 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (852x1082, 213 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... British Summer Time (BST), known in Ireland as Irish Summer Time (IST), is the daylight saving time in effect in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland between the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October each year. ... In United Kingdom, a Returning Officer is responsible for overseeing elections in one or more constituencies. ... This is about the city of Sunderland in England. ... Chris Mullin MP Christopher John Mullin (born 12 December 1947) in the south England town of Chelmsford, Essex. ... The Guinness Book of Records (or in recent editions Guinness World Records, and in previous US editions Guinness Book of World Records) is a book published annually, containing an internationally recognized collection of superlatives: both in terms of human achievement and the extrema of the natural world. ...

Sunderland North were the next to declare, followed by Houghton & Washington East, both Labour holds but with reductions in the incumbent majorities of up to 9%. The first Scottish seat to declare was Rutherglen and Hamilton West — another safe Labour seat, it too was a hold, but with a reduced majority by 4%. The first seat to change hands was Putney, where Labour's majority of around 2500 fell to a strong Conservative challenge, with a total swing of about 5000 (or 6.2%). This was also the first seat to be declared for the Conservatives. The first Liberal Democrat seat to be declared was North East Fife, the constituency of LibDem party deputy leader Sir Menzies Campbell and a hold from 2001. Menzies Campbell The Right Honourable Sir Walter Menzies Campbell CBE QC (born 22 May 1941) is a Scottish barrister and the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for North East Fife. ...

Exit polls

Following problems with exit polls in previous British and American elections, the BBC and ITV agreed for the first time to pool their respective data, using results from Mori and NOP. More than 20,000 people were interviewed for the poll at 120 polling stations across the country. The predictions were excellent - initial projections saw the Labour party returned to power with a majority of 66 (down from 160),[3] and the final result (including Staffordshire South, where the election was postponed due to the death of a candidate) was a Labour majority of 66. The Sky News network has refused to use exit polls since the 1980s, citing their previous inaccuracies. An exit poll is an opinion poll taken after voters have exited the polling stations and is designed to give an early indication as to how an election has turned out as the actual result may take hours to count (such as in UK General Elections) and are usually done...

The projected shares of the vote were Labour 37% (down 5% on 2001), Conservatives 33% (unchanged), Liberal Democrats 22% (up 3%) and other parties 8% (up 2%) [4]. The Conservatives were expected to make the biggest gains, however — forty-four seats according to the exit numbers — with the Liberal Democrats expected to take as few as two. Whilst the exit-poll-predicted vote share for the Lib Dems was accurate (22.6% vs an actual 22.0%), they have actually done better in some Lib Dem-Labour marginals than predicted on the basis of the national share of the vote, producing a net gain of 11 seats.

Election results

• For results by constituency, see Results of the United Kingdom general election, 2005
• For details by MP, see MPs elected in the UK general election, 2005
• For full election results by constituency, see Wikisource:2005 UK general election

Wikinews has news related to this article:

Results of 2005 United Kingdom General Election

At 0428 BST, it was announced that Labour had won Corby, giving them 324 of the 646 seats in the House of Commons, and as a result an overall majority. This was despite polling only 36% of the popular vote, equating to approximately 22% of the electorate based on the estimated turnout of 61.3%. However, turnout rose from 59.2% in 2001, a change that has been mostly attributed to the extension and promotion of postal voting. Wikinews has news related to this article: Results of 2005 United Kingdom General Election Results of the United Kingdom general election, 2005. ... This is a list of MPs elected in the UK general election, 2005 to the House of Commons for the Fifty-Fourth Parliament of the United Kingdom at the United Kingdom general election, 2005, arranged by constituency. ... Wikinews logo. ... Corby is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... Postal Voting describes the method of voting in an election whereby ballot papers are distributed and/or returned by post to electors, in contrast to electors voting in person at a Polling station or electronically via an Electronic voting system. ...

The results were interpreted by the UK media as an indicator of a breakdown in trust in the government, and in the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in particular. As expected, voter disenchantment led to an increase of support for the opposition parties, and caused many Labour voters to remain home on election day. However, ultimately, domestic policy factors helped Labour achieve a historic third term in office. In this context, the new, reduced Labour majority of 67, (as it was before the declaration of South Staffordshire), was viewed by many across the political spectrum as a positive development, a counter to an alleged presidential style of government. After Labour victory became clear, Michael Howard, the leader of the Conservative party, announced that he would be resigning once the internal affairs of his party are stabilised. The final seat to declare was the delayed poll in South Staffordshire, at just after 1 AM on Friday 24 June. Media of the United Kingdom Broadcasting Television Television in the United Kingdom is made up of public television, the BBC, which is funded by public money (an annual fee of around £100), and commercial television (ITV, Channel 4, and Five). ... Apathy is the lack of emotion, motivation, or enthusiasm. ... President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, universities, and countries. ... Michael Howard The Right Honourable Michael Howard, QC (born Michael Hecht, July 7, 1941) is a British politician, the Leader of the Opposition Conservative Party (although stepping down soon). ...

The election was also characterised by a number of smaller battles. In Bethnal Green and Bow, London, former Labour MP George Galloway, running as a candidate for the anti-war Respect, successfully defeated Oona King (Labour), despite a previous majority of 10,000. Following the result, a hostile interview with Jeremy Paxman attracted press attention. In Blaenau Gwent, Peter Law, a former Labour politician, ran as an Independent in protest at the impostion of an all-female candidate shortlist by the national Labour Party. He successfully overturned a 19,313 Labour majority. In Enfield Southgate, Conservative David Burrowes ousted Labour Stephen Twigg, who had famously defeated Michael Portillo for that seat in the 1997 elections. Labour regained one of its by-election losses, Leicester South, but saw an increased Liberal Democrat majority in the other, Brent East. Bethnal Green and Bow is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... The Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster, which contains Big Ben London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... George Galloway featured on BBC Newsnight George Galloway (born 16 August 1954) is a British politician noted for his outspoken rhetorical style and left-wing views. ... RESPECT The Unity Coalition is a left wing British political party founded on January 25, 2004 in London. ... Jeremy Paxman hosting BBC Newsnight Jeremy Paxman (born 11 May 1950) is a BBC journalist, news presenter and author. ... Blaenau Gwent is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... Peter Law in the 2005 General Elections, standing next to Maggie Jones, the Labour party candidate as the results are declared. ... Enfield Southgate is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... David Burrowes is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom, and Member of Parliament for Enfield Southgate, winning the seat in the 2005 election on 5 May 2005 from Labours Stephen Twigg. ... Stephen Twigg (born December 25, 1966) is a British politician and former Labour Member of Parliament for Enfield Southgate. ... Michael Portillo Michael Portillo (born May 26, 1953) is a journalist and was a British Conservative politician. ... The UK general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997. ... A by-election or bye-election is a special election held to fill a political office when the incumbent has died or resigned. ... Leicester South is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons. ... Brent East is constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ...

Others were less fortunate. Robert Kilroy-Silk, a former BBC presenter who joined UKIP, and then set up his own party, Veritas, failed to win a seat in Erewash. He was placed fourth, receiving only 2,957 votes. (The seat was taken by Liz Blackman, Labour) The so-called decapitation policy of targetting Conservative front-benchers, allegedly pursued by the Lib Dems, was also unsuccessful, removing only Tim Collins in Westmorland and Lonsdale. The election also saw regional surges in support for the British National Party, a development that was greeted by many with alarm. However, they failed to win any seats, their highest poll being 16.9% in Barking, East London. Robert Kilroy-Silk (born 19 May 1942) is a British politician and is well-known as the presenter of his former daytime television confessional talk show, Kilroy. ... The United Kingdom Independence Party (commonly known as UKIP, pronounced you-kip) is a right-wing political party that aims at British withdrawal from the European Union. ... Veritas is a United Kingdom political party, formed in 2005 as a split from the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP). ... Erewash is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... Elizabeth Marion Blackman (born September 26, 1949) is a British politician, and member of Parliament for Erewash. ... Timothy William George Collins CBE (born May 7, 1964) is a British politician. ... Creation 1983 MP Tim Farron Party Liberal Democrat Type House of Commons County Cumbria EP constituency North West England Westmorland and Lonsdale is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... The British National Party (BNP) is the largest political party of the far-right in the United Kingdom. ... Barking is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ...

The election was followed by further criticism of the UK electoral system. Calls for reform came particularly from Lib Dem supporters, citing that they received only 10% of the overall seats, despite having over 20% of the popular vote. There have also been calls for reform by some in England, where the Conservative party actually got 60,000 more votes than Labour yet got 90 less seats (though there is some controversy as to whether this figure included Postal Votes). Postal Votes have themselves been criticised amid fears the system at present is not secure enough and makes electoral fraud too easy.

Total seats for each party

(As of 24 June 2005)

Ordered by number of votes; for the results in order number of seats won, see results by number of seats won.

See BBC running scoreboard. Wikinews has news related to this article: Results of 2005 United Kingdom General Election Results of the United Kingdom general election, 2005. ... The Labour Party is the principal centrist/centre-left political party in the United Kingdom (see British politics). ... The Conservative Party is the largest political party on the centre-right in the United Kingdom. ... The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a social liberal political party based in the United Kingdom. ... The United Kingdom Independence Party (commonly known as UKIP) is a Eurosceptic political party that aims at British withdrawal from the European Union. ... In Scotland, the Scottish National Party (SNP) (Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba in Scottish Gaelic) is a centre-left political party which favours Scottish independence. ... The Green Party of England and Wales emerged as a distinct party in the 1990s. ... The Democratic Unionist Party is a hardline Unionist party in Northern Ireland led by Ian Paisley. ... The British National Party (BNP) is the largest political party of the far-right in the United Kingdom. ... Listen to this article · (info) This audio file was created from the revision dated 2005-07-12, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ... The name Sinn Féin (pronounced in English, in Irish), which means ourselves or we ourselves (not as sometimes incorrectly translated, ourselves alone or we alone) has been applied to a series of political movements since 1905 in Ireland, each of which claim or claimed sole descent from the original... The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP, sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP) is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland, and was the party of government in Northern Ireland between 1921 and 1972. ... The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP — Irish: Páirtí Sóisialta Daonlathach an Lucht Oibre) is the smaller of the two major nationalist parties in Northern Ireland. ... RESPECT The Unity Coalition is a left wing British political party founded on January 25, 2004 in London. ... This article deals with the Scottish Socialist Party that was formed in 1998. ... Veritas is a United Kingdom political party, formed in 2005 as a split from the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP). ... The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI), is a political party operating in Northern Ireland. ... The Scottish Green Party is the Green party in Scotland, and a full member of the European Federation of Green Parties. ... Peter Law in the 2005 General Elections, standing next to Maggie Jones, the Labour party candidate as the results are declared. ... The Socialist Labour Party (SLP) is a small left-wing political party in the United Kingdom. ... The Liberal Party is a minor United Kingdom political party. ... Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern (often known by the shorter name Health Concern) is a political party based in Kidderminster, England. ... The Socialist Green Unity Coalition is an electoral alliance formed by leftist parties and political organisations in Great Britain to contest English and Welsh seats in the 2005 parliamentary election. ... In the United Kingdom, the British National Front (most commonly called the National Front or NF) is a far right-wing political party that had its heyday during the 1970s and 80s. ... Cannabis leaves The Legalise Cannabis Alliance (LCA) is a political party registered in the United Kingdom with the cannabis leaf image as its emblem. ... The Community Action Party is a British political party mostly active in Cheshire and Greater Manchester. ... Operation Christian Vote (OCV) is a minor British Political Party founded in May 2004. ... Mebyon Kernow (Cornish for Sons of Cornwall, often abbrieviated MK) is a political party in the United Kingdom. ... Forward Wales (or Cymru Ymlaen in Welsh) is a political party operating in Wales. ... The Christian Peoples Alliance is a minor political party operating in the United Kingdom. ... Vote For Yourself Rainbow Dream Ticket is a United Kingdom Political party which advocates the abolition of parliament in favour of devolution to city states and decision-making by referendum. ... Categories: Ireland-related stubs | Irish political parties | Republic of Ireland political parties | Northern Ireland political parties ... The Socialist Environmental Alliance (SEA) are a minor political party operating in Northern Ireland. ... The Scottish Unionist Party (SUP) is a small political party operating in Scotland. ... The Workers Revolutionary Party was a Trotskyist political party in the United Kingdom. ... The Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party (SSCUP) were formed in February 2003, in time to contest that years elections to the Scottish Parliament. ...

Formation of the new government

Following the election result, Labour remain in power and Tony Blair remained Prime Minister. The first job he undertook was to select a new Cabinet. This was done over the weekend afterwards and formally announced on 9 May 2005. The most senior positions of Chancellor, Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary remained the same, but a few new faces were added; most notably David Blunkett who returned to cabinet as the Work and Pensions Secretary. In the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister is the head of government, exercising many of the executive functions nominally vested in the Sovereign, who is head of state. ... In the Politics of the United Kingdom, the Cabinet is a formal body comprised of government officials chosen by the Prime Minister. ... The Rt. ... The Home Secretary (official full title Secretary of State for the Home Department) is the chief United Kingdom government minister responsible for law and order in England and Wales; his or her remit includes policing, the criminal justice system, the prison service, internal security, and matters of citizenship and immigration. ... The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (colloquially called the Foreign Secretary) is a member of the British Government responsible for relations with foreign countries, heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (often called simply the Foreign Office). ... The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is a position in the UK cabinet, responsible for the Department for Work and Pensions. ...

The new Parliament was sworn in on 11 May 2005.

New party leaders

On May 6, Michael Howard announced he would be standing down as leader of the Conservative Party, but not before a review of the rules for electing a leader had been reviewed. The formal leadership election has not yet started. See Conservative Party (UK) leadership election, 2005. The 2005 Conservative leadership election was announced by party leader Michael Howard on May 6, 2005, when he announced that he would be stepping down as leader in the near future. ...

The following day David Trimble resigned as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party. His successor, Sir Reg Empey, was elected at the meeting of the Ulster Unionist Council on June 24. See Ulster Unionist Party leadership election, 2005. Sir Reginald Empey (born October 26, 1947) is a Northern Ireland politician and Member of the Legislative Assembly for East Belfast. ... June 24 is the 175th day of the year (176th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 190 days remaining. ... The 2005 Ulster Unionist Party leadership election began on May 6, 2005 when David Trimble resigned as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party following his partys poor performance in the 2005 general election when it lost all but one of its seats, including Trimbles own. ...

United Kingdom general elections
1832 | 1835 | 1837 | 1841 | 1847 | 1852 | 1857 | 1859 | 1865 | 1868 | 1874 | 1880 | 1885 | 1886 | 1892 | 1895 | 1900 | 1906 | 1910 (Jan) | 1910 (Dec) | 1918 | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1929 | 1931 | 1935 | 1945 | 1950 | 1951 | 1955 | 1959 | 1964 | 1966 | 1970 | 1974 (Feb) | 1974 (Oct) | 1979 | 1983 | 1987 | 1992 | 1997 | 2001 | 2005 | 2009/10 (est)

United Kingdom general elections are the elections held when the Members of Parliament (MPs) forming the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom are elected. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x800, 6 KB) Please see the file description page for further information. ... The 1832 UK general election, the first after the Reform Act, saw the Whigs win a large majority, with the Tories winning less than 30% of the vote. ... The 1835 UK general election saw Robert Peels Conservatives make large gains from their low of the 1832 election, but the Whigs maintained a large majority. ... The 1837 UK general election saw Robert Peels Conservatives close further on the position of the Whigs, who won their third election of the decade. ... The 1841 UK general election saw a big swing as Robert Peels Conservatives took control of the House of Commons. ... The 1847 UK general election saw candidates calling themselves Conservatives win the most seats, in part because they won a number of uncontested seats. ... The 1852 UK general election was very close, Lord John Russells Whigs again winning the popular vote, but once again Conservative candidates won a very slight majority. ... The 1857 UK general election saw the Whigs, led by Lord Palmerston, finally win a majority in the House of Commons as the Conservative vote fell significantly. ... The 1859 UK general election saw the Whigs, led by Lord Palmerston, hold their majority in a much enlarged House of Commons over the Earl of Derbys Conservatives. ... The 1865 UK general election saw the Liberals, led by Lord Palmerston, increase their large majority over the Earl of Derbys Conservatives. ... The 1868 UK general election saw the Liberals, led by William Gladstone, again increase their large majority over the Earl of Derbys Conservatives. ... The 1874 UK general election ended with the Liberals, led by William Gladstone, winning a majority of the votes cast, but Benjamin Disraelis Conservatives winning the majority of seats in the House of Commons, largely because they won a number of uncontested seats. ... In the UK general election of 1880, also known as the Midlothian Campaign, the Liberals, led by the fierce oratory of retired former Liberal leader William Gladstone in attacking the supposedly immoral foreign policy of the Beaconsfield government, secured one of their largest ever majorities, leaving the Conservatives a distant... The 1885 UK general election was from the 24th November - 18th December 1885. ... The 1886 UK general election took place from July 1-27, 1886. ... The 1892 UK general election was held from 4th - 26th July 1892. ... The UK general election of 1895 was held from 13th July - 7th August 1895. ... The UK general election of 1900 was from 25th September - 24th October 1900. ... The UK general election of 1906 was from 12th January – 8th February 1906. ... The UK general election of January 1910 was held from 15th January – 10th February 1910. ... The UK general election of December 1910 was the last held over several days, from 3rd – 19th December 1910. ... The United Kingdom general election of 1918 held on 14th December 1918, after the Representation of the People Act 1918. ... The UK general election of 1922 was held on 15th November 1922. ... The UK general election of 1923 was held on 5th December 1923. ... The 1924 UK general election was held on 29th October 1924. ... The 1929 UK general election was held on 30th May 1929, and resulted in a hung parliament. ... The UK general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. ... The UK general election held on 14th November 1935 resulted in a large, though reduced, majority for the National Government now led by Stanley Baldwin. ... The British general election of 1945 held on July 5th 1945 but not counted and declared until July 26, 1945 (due to the time it took to transport the votes of those serving overseas) was one of the most significant general elections of the 20th century. ... The United Kingdom general election in 1950 was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. ... The 1951 election was held soon after the UK general election, 1950, which Labour won, but with an unworkable majority. ... The 1955 United Kingdom general election was held on May 26, 1955, four years after the previous general election. ... This United Kingdom general election was held on October 8, 1959, and marked a third successive victory for the ruling Conservative party, led by Harold MacMillan. ... The United Kingdom general election of 1964 result was a very slim majority for the Labour Party, of 4, and led to their first government since 1951. ... The UK general election in 1966 was called by Harold Wilson because his government, elected in the 1964 election, had an unworkably small majority. ... The United Kingdom general election of 1970 was held on June 18, 1970, and resulted in a surprise loss of power for Labour under Harold Wilson, who was replaced as Prime Minister by the Conservative leader, Edward Heath. ... The UK general election of February 1974 was held on February 28, 1974. ... The UK general election of October 1974 took place on October 10, 1974. ... The UK general election, 1979 was held on May 3, 1979 and is regarded as a pivotal point in 20th century British politics. ... United Kingdom general election, 1983 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The UK general election, 1987 was held on June 11, 1987 and was the third victory in a row for Margaret Thatcher and the Conservatives. ... The UK general election, 1992 was held on April 9, 1992, and was the fourth victory in a row for the Conservatives. ... The UK general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997. ... The UK general election, 2001 was held on 7 June 2001 and was dubbed the quiet landslide by the media. ... The next United Kingdom general election must be held on or before 3 June, 2010. ...

External links

Media coverage

• BBC Election 2005
• Channel 4 - Election 2005
• Angus Reid Consultants - Election Tracker
• The Guardian Election 2005 weblog
• The Guardian Politics - Special Report: Election 2005
• The Times Election 2005 Log
• Yahoo! News - Election 2005
• How the British election works

Electoral information

• Electoral Calculus: If there were a General Election tomorrow, what would happen?
• UK Polling Report - analysis of polls on a day-by-day basis.
• Candidates by Party - All 3405 candidates listed by their 124 distinct party labels.
• SourceWatch's article on the 2005 UK general election - with a focus on the strategists and public relations experts involved in the campaigns of the various parties.
• Strategic Voter 2005 - Information for each constituency to strategically vote against the invasion of Iraq

Manifestos

• Alliance Party of Northern Ireland: Alliance works. Tribal politics costs (PDF File)
• British National Party: Rebuilding British Democracy (Abbreviated) (PDF)
• Conservatives: It's Time For Action/The British Dream
• DUP: Leadership That's Working (PDF File)
• Green Party of England and Wales: People, Planet, Peace
• Labour: Britain: forward not back
• Liberal Democrats: The REAL Alternative
• Official Monster Raving Loony Party: Vote for insanity, you know it makes sense!
• Scottish National Party: Make Scotland Matter (PDF file)
• Plaid Cymru – The Party of Wales: We can build a better Wales (PDF file)
• Respect – The Unity Coalition: Policy
• Scottish Socialist Party: Make Capitalism History
• SDLP: A Better Way to a Better Ireland (PDF File)
• Sinn Fein: Manifesto
• UUP: Simply British
• United Kingdom Independence Party: We want our country back

The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI), is a political party operating in Northern Ireland. ... PDF is an abbreviation with several meanings: Portable Document Format Post-doctoral fellowship Probability density function There also is an electronic design automation company named PDF Solutions. ... The British National Party (BNP) is the largest political party of the far-right in the United Kingdom. ... The Conservative Party is the largest political party on the centre-right in the United Kingdom. ... The Democratic Unionist Party is a hardline Unionist party in Northern Ireland led by Ian Paisley. ... The Green Party of England and Wales emerged as a distinct party in the 1990s. ... The Labour Party is the principal centrist/centre-left political party in the United Kingdom (see British politics). ... The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a social liberal political party based in the United Kingdom. ... The Official Monster Raving Loony Party (OMRLP) is a United Kingdom political party that was founded by musician and anti-politician Screaming Lord Sutch in 1983. ... In Scotland, the Scottish National Party (SNP) (Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba in Scottish Gaelic) is a centre-left political party which favours Scottish independence. ... Listen to this article · (info) This audio file was created from the revision dated 2005-07-12, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ... RESPECT The Unity Coalition is a left wing British political party founded on January 25, 2004 in London. ... This article deals with the Scottish Socialist Party that was formed in 1998. ... The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP — Irish: Páirtí Sóisialta Daonlathach an Lucht Oibre) is the smaller of the two major nationalist parties in Northern Ireland. ... Sinn Féin (in the Irish language ourselves or we ourselves; not as sometimes incorrectly translated, ourselves alone) is an Irish political party. ... Predicted properties Name, Symbol, Number ununpentium, Uup, 115 Chemical series presumably poor metals Group, Period, Block 15, 7 , p Appearance unknown Atomic weight [288] amu (a guess) Electron configuration [Rn] 5f14 6d10 7s27p3 (a guess based upon bismuth) e-s per energy level 2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 18, 5... The United Kingdom Independence Party (commonly known as UKIP) is a Eurosceptic political party that aims at British withdrawal from the European Union. ...

Miscellaneous

• Who should you vote for? - A tool to show which party's policies most closely match your priorities
• Who Do I Vote For? - An alternative tool to show which party's policies most closely match your opinions on 20 key policy areas
• The Christian Institute - Includes an election briefing that analyses party manifestos in the light of their perception of Christian beliefs