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February 1974 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland

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Main article: February 1974 United Kingdom general election

February 1974 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland
← 1970 28 February 1974 Oct. 1974 →
12 seats in Northern Ireland of the 635 seats in the House of Commons
  First party Second party
 
Leader Harry West William Craig
Party UUP Vanguard
Leader since Jan. 1974 1973
Leader's seat Fermanagh and South Tyrone Belfast East
Seats won 7 3
Seat change Decrease 1 New
Popular vote 232,103 75,944
Percentage 32.3% 10.6%
  Third party Fourth party
 
Leader Gerry Fitt Ian Paisley
Party Social Democratic and Labour Party DUP
Leader since 1970 1971
Leader's seat Belfast West Antrim North
Seats won 1 1
Seat change New New
Popular vote 160,437 58,656
Percentage 22.4% 8.2%

The February 1974 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland was held on 28 February with 12 MPs elected in single-seat constituencies using first-past-the-post as part of the wider general election in the United Kingdom.

Results

The election took place soon after the Sunningdale Agreement, signed 9 December 1973. On 1 January 1974, an Executive was formed under the terms of the Agreement, based on the result of the 1973 Northern Ireland Assembly election, with Ulster Unionist Party leader Brian Faulkner as Chief Executive. It had six members from the UUP, four from the nationalist SDLP and one from the Alliance Party. These parties had both been founded in 1970.

Later in January 1974, the Ulster Unionist Council voted against participation in the Executive and Faulkner lost the leadership of the UUP to Harry West. West formed the United Ulster Unionist Council with the Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party (VUPP), founded in 1972 by William Craig, and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), founded in 1971 by Ian Paisley. They agreed that only one anti-Sunningdale Unionist would stand in each constituency. This strategy proved successful, with the UUUC winning 11 of the 12 seats. Seven supporters of Faulkner stood as Pro-Assembly Unionists, including outgoing MPs Stanley McMaster and Rafton Pounder.

On the nationalist side, former Republican Labour Party leader Gerry Fitt had formed the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP). Fitt held his seat in Belfast West, but the split in the nationalist vote in Fermanagh and South Tyrone allowed Harry West to gain a seat from Unity. Bernadette McAliskey, who had held a seat for Unity since 1969 for Mid Ulster, contested as an independent but lost, again where a split in the nationalist vote allowed a new Unionist MP to gain.

In the election as a whole, the Conservative Party failed to return to government and the Labour Party formed a minority government led by Harold Wilson as Prime Minister.

style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #48A5EE;" data-sort-value="Ulster Unionist Party" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: darkorange;" data-sort-value="Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #D46A4C;" data-sort-value="Democratic Unionist Party" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #2AA82C;" data-sort-value="Social Democratic and Labour Party" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #FFA07A;" data-sort-value="Pro-Assembly Unionist" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #F6CB2F;" data-sort-value="Alliance Party of Northern Ireland" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: olive;" data-sort-value="Unity (Northern Ireland)" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #DC241f;" data-sort-value="Northern Ireland Labour Party" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #EE0000;" data-sort-value="Republican Clubs" | style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #DCDCDC;" data-sort-value="Independent politician" |
Results[1][2][3]
Party MPs Votes
No. Change No. % Change
UUP 7 Decrease 1 232,103 32.3% Decrease 21.9
Vanguard 3 Increase 3 75,944 10.6% New
DUP 1 Increase 1 58,656 8.2% New
SDLP 1 Increase 1 160,437 22.4% New
Pro-Assembly Unionist 0 Steady 94,301 13.1% Splinter
Alliance 0 Steady 22,660 3.2% New
Unity 0 Decrease 2 17,593 2.4% Decrease 15.7
NI Labour 0 Steady 15,483 2.2% Decrease 10.4
Republican Clubs 0 Steady 15,152 2.1% Increase 2.1
Independent 0 Steady 25,297 3.6% Increase 3.2
Total 12 Steady 723,288 100 Steady

MPs elected

Constituency Party MP
Antrim North

style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #D46A4C;" data-sort-value="Democratic Unionist Party" |

DUP Ian Paisley
Antrim South

style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #48A5EE;" data-sort-value="Ulster Unionist Party" |

UUP James Molyneaux
Armagh

style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #48A5EE;" data-sort-value="Ulster Unionist Party" |

UUP Harold McCusker
Belfast East

style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: darkorange;" data-sort-value="Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party" |

Vanguard William Craig
Belfast North

style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #48A5EE;" data-sort-value="Ulster Unionist Party" |

UUP John Carson
Belfast South

style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: darkorange;" data-sort-value="Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party" |

Vanguard Robert Bradford
Belfast West

style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #2AA82C;" data-sort-value="Social Democratic and Labour Party" |

SDLP Gerry Fitt
Down North

style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #48A5EE;" data-sort-value="Ulster Unionist Party" |

UUP Jim Kilfedder
Down South

style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #48A5EE;" data-sort-value="Ulster Unionist Party" |

UUP Lawrence Orr
Fermanagh and South Tyrone

style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #48A5EE;" data-sort-value="Ulster Unionist Party" |

UUP Harry West
Londonderry

style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: #48A5EE;" data-sort-value="Ulster Unionist Party" |

UUP William Ross
Mid Ulster

style="width: 2px; color:inherit; background-color: darkorange;" data-sort-value="Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party" |

Vanguard John Dunlop

References

  1. ^ Walker, Brian Mercer (1992). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1918–1992 (New History of Ireland). Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. pp. 29–30. ISBN 0901714968.
  2. ^ "Elections to the United Kingdom Parliament held in Northern Ireland: General Election 1974 February". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  3. ^ "Westminster election, 28 February 1974". ARK: Northern Ireland Elections. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
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