This is a summary of the electoral history of Margaret Thatcher , who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Finchley from 1959 to 1992.
Parliamentary Elections
1950 General Election, Dartford
1951 General Election, Dartford
1959 General Election, Finchley
1964 General Election, Finchley
1966 General Election, Finchley
1970 General Election, Finchley
February 1974 General Election, Finchley
October 1974 General Election, Finchley
1979 General Election, Finchley
1983 General Election, Finchley
1987 General Election, Finchley
Conservative Party leadership elections
1975 Leadership Election
Heath resigned as Conservative leader, but another ballot was needed. This was held on 11 February.
1989 Leadership election
1990 Leadership Election
Although receiving the support of a clear majority of MPs, Thatcher narrowly failed to achieve a lead over Heseltine that comprised at least 15% of the number of all Conservative MPs, abstentions and spoilt ballots included. Thatcher therefore decided to withdraw her candidacy on Thursday 22 November 1990. As a result of this, two further candidates allowed themselves to be nominated: the Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd and the Chancellor of the Exchequer John Major . John Major subsequently won the leadership election and was made Prime Minister.
UK General Elections
1979 General Election
UK General Election 1979
Party
Candidates
Votes
Stood
Elected
Gained
Unseated
Net
% of total
%
No.
Net %
Conservative
622
339
63
1
+ 62
53.4%
43.9
13,697,923
+ 8.1
Labour
623
269
4
54
– 50
42.4%
36.9
11,532,218
– 2.3
Liberal
577
11
1
3
– 2
1.7%
13.8
4,313,804
– 4.5
SNP
71
2
0
9
– 9
0.31%
1.6
504,259
– 1.3
UUP
11
5
1
2
– 1
0.79%
0.8
254,578
– 0.1
National Front
303
0
0
0
0
N/A
0.6
191,719
+ 0.2
Plaid Cymru
36
2
0
1
– 1
0.31%
0.4
132,544
– 0.2
SDLP
9
1
0
0
0
0.16%
0.4
126,325
– 0.2
Alliance
12
0
0
0
0
N/A
0.3
82,892
+ 0.1
DUP
5
3
2
0
+ 2
0.47%
0.2
70,795
– 0.1
Ecology
53
0
0
0
0
N/A
0.1
39,918
+ 0.1
UUUP
2
1
1
0
+ 1
0.16%
0.1
39,856
N/A
Independent Ulster Unionist
1
1
1
0
+ 1
0.16%
0.1
36,989
+ 0.1
Independent Labour
12
0
0
0
0
0.16%
0.1
27,953
– 0.1
Irish Independence
4
0
0
0
0
N/A
0.1
23,086
N/A
Ind. Republican
1
1
0
0
0
N/A
0.1
22,398
– 0.1
Independent
62
0
0
0
0
N/A
0.1
19,531
+ 0.1
Communist
38
0
0
0
0
N/A
0.1
16,858
0.0
SLP
3
0
0
0
0
N/A
0.1
13,737
N/A
Workers Revolutionary
60
0
0
0
0
N/A
0.1
12,631
+ 0.1
Workers' Party of Ireland
7
0
0
0
0
N/A
0.1
12,098
0.0
Independent SDLP
1
0
0
0
0
N/A
0.0
10,785
N/A
Unionist Party NI
3
0
0
0
0
N/A
0.0
8,021
– 0.1
Ind. Conservative
7
0
0
0
0
N/A
0.0
4,841
0.0
NI Labour
3
0
0
0
0
N/A
0.0
4,441
0.0
Mebyon Kernow
3
0
0
0
0
N/A
0.0
4,164
0.0
Democratic Labour
2
0
0
0
0
N/A
0.0
3,785
– 0.1
Wessex Regionalist
7
0
0
0
0
N/A
0.0
3,090
N/A
Socialist Unity
10
0
0
0
0
N/A
0.0
2,834
N/A
Independent Democratic
5
0
0
0
0
N/A
0.0
1,087
N/A
United Country
2
0
0
0
0
N/A
0.0
1,033
N/A
Independent Liberal
2
0
0
0
0
N/A
0.0
1,023
0.0
Independent Socialist
2
0
0
0
0
N/A
0.0
770
0.0
Workers (Leninist)
2
0
0
0
0
N/A
0.0
767
0.0
New Britain
2
0
0
0
0
N/A
0.0
717
0.0
Fellowship
2
0
0
0
0
N/A
0.0
531
0.0
More Prosperous Britain
6
0
0
0
0
N/A
0.0
518
0.0
United English National
2
0
0
0
0
N/A
0.0
238
0.0
Cornish Nationalist
1
0
0
0
0
N/A
0.0
227
N/A
Social Democrat
1
0
0
0
0
N/A
0.0
144
0.0
English National
1
0
0
0
0
N/A
0.0
142
0.0
Socialist (GB)
1
0
0
0
0
N/A
0.0
78
0.0
All parties shown.
Government's new majority
43
Total votes cast
31,221,362
Turnout
76%
1983 General Election
United Kingdom General Election 1983
Party
Candidates
Votes
Stood
Elected
Gained
Unseated
Net
% of total
%
No.
Net %
Conservative
633
397
47
10
+ 37
61.1
42.4
13,012,316
– 1.5
Labour
633
209
4
55
– 51
32.2
27.6
8,456,934
– 9.3
Alliance
633
23
14
0
+ 14
3.5
25.4
7,780,949
+ 11.6
SNP
72
2
0
0
0
0.3
1.1
331,975
– 0.5
UUP
16
11
3
1
+ 2
1.7
0.8
259,952
0.0
DUP
14
3
2
1
+ 1
0.5
0.5
152,749
+ 0.3
SDLP
17
1
0
1
– 1
0.2
0.4
137,012
0.0
Plaid Cymru
38
2
0
0
0
0.3
0.4
125,309
0.0
Sinn Féin
14
1
1
1
0
0.2
0.3
102,701
N/A
Alliance
12
0
0
0
0
0.0
0.2
61,275
– 0.1
Ecology
109
0
0
0
0
0.0
0.2
54,299
+ 0.1
Independent
0
0
0
0
0.0
0.1
30,422
N/A
National Front
60
0
0
0
0
0.0
0.1
27,065
– 0.5
UPUP
1
1
1
0
+ 1
0.2
0.1
22,861
N/A
Independent Labour
0
0
0
0
0.0
0.1
16,447
0.0
Workers' Party of Ireland
14
0
0
0
0
0.0
0.0
14,650
– 0.1
BNP
54
0
0
0
0
0.0
0.0
14,621
N/A
Independent Liberal
3[ 1]
0
0
0
0
0.0
0.0
13,743
0.0
Communist
35
0
0
0
0
0.0
0.0
11,606
– 0.1
Independent Socialist
1
0
0
0
0
0.0
0.0
10,326
N/A
Ind. Conservative
0
0
0
0
0.0
0.0
9,442
0.0
Independent Communist
0
0
0
0
0.0
0.0
4,760
N/A
Workers Revolutionary
21
0
0
0
0
0.0
0.0
3,798
– 0.1
Monster Raving Loony
11
0
0
0
0
0.0
0.0
3,015
N/A
Wessex Regionalist
10
0
0
0
0
0.0
0.0
1,750
0.0
Mebyon Kernow
2
0
0
0
0
0.0
0.0
1,151
N/A
Independent DUP
1
0
0
0
0
0.0
0.0
1,134
N/A
Licensees
4
0
0
0
0
0.0
0.0
934
N/A
Nationalist Party
5
0
0
0
0
0.0
0.0
630
N/A
Labour and Trade Union
1
0
0
0
0
0.0
0.0
584
N/A
Revolutionary Communist
4
0
0
0
0
0.0
0.0
581
N/A
Freedom Party
1
0
0
0
0
0.0
0.0
508
N/A
All parties with more than 500 votes shown.
Government's new majority
144
Total votes cast
30,661,309
Turnout
72.7%
1987 General Election
UK general election 1987
Party
Candidates
Votes
Stood
Elected
Gained
Unseated
Net
% of total
%
No.
Net %
Conservative
633
376
9
30
– 21
57.8
42.2
13,760,935
– 0.2
Labour
633
229
26
6
+ 20
35.2
30.8
10,029,270
+ 3.2
Alliance
633
22
5
6
– 1
3.38
22.6
7,341,651
– 2.8
SNP
72
3
3
2
+ 1
0.46
1.3
416,473
+ 0.2
UUP
12
9
0
2
– 2
1.38
0.8
276,230
0.0
SDLP
13
3
2
0
+ 2
0.46
0.5
154,067
+ 0.1
Plaid Cymru
38
3
1
0
+ 1
0.46
0.4
123,599
0.0
Green
133
0
0
0
0
0.3
89,753
+ 0.1
DUP
4
3
0
0
0
0.46
0.3
85,642
– 0.2
Sinn Féin
14
1
0
0
0
0.15
0.3
83,389
0.0
Alliance
16
0
0
0
0
0.2
72,671
0.0
Workers' Party of Ireland
14
0
0
0
0
0.1
19,294
+ 0.1
UPUP
1
1
0
0
0
0.15
0.1
18,420
0.0
Real Unionist
1
0
0
0
0
0.1
14,467
N/A
Communist
19
0
0
0
0
0.0
6,078
0.0
Protestant Unionist
1
0
0
0
0
0.0
5,671
N/A
Red Front
14
0
0
0
0
0.0
3,177
N/A
Orkney and Shetland Movement
1
0
0
0
0
0.0
3,095
N/A
Moderate Labour
2
0
0
0
0
0.0
2,269
N/A
Monster Raving Loony
5
0
0
0
0
0.0
1,951
0.0
Workers Revolutionary
10
0
0
0
0
0.0
1,721
0.0
Independent Liberal
0
0
0
0
0.0
686
0.0
BNP
2
0
0
0
0
0.0
553
0.0
Independent Green
0
0
0
0
0.0
522
N/A
All parties gaining over 500 votes listed.
Government's new majority
102
Total votes cast
32,530,204
Turnout
75.3%
References