1857 United Kingdom general election

United Kingdom general election, 1857
← outgoing members elected members →
All 654 seats in the House of Commons; 328 seats needed for a majority
Prime Minister before election; Viscount Palmerston; Whig	Appointed Prime Minister ; Viscount Palmerston; Whig

In the 1857 United Kingdom general election, the Whigs, led by Lord Palmerston, finally won a majority in the House of Commons as the Conservative vote fell significantly. The election had been provoked by a vote of censure in Palmerston's government over his approach to the Arrow affair which led to the Second Opium War. Aged 72 Palmerston became the oldest person to win a general election for the first time. As of 2024 there has been no person as old as Palmerston to win a general election for the first time.

Results

UK General Election 1857

Party		Candidates						Votes
Party		Stood	Elected	Gained	Unseated	Net	% of total	%	No.	Net %
	Whig	507	377			+53	57.65	64.77	464,127	+7.0
	Conservative	351	264			−66	40.37	33.45	239,712	−7.1
	Chartist	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.1	614	−0.1

Summary

Popular vote

Whig			64.77%
Conservative			33.45%
Others			1.69%
Chartist			0.09%

Seats summary

Parliamentary seats

Whig			57.65%
Conservative			40.37%
Others			1.99%

Notes

^ Including Peelites.
^ "Others" are mostly Irish Independent Opposition.
^ The Conservative total votes cast and MPs includes around 26 Peelites—some reference works claim it was as few as 18.

References

Craig, F. W. S. (1989), British Electoral Facts: 1832–1987, Dartmouth: Gower, ISBN 0900178302
Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael, eds. (2000), British Electoral Facts 1832–1999, Ashgate Publishing Ltd

External links

1857 General Election
- Spartacus: Political Parties and Election Results

[1] Including Peelites.

[2] "Others" are mostly Irish Independent Opposition.

[3] The Conservative total votes cast and MPs includes around 26 Peelites—some reference works claim it was as few as 18.

[1]

[2]

[3]

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