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18 seats in Northern Ireland of the 659 seats in the House of Commons | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Turnout | 67.4% (![]() | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1997 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland was held on 1 May with 18 MPs elected in single-seat constituencies using first-past-the-post as part of the wider general election in the United Kingdom. This was an increase of one seat in Northern Ireland, where the House of Commons as a whole had increased from 650 to 659 seats.
1,177,969 people were eligible to vote, up 53,069 from the 1992 general election. 67.39% of eligible voters turned out, down 2.6 percentage points from the last general election.[1]
Results
[edit]The Labour Party led by Tony Blair won a large majority with 418 of 659 seats, returning to office after 18 years of Conservative Party government. In Northern Ireland, Sinn Féin gained two seats, beginning a steady growth in support in elections to the House of Commons.
Less than a year after this election, on 10 April 1998, the Good Friday Agreement was signed, providing for a Northern Ireland Assembly and devolved government through the Northern Ireland Executive.
Party | MPs | Votes | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Change | No. | % | Change | ||
UUP | 10 | ![]() |
258,439 | 32.7% | ![]() | |
SDLP | 3 | ![]() |
190,844 | 24.1% | ![]() | |
Sinn Féin | 2 | ![]() |
126,921 | 16.1% | ![]() | |
DUP | 2 | ![]() |
107,348 | 13.6% | ![]() | |
UK Unionist | 1 | ![]() |
12,817 | 1.6% | ![]() | |
Alliance | 0 | ![]() |
62,972 | 8.0% | ![]() | |
PUP | 0 | ![]() |
10,934 | 1.4% | ![]() | |
NI Conservatives | 0 | ![]() |
9,858 | 1.2% | ![]() | |
NI Women's Coalition | 0 | New | 3,024 | 0.4% | New | |
Workers' Party | 0 | ![]() |
2,766 | 0.3% | ![]() | |
Natural Law | 0 | ![]() |
2,210 | 0.3% | ![]() | |
Green (NI) | 0 | ![]() |
539 | 0.1% | ||
National Democrats | 0 | New | 81 | New | ||
Independent | 0 | ![]() |
2,136 | 0.3% | ![]() | |
Total | 18 | ![]() |
790,889 | 100 | ![]() |
MPs elected
[edit]By-elections
[edit]Constituency | Date | Incumbent | Party | Winner | Party | Cause | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
South Antrim | 21 September 2000 | Clifford Forsythe | UUP | William McCrea | DUP | Death |
References
[edit]- ^ "UK Parliamentary Election 1997 - Turnout". EONI. Archived from the original on 6 August 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
- ^ "Elections to the United Kingdom Parliament held in Northern Ireland: General Election 1 May 1997". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 31 August 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
- ^ "Westminster election, 1 May 1997". ARK: Northern Ireland Elections. Archived from the original on 10 December 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2019.