2010 United Kingdom general election
A general election to select Members of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom (UK) took place on 6th May 2010. The governing Labour Party under Prime Minister Gordon Brown defended its win in the 2005 general election against the Opposition party, the Conservatives, led by David Cameron, the Leader of the Opposition. The three main national parties - Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats - contested 649 seats (see below) using the first past the post voting system alongside smaller parties, including those fielding candidates only in particular regions, such as the Scottish National Party in Scotland. Northern Ireland, being part of the UK, also elects MPs, but these parties do not contest seats in Great Britain and are unchallenged by or stand under electoral pacts with parties in the rest of the UK.
While a general election usually involves all constituencies, the vote in the Thirsk and Malton seat was delayed until 27th May due to the death of a candidate. This meant that the general election would involve 649 seats rather than 650.
Highlights
Lead-up to election day
The campaign was notable for the introduction of American-style leaders' debates, in which the three main party leaders - Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg - faced audiences and attempted to put across their positions. The first debate saw a significant shift towards the Liberal Democrats in the opinion polls conducted around that time,[1] though not so much later; no participant was declared the outright victor in the media.[2]
Another issue which occurred as the final week of the campaign opened involved Prime Minister Gordon Brown privately referring to a member of the public as a "bigot" and discussing a member of his staff regarding this encounter; the Labour leader was caught on tape making the comments after a microphone was left on.[3]
Election day
The vote was marred by several incidents in which thousands of voters were turned away from polling stations as long queues formed or administrative problems delayed proceedings. Turnout was higher than predicted; in some areas, voters were locked out amid angry scenes and talk of legal challenges. Re-runs of the elections in some seats could not be ruled out.[4]
Former United Kingdom Independence Party leader Nigel Farage was seriously injured in a light aircraft crash while campaigning in Northamptonshire after a banner being flown from the plane became entangled in the tailplane.[5]
Election night
Following the close of voting, the Conservatives quickly emerged ahead both in the popular vote and in the number of seats, but polls and early results indicated that the likely outcome was a hung parliament. As the night wore on, it became clear that the surge in support for the Liberal Democrats had failed to translate into parliamentary gains. Nor did senior ministers lose their seats: the biggest government-related casualties included a handful of junior and former ministers, including Jacqui Smith, the former Labour Home Secretary, who had resigned following an expenses scandal, and Charles Clarke, also a former Home Secretary. On the other hand, Hazel Blears, a former minister who had also been embroiled in an expenses controversy, held her seat.
Labour's vote held up in Scotland, while the Conservatives achieved a majority in English constituencies. In Northern Ireland, the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party and First Minister of the Northern Ireland Executive, Peter Robinson, lost his seat to the Alliance Party, which had had no seats in the previous parliament. Robinson had served as an MP since 1979.
The Green Party of England and Wales won their first ever seat in parliament after many years of trying. Independent candidates lost their seats, including Health Concern. An increase in support for smaller parties and independent candidates - predicted following a parliamentary expenses scandal that tarnished all three main parties - did not really occur.
Conservative hopes of presenting a more ethnically-representative parliamentary party were dashed as candidates from non-white backgrounds largely failed in their bids to win seats. The far-right British National Party failed to win any seats, and indeed Labour saw an increased majority in the seat contested by the BNP leader.
By 6am, no clear result was evident after eight hours of counting, in contrast to earlier general elections in which the outcome was clear by that time. The overall national picture failed to reflect many unexpected victories and defeats at local level.[6]
Results
The results of the 2010 UK general election after 601 of 649 seats were declared are as follows:
| Party | Seats | Change[7] | Number of votes | % of votes | % change[8] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 286 | - | 0 | - | - |
| Labour | 236 | - | 0 | - | - |
| Liberal Democrat | 51 | - | 0 | - | - |
| DUP | 8 | - | 0 | - | - |
| SNP | 6 | - | 0 | - | - |
| Sinn Féin | 4 | - | 0 | - | - |
| Plaid Cymru | 3 | - | 0 | - | - |
| SDLP | 3 | - | 0 | - | - |
| UUP | 0 | - | 0 | - | - |
| Alliance | 1 | +1 | 0 | - | - |
| Green | 1 | +1 | 0 | - | - |
| UKIP | 0 | - | 0 | - | - |
| Independent | 1 | - | 0 | - | - |
| Respect | 0 | - | 0 | - | - |
| Health Concern | 0 | -1 | 0 | - | - |
| Election postponed | 1 | - | - | - | - |
Footnotes
- ↑ Independent: 'Leading article: This yellow surge is good for democracy'. 20th April 2010.
- ↑ BBC News: 'Election TV Debate: Who got the most from final clash?'. 29th April 2010.
- ↑ BBC News: 'Gordon Brown 'mortified' by his 'bigoted woman' slur'. 29th April 2010.
- ↑ BBC News: 'Election 2010: Voters turned away as polls close', 7th May 2010; The Times: 'Voters declare their anger as thousands are turned back at polling station door'. 7th May 2010.
- ↑ The Times: 'UKIP's Nigel Farage crashes as millions turn up to vote'. 7th May 2010.
- ↑ The Times: 'Night of surprises leaves all main parties disappointed'. 7th May 2010.
- ↑ Number of seats gained or lost since the 2005 United Kingdom general election.
- ↑ Percentage of votes gained or lost since the 2005 election.