IFES
 

June 8, 2017 Held

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Election for British House of Commons

Results

Voter Participation


Cast Votes:32,204,141
Valid Votes:32,129,952
Invalid Votes:74,189
Voter
Turnout*

Vote Share by Party:

Party Seats Won Seats Change Votes

Conservative Party 317 - 13,636,690

42.34%

Labour Party 262 - 12,877,869

39.99%

Scottish National Party 35 - 977,568

3.04%

Liberal Democrats 12 - 2,371,861

7.37%

Democratic Unionist Party 10 - 292,316

0.91%

Sinn Fein 7 - 238,915

0.74%

Plaid Cymru / Party of Wales 4 - 164,466

0.51%

Green Party 1 - - 525,665

1.63%

UK Independence Party - - 594,068

1.84%
Election Results Modified: Jul 09, 2024

General Information

United Kingdom: House of Commons, 8 June 2017

At stake in this election: 

  • 650 seats in the House of Commons

Description of government structure: 

  • Chief of State:   Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
  • Head of Government:   Prime Minister Theresa MAY (since 13 June 2016)
  • Assembly:   The United Kingdom has a bicameral parliament consisting of the House of Lords (92 seats) and the House of Commons (650 seats).

Description of electoral system: 

  • Members of the House of Commons are directly elected by plurality vote in single-seat constituencies to a five-year term.
  • The Prime Minister is nominated by the House of Commons and is typically the leader of the majority party.
  • The monarchy is hereditary.
  • Membership of the House of Lords is hereditary. By-elections are held when vacancies in hereditary peerage arise. 

Last Election: 

  • In the 2015 elections, the Conservative Party won a narrow majority with 330 seats and appointed David CAMERON as Prime Minister. CAMERON stepped down following the Brexit vote in June 2016 and MAY was appointed in his place.
  • The Labor Party won 232 seats and the remaining seats were divided among nine smaller opposition parties.
  • Elections were scheduled for 2020. MAY called for a snap election which was approved by Parliament in April 2017.

Main candidates in the election: 

  • Conservative and Unionist Party
    • Leader: Theresa MAY
    • Seats won in last election:  330
  • Labor Party / Labour Party
    • Leader: Jeremy CORBYN
    • Seats won in last election:   232
  • Scottish National Party
    • Leader: Nicola STURGEON
    • Seats won in last election:   56
  • Liberal Democrats
    • Leader: Tim FARRON
    • Seats won in last election:   8
  • Democratic Unionist Party (Northern Ireland)
    • Leader:  Arlene FOSTER
    • Seats won in last election:  8
  • Liberal Democrats
    • Leader: Tim FARRON
    • Seats won in last election:  8
  • Sinn Féin (Northern Ireland)
    • Leader: Gerry ADAMS
    • Seats won in last election:  4
  • Party of Wales / Plaid Cymru
    • Leader: Leanne WOOD
    • Seats won in last election: 3
  • Social Democratic and Labor Party (Northern Ireland)
    • Leader: Colum EASTWOOD
    • Seats won in last election:  3
  • Ulster Unionist Party (Northern Ireland)
    • Leader: Mike NESBITT
    • Seats won in last election:  2
  • UK Independence Party
    • Leader: Paul NUTTALL
    • Seats won in last election:   1
  • Greens Party of England and Wales
    • Leader: Caroline LUCAS and Jonathan BARTLEY
    • Seats won in last election:   1

Population and number of registered voters: 

  • Population:   64,430,428 (July 2016)
  • Registered Voters:   45,766,429 (December 2016)

Gender Data: 

  • Female Population:   32,374,163 (July 2016)
  • Is the United Kingdom a signatory to CEDAW:  Yes (22 July 1981)
  • Has the United Kingdom ratified CEDAW:   Yes (7 April 1986)
  • Gender Quota:   No
  • Female candidates in this election:   Yes
  • Number of Female Parliamentarians:   402*
  • Human Development Index Position:   16 (2015)
  • Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization:   N/A

*Includes House of Commons and House of Lords

Disability Data: 

  • Is the United Kingdom a signatory to CRPD:   Yes (30 March 2007)
  • Has the United Kingdom ratified CRPD:   Yes (8 June 2009)
  • Population with a disability:   9,613,233
Election Modified: Jun 21, 2024

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