1970 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland

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1970 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland
Ulster Banner.svg
  1966 18 June 1970 Feb. 1974  

12 seats in Northern Ireland of the
630 seats in the House of Commons
 First partySecond party
  James Chichester-Clark 1970.jpg Bernadette Devlin, 1970 (cropped).png
Leader James Chichester-Clark Bernadette Devlin [a]
(De facto)
Party UUP Unity
Alliance Conservative
Leader since19691969
Leader's seatSat in Stormont Mid Ulster
Seats won82
Seat changeDecrease2.svg3Increase2.svg2
Popular vote422,041140,930
Percentage54.2%18.1%
SwingDecrease2.svg7.6%Increase2.svg15.6%

 Third partyFourth party
  Ian Paisley 1970.png
Rep
Leader Ian Paisley Gerry Fitt
Party Protestant Unionist Republican Labour
Leader since19661964
Leader's seat Antrim North Belfast West
Seats won11
Seat changeIncrease2.svg1Steady2.svg
Popular vote35,30330,649
Percentage4.5%3.9%
SwingNew partyDecrease2.svg0.5%

The 1970 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland was held on 31 March with 12 MPs elected in single-seat constituencies using first-past-the-post as part of the wider general election in the United Kingdom. It was the first general election held after the Representation of the People Act 1969 which reduced the voting age from 21 to 18.

Contents

Results

The Ulster Unionists lost seats to the Protestant Unionist Party led by Ian Paisley, moderator of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster, and to Unity, a nationalist organisation which had won a by-election in 1969.

In the election as a whole, the Labour Party failed to return to government and the Conservative Party, which included the Ulster Unionists, formed a government led by Edward Heath as Prime Minister. This was the last parliament where the UUP took the Conservative whip in the House of Commons, breaking with them after the Parliament of Northern Ireland was suspended by the Northern Ireland (Temporary Provisions) Act 1972.

1970 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland [1] [2] [3]
PartyCandidatesVotes
StoodElectedGainedUnseatedNet % of total %No.Net %
  UUP 12803Decrease2.svg366.754.2422,041Decrease2.svg7.6
  Unity 5220Increase2.svg216.718.1140,930Increase2.svg15.6
  NI Labour 600000.012.698,194Increase2.svg0.4
  Protestant Unionist 2110Increase2.svg18.34.535,303Increase2.svg4.5
  Republican Labour 110008.33.930,649Decrease2.svg0.5
  Ind. Unionist 100000.02.317,787Increase2.svg2.3
  Ulster Liberal 400000.01.410,929Decrease2.svg3.5
  National Democratic 200000.01.310,349Increase2.svg1.3
  Independent Labour 300000.01.07,565Increase2.svg1.0
  Independent 300000.00.44,290Increase2.svg0.4
All parties shown.

MPs elected

ConstituencyPartyMP
Antrim North Protestant Unionist Ian Paisley
Antrim South UUP James Molyneaux
Armagh UUP John Maginnis
Belfast East UUP Stanley McMaster
Belfast North UUP Stratton Mills
Belfast South UUP Rafton Pounder
Belfast West Republican Labour Gerry Fitt
Down North UUP Jim Kilfedder
Down South UUP Lawrence Orr
Fermanagh and South Tyrone Unity Francis McManus
Londonderry UUP Robin Chichester-Clark
Mid Ulster Unity Bernadette Devlin

Notes

  1. Unity was the label for a series of electoral pacts by nationalist, republican and socialist candidates. Devlin was the organisation's only MP prior to the 1970 election, having been elected in a 1969 by-election.

Footnotes

    References

    1. Walker, Brian Mercer (1992). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1918–1992 (New History of Ireland). Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. p. 28. ISBN   0901714968.
    2. "Elections to the United Kingdom Parliament held in Northern Ireland: General Election 1970". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 31 January 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
    3. "The 1970 Westminster Elections in Northern Ireland". ARK: Northern Ireland Elections. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2019.