1997 United Kingdom general election in Scotland

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1997 United Kingdom general election
Flag of Scotland.svg
  1992 1 May 1997 2001  

All 72 Scottish seats to the House of Commons
Turnout71.3%, Decrease2.svg4.2%
 First partySecond party
  Tony Blair 1997.jpg Paddy Ashdown (2005) (cropped).jpg
Leader Tony Blair Paddy Ashdown
Party Labour Liberal Democrats
Leader since 21 July 1994 16 July 1988
Seats before499
Seats won5610
Seat changeIncrease2.svg7Increase2.svg1
Popular vote1,283,350365,362
Percentage45.6%13.0%
SwingIncrease2.svg6.6%Decrease2.svg0.1%

 Third partyFourth party
  Alex Salmond, First Minister of Scotland (cropped).jpg Major PM full (cropped).jpg
Leader Alex Salmond John Major
Party SNP Conservative
Leader since22 September 1990 4 July 1995 [n 1]
Seats before311
Seats won60
Seat changeIncrease2.svg3Decrease2.svg11
Popular vote621,550493,059
Percentage22.1%17.5%
SwingIncrease2.svg0.6%Decrease2.svg8.2%

1997 UK General election in Scotland.svg
Coloured according to the winning party's vote share in each constituency

A general election was held in the United Kingdom on 1 May 1997 and all 72 seats in Scotland were contested. This would be the last UK general election to be contested in Scotland before the Scottish Parliament was established on 1 July 1999 following overwhelming public approval in a referendum.

Contents

MPs

List of MPs for constituencies in Scotland (1997–2001)

Top target seats of the main parties

Labour targets

RankConstituencyWinning party 1992Swing to gainLabour's place 1992Result
1 Ayr Conservative 0.12ndLab Gain
2 Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber Liberal Democrats 0.452ndLab Gain
3 Stirling Conservative 0.752ndLab Gain
4 Aberdeen South Conservative 1.852ndLab Gain
5 Edinburgh Pentlands Conservative 4.82ndLab Gain

SNP targets

RankConstituenceeWinning party 1992Swing to gainSNP's place 1992Result
1 Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber Liberal Democrats 0.653rdLab Gain
2 Perth Conservative 2.12ndSNP Gain
3 Galloway and Upper Nithsdale Conservative 2.752ndSNP Gain
4 North Tayside Conservative 4.62ndSNP Gain

Conservative targets

RankConstituencyWinning party 1992Swing to gainCon place 1992Result
1 Gordon Liberal Democrats 0.22ndLD hold
2 Angus East SNP 12ndSNP hold
3 Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber Liberal Democrats 1.74thLab Gain
4 West Renfrewshire Labour 1.852ndLab hold
5 Edinburgh Central Labour 2.72ndLab hold
6 Moray SNP 3.12ndSNP hold
7 Strathkelvin and Bearsden Labour 3.12ndLab hold
8 Cunninghame North Labour 3.452ndLab hold
9 Argyll and Bute Liberal Democrats 3.62ndLD hold
10 North East Fife Liberal Democrats 3.952ndLD hold
11 Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale Liberal Democrats 4.12ndLD hold
12 Banff and Buchan SNP 4.452ndSNP hold
13 Edinburgh South Labour 4.72ndLab hold

Liberal Democrat targets

RankConstituencyWinning party 1992Swing to gainLD's place 1992Result
1 Edinburgh West Conservative 0.62ndLD Gain
2 West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine Conservative 4.32ndLD Gain

Results

1997 map of Scottish Constituencies - Results United Kingdom general election 1997 in Scotland.svg
1997 map of Scottish Constituencies - Results

Below is a table summarising the results of the 1997 general election in Scotland. [2]

PartySeatsSeats
change
Votes % %
change
Labour 56Increase2.svg71,283,35045.6Increase2.svg6.6
SNP 6Increase2.svg3621,55022.1Increase2.svg0.6
Liberal Democrats 10Increase2.svg1365,36213.0Decrease2.svg0.1
Conservative 0Decrease2.svg11493,05917.5Decrease2.svg8.2
Referendum 0New26,7260.95New
Scottish Socialist 0New9,7400.35New
ProLife Alliance 05,7500.25
Independent 02,1620.08
Natural Law 01,9790.07
Socialist Labour 01,9450.07
Scottish Green 01,7210.06Decrease2.svg0.2
UKIP 01,5850.06
Independent Labour 08120.03
BNP 06510.02
Liberal 06500.02
Socialist (GB) 03150.01
Workers Revolutionary 0800.00
Turnout2,816,74871.3Decrease2.svg4.2

Votes summary

Popular vote
Labour
45.56%
SNP
22.06%
Conservative
17.50%
Liberal Democrats
12.97%
Other
1.91%
Parliament seats
Labour
77.78%
Liberal Democrats
13.89%
SNP
8.33%

Outcome

The election saw the Conservatives lose every seat that they held in Scotland, although the party were third in terms of vote share (winning 17.5% of votes cast in Scotland). By contrast the Liberal Democrats won 13% of votes cast, but won ten seats, a net gain of one on the previous election. The SNP finished second in terms of vote share with 22%, but only won six seats. Labour won 45.6% of the vote and 56 seats, a net gain of seven on 1992. The defeated Conservative included three cabinet ministers: the Secretary of State for Scotland, Michael Forsyth lost Stirling to Labour, the Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind lost Edinburgh Pentlands, also to Labour, while Ian Lang, President of the Board of Trade, lost Galloway and Upper Nithsdale to the SNP. [3]

Notes

  1. Conservative party leader John Major resigned as Leader of the Conservative Party on 22 June 1995 to face critics in his party and government, and was reelected as Leader on 4 July 1995. Prior to his resignation he had held the post of Leader of the Conservative Party since 28 November 1990. [1]

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References

  1. "1995: Major wins Conservative leadership". BBC News. 4 July 1995.
  2. "Election 2001 | Results | Scotland". BBC News. 14 August 2001. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  3. Gillian Bowditch (1997). "Future of the Union:Scotland. Tory Silence in the Glens". The Times Guide to the House of Commons 1997. London: Times Books. pp. 39–40. ISBN   0-7230-0956-2.