Duration of English, British and United Kingdom parliaments from 1660

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This is a list of the parliaments of the United Kingdom, of Great Britain and of England from 1660 to the present day, with the duration of each parliament. The NP number is the number counting forward from the creation of the United Kingdom in 1801 and Great Britain in 1707. Prior to that, the parliaments are counted from the Restoration in 1660.

Contents

The duration column is calculated from the date of the first meeting of the parliament to that of dissolution.

Parliaments from 1922

NPElectedOpenedDissolvedDuration
UK594 July 20249 July 2024Not yet−36 days
UK5812 December 201917 December 201930 May 20244 years, 166 days
UK578 June 201721 June 20176 November 20192 years, 139 days
UK567 May 201527 May 20153 May 20171 year, 342 days
UK556 May 201025 May 201030 March 2015 [lower-alpha 1] 4 years, 310 days
UK545 May 200511 May 200512 April 20104 years, 337 days
UK537 June 200113 June 200111 April 20053 years, 303 days
UK521 May 19977 May 199714 May 20014 years, 8 days
UK519 April 199227 April 19928 April 19974 years, 347 days
UK5011 June 198717 June 198716 March 19924 years, 274 days
UK499 June 198315 June 198318 May 19873 years, 338 days
UK483 May 19799 May 197913 May 19834 years, 5 days
UK4710 October 197422 October 19747 April 19794 years, 168 days
UK4628 February 19746 March 197420 September 1974199 days
UK4518 June 197029 June 19708 February 19743 years, 225 days
UK4431 March 196618 April 196629 May 19704 years, 42 days
UK4315 October 196427 October 196410 March 19661 year, 135 days
UK428 October 195920 October 195925 September 19644 years, 342 days
UK4126 May 19557 June 195518 September 19594 years, 104 days
UK4025 October 195131 October 19516 May 19553 years, 188 days
UK3923 February 19501 March 19505 October 19511 year, 219 days
UK385 July 19451 August 19453 February 19504 years, 187 days
UK3714 November 193526 November 193515 June 19459 years, 202 days [lower-alpha 2]
UK3627 October 19313 November 193125 October 19353 years, 357 days
UK3530 May 192925 June 19298 October 19312 years, 106 days
UK3429 October 19242 December 192410 May 19294 years, 160 days
UK336 December 19238 January 19249 October 1924276 days
UK3215 November 192220 November 192216 November 1923362 days

Notes

  1. ↑ This was the first and only dissolution under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011, which set the parliamentary term at a fixed five years, supposedly barring a Prime Minister from calling an election early for political gain, as had been the common practice. [1]
  2. ↑ At the time of the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, there was little more than a year before the 37th UK Parliament was due to dissolve, but its duration was extended until hostilities in Europe were over. This led to the eventual length of almost ten years for this parliament.

Parliaments 1801-1922

NPElectedOpenedDissolvedDuration
UK3114 December 19184 February 191926 October 19223 years, 265 days
UK303–19 December 191031 January 191125 November 19187 years, 299 days [lower-alpha 1]
UK2915 January –10 February 191015 February 191028 November 1910287 days
UK2812 January –8 February 190613 February 190610 January 19103 years, 332 days
UK271–24 October 19003 December 19008 January 19065 years, 37 days
UK2613 July –7 August 189512 August 189525 September 19005 years, 45 days
UK254–26 July 18924 August 18928 July 18952 years, 339 days
UK241–27 July 18865 August 188628 June 18925 years, 329 days
UK2324 November –18 December 188512 January 188626 June 1886166 days
UK2231 March –27 April 188029 April 188018 November 18855 years, 204 days
UK2131 January –17 February 18745 March 187424 March 18806 years, 20 days
UK2017 November –7 December 186810 December 186826 January 18745 years, 48 days
UK1911–24 July 18651 February 186611 November 18682 years, 285 days
UK1828 April –18 May 185931 May 18596 July 18656 years, 37 days
UK1727 March –24 April 185730 April 185723 April 18591 year, 359 days
UK167–31 July 18524 November 185221 March 18574 years, 138 days
UK1529 July –26 August 184718 November 18471 July 18524 years, 227 days
UK1429 June –22 July 184119 August 184123 July 18475 years, 339 days
UK1324 July –18 August 183715 November 183723 June 18413 years, 221 days
UK126 January –6 February 183519 February 183517 July 18372 years, 149 days
UK1110 December 1832 –8 January 183329 January 183329 December 18341 year, 335 days
UK1028 April –1 June 183114 June 18313 December 18321 year, 173 days
UK929 July –1 September 183014 September 183023 April 1831222 days
UK87 June –12 July 182625 July 182624 July 18304 years, 0 days
UK76 March –14 April 182021 April 18202 June 18266 years, 43 days
UK615 June –25 July 18184 August 181829 February 18201 year, 210 days
UK55 October –10 November 181224 November 181210 June 18185 years, 199 days
UK44 May –9 June 180722 June 180729 September 18125 years, 100 days
UK329 October –17 December 180613 December 180629 April 1807138 days
UK25 July –28 August 180231 August 180224 October 18064 years, 55 days
UK1None [lower-alpha 2] 22 January 180129 June 18021 year, 159 days

Notes

  1. ↑ This, the first parliament since the Civil War to exceed 7 years, was so long because of the extension of the length of this parliament for the duration of the First World War.
  2. ↑ The MPs of the 18th Parliament of Great Britain (elected 1796) and 100 members co-opted from the former Parliament of Ireland, became the House of Commons of the 1st Parliament of the United Kingdom on 1 January 1801. The duration for the 1st Parliament of the United Kingdom, in brackets, is counted from the first meeting of that Parliament to its dissolution. The duration for the 18th Parliament of Great Britain is counted from the first meeting of that Parliament in 1796 to the dissolution of the 1st Parliament of the United Kingdom in 1802.

Parliaments 1705-1800

NPElectedOpenedDissolvedDuration
GB1825 May –29 June 179612 July 17961 January 1801 [lower-alpha 1] 4 years, 174 days
GB1716 June –28 July 179010 August 179020 May 17965 years, 285 days
GB1630 March –18 May 178418 May 178411 June 17906 years, 25 days
GB156 September –18 October 178031 October 178025 March 17843 years, 147 days
GB145 October –10 November 177429 November 17741 September 17805 years, 278 days
GB1316 March –6 May 176810 May 176830 September 17746 years, 144 days
GB1225 March –5 May 176119 May 176111 March 17686 years, 298 days
GB1113 April –20 May 175431 May 175420 March 17616 years, 294 days
GB1026 June –4 August 174713 August 17478 April 17546 years, 239 days
GB930 April –11 June 174125 June 174118 June 17475 years, 359 days
GB822 April –6 June 173413 June 173427 April 17416 years, 319 days
GB714 August –17 October 172728 November 172717 April 17346 years, 141 days
GB619 March –9 May 172210 May 17225 August 17275 years, 88 days
GB522 January –9 March 171517 March 171510 March 17226 years, 359 days
GB422 August –12 November 171312 November 171315 January 17151 year, 65 days
GB32 October –16 November 171025 November 17108 August 17132 years, 257 days
GB230 April –7 July 17088 July 170821 September 17102 years, 76 days
GB1None [lower-alpha 2] 23 October 17073 April 1708164 days
QA27 May –6 June 170514 June 1705N/A [lower-alpha 2] 2 years, 132 days

Notes

  1. ↑ The MPs of the 18th Parliament of Great Britain (elected 1796) and 100 members co-opted from the former Parliament of Ireland, became the House of Commons of the 1st Parliament of the United Kingdom on 1 January 1801. The duration for the 1st Parliament of the United Kingdom, in brackets, is counted from the first meeting of that Parliament to its dissolution. The duration for the 18th Parliament of Great Britain is counted from the first meeting of that Parliament in 1796 to the dissolution of the 1st Parliament of the United Kingdom in 1802.
  2. 1 2 The MPs of the 2nd Parliament of England in the reign of Queen Anne (elected 1705) and 45 members co-opted from the former Parliament of Scotland, became the House of Commons of the 1st Parliament of Great Britain in 1707. The duration for the 1st Parliament of Great Britain, in brackets, is counted from the first meeting of that Parliament to its dissolution. The duration for the 2nd Parliament of England in the reign of Queen Anne is counted from the first meeting of that Parliament in 1705 to the dissolution of the 1st Parliament of Great Britain in 1708.

Parliaments before 1705

NPElectedOpenedDissolvedDuration
QA/12 July 170220 August 17025 April 17052 years, 229 days
WM/53 November 170130 December 17012 July 1702185 days
WM/426 December 17006 February 170111 November 1701279 days
WM/313 July 169824 August 169819 December 17002 years, 118 days
WM/212 October 169522 November 16956 July 16982 years, 227 days
WM/16 February 169020 March 169011 October 16955 years, 206 days
CP29 December 168822 January 16896 February 16901 year, 16 days
KJ2/114 February 168519 May 16852 July 16872 years, 45 days
KC2/420 January 168121 March 168128 March 16818 days
KC2/324 July 167921 October 168018 January 168190 days
KC2/225 January 16796 March 167912 July 1679129 days
KC2/118 February 16618 May 166124 January 167917 years, 262 days
CP16 March 166025 April 166029 December 1660249 days

Key to abbreviations in the NP column:

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Q&A: Fixed Term Parliaments". BBC News. 13 September 2010. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
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