UK General Election 1997 - Election Night Results Aftermath Report

Blair victorious, Major concedes & Ashdown celebrates.

In 1997 Labour ended 18 years in the political wilderness in spectacular style.

The party returned to power with a parliamentary landslide, winning the biggest majority held by any government since 1935.

Tony Blair's New Labour had gained a staggering 179-seat overall majority in the Commons as the Conservatives were tossed aside by the voters.

The election also saw the Liberal Democrats put in a remarkable performance, more than doubling their number of MPs despite taking a reduced share of the vote compared with 1992.

In the election's aftermath, commentators speculated whether it was at all possible for the Conservatives to overturn such a huge majority in a single election.

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[Dendiol]

I don't think the Tories will come anywhere near as close to this win in May... Their poll lead is currently much lower than Labour's was before the 1997 election and if Dave C keeps U-turning, it will decrease further.

I'm hoping for a hung parliament - the ideal coalition for me would see Gordon Brown as PM and Vince Cable as Chancellor. Both of these would certainly show inexperienced Dave and George how to run a country.

[thegreatloy]

We got the National Minimum Wage.

[CybderDude93]

@CybderDude93 Labour enjoying a lead at the moment because the Liberal Democrats lean more left than they do right and the logical party for their left leaning supporters to move to would be Labour. However, the Conservatives do benefit as well, which is why the last poll showed an increase in their support from 2010, from 36.9 to 39.

[CybderDude93]

I would like to take the opportunity to say to all those people who think otherwise, the situation that Labour and the Conservatives find themselves in the polls at the moment is neither a reflection of Labour nor the Conservatives but rather dissatisfaction with the the Liberal Democrats. By entering into a coalition with the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats have effectively forced the polarisation of their support.

[KungfuCow5]

@gopconservative78 That didn't work out to well did it? Pathetic after 13 years out of power. The Tories are on the way out.

[KungfuCow5]

@KungfuCow5 Wilson's second govt. to clarify)

[KungfuCow5]

@Mickmars90 Not true. Wilson, Attlee, Blair nor Brown devalued the pound.

[aeronuk1]

It puzzles me why anyone would be stupid enough to vote labour, they leave the country in debt every time they are given the opportunity. Not to mention the immigration situation that they deliberately caused.

[MegaGreatBritain]

Back when New Labour was actually good

[kkwillsaveus]

@pipoo1 Oh and debt fell as a proportion of GDP in this period, having been bailed out by the IMF before they came to power, and it was Labour who doubled the national debt.

[kkwillsaveus]

@pipoo1 Unemployment at this stage was 1.6 million and falling faster than anywhere in Europe, the economy had grown for 14 consecutive quarters and it was the most benevolent economic inheritance since before WW1. We had a deficit of £6 billlion and falling to a surplus. The Tories foreign policy was nothing compared to an illegal war and sales of arms to Gadaffi to come. 14 years on we're ruing the mistake of ever letting Brown near the economy.

[pipoo1]

@kkwillsaveus It was thinking "unemployment has been over 2 million for 17 years, 6 of them over 3 million, we've had two recessions in under a decade, they've doubled the national debt, crashed the pound and wasted billions in the process, a million people have lost their homes, they have sold arms illegally and taken bribes". In other words "time to get the bastards out and hope we never endure them again". 14 years on the Tories are still crippled by the result of this election.