List of MPs elected in the October 1974 United Kingdom general election
This is a list of members of Parliament (MPs) elected in the October 1974 general election, held on 10 October. This Parliament was dissolved in 1979.
| October 1974–1979 Parliament of the United Kingdom | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
 Palace of Westminster in 1977 | |||||
| Overview | |||||
| Legislative body | Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||||
| Term | 10 October 1974 – 3 June 1979 | ||||
| Election | October 1974 United Kingdom general election | ||||
| Government | Fourth Wilson ministry Callaghan ministry | ||||
| House of Commons | |||||
| Members | 635 | ||||
| Speaker | Selwyn Lloyd George Thomas | ||||
| Leader | Michael Foot Edward Short | ||||
| Prime Minister | Harold Wilson James Callaghan | ||||
| Leader of the Opposition | Edward Heath Margaret Thatcher | ||||
| Third-party leader | Jeremy Thorpe Jo Grimond David Steel | ||||
| House of Lords | |||||
| Lord Chancellor | Baron Elwyn-Jones | ||||
Composition
editThese representative diagrams show the composition of the parties in the October 1974 general election.
Note: The Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru sit together as a party group. This is not the official seating plan of the House of Commons, which has five rows of benches on each side, with the government party to the right of the speaker and opposition parties to the left, but with room for only around two-thirds of MPs to sit at any one time.
| Affiliation | Members | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party | 319 | |
| Conservative Party | 277 | |
| Liberal Party | 13 | |
| Scottish National Party | 11 | |
| Ulster Unionist Party | 6 | |
| Plaid Cymru | 3 | |
| Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party | 3 | |
| Democratic Unionist Party | 1 | |
| Social Democratic and Labour Party | 1 | |
| Independent Republican | 1 | |
| Total | 635 | |
| Notional government majority | 0 (-5) | |
| Effective government majority | 2 | |
This is a list of Members of Parliament elected to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in October 1974 general election, held on 10 October. This was the second general election to be held that year. The Parliament lasted until 1979.
Notable newcomers to the House of Commons included Margaret Jackson (later Margaret Beckett), David Penhaligon, Bryan Gould, Margaret Bain (later Margaret Ewing), Helene Hayman and Ann Taylor.
| Table of contents:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z By-elections |
By-elections
editSee the list of United Kingdom by-elections.
Four seats were vacant when Parliament was dissolved preparatory to the 1979 general election:
- Abingdon – Airey Neave (Con)
- Batley and Morley – Alfred Broughton (Lab)
- Chipping Barnet – Reginald Maudling (Con)
- North East Derbyshire – Tom Swain (Lab)
In addition, Maurice Orbach (Labour MP for Stockport South) died on 24 April, after dissolution but before the general election.
Defections
edit- 14 April 1976: John Stonehouse (Walsall North) defects from Labour to English National Party
- 26 July 1976: James Sillars (Ayrshire South) and John Robertson (Paisley) resign from Labour Party and sit as Scottish Labour
- 1977–1978: The Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party fell apart. William Craig (East Belfast) and Robert Bradford (South Belfast) joined the Ulster Unionist Party. John Dunlop joined the United Ulster Unionist Party.
- 1977: James Kilfedder (North Down) left the Ulster Unionist Party and sat as an independent unionist.
Progression of government majority and party totals
editThe government voting total is the total number of Labour MPs, minus the Labour Deputy Speakers (two until 3 Feb 1976, one from that date). The opposition voting total is the total number of other MPs, minus the Speaker and the Conservative Deputy Speakers (one until 3 Feb 1976, two from that date). The majority is the difference between the former and the latter.
The Conservatives began with 276 MPs; the figure of 277 given above includes the Speaker Selwyn Lloyd.
In the Majority column, figures in brackets denote the majority the Lib-Lab pact had during its time of operation.
| Date | Event | Govt majority | Labour | Con | Lib | SNP | UUP | Plaid | Vang | SDLP | DUP | UUUP | ENP | SLP | Indep. | Spkr | Vacant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 October 1974 | Opening of Parliament | 3 | 319 | 276 | 13 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 20 March 1975 | Hamling (Lab, Woolwich W) dies | 2 | 318 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 26 June 1975 | Bottomley wins Woolwich W by-election for Cons | 1 | 277 | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 11 October 1975 | Dunlop defects from Vanguard to UUUP | 2 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| 19 November 1975 | Bradford defects from Vanguard to UUP | 7 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| 27 November 1975 | Kilfedder defects from UUP, becomes Ind Unionist | 6 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| 14 December 1975 | Edelman (Lab, Coventry NW) dies | 0 | 317 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 15 January 1976 | Carr (Con, Carshalton) elevated to Lords | 1 | 276 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 3 February 1976 | Thomas (Lab) becomes Spkr. Lloyd (Spk) resigns | 2 | 316 | 3 | |||||||||||||
| 4 March 1976 | Robinson wins Coventry NW by-election for Lab | 3 | 317 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 11 March 1976 | Conservatives win Carshalton & Wirral by-elections | 1 | 278 | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 6 April 1976 | O'Malley (Lab, Rotherham) dies | 0 | 316 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 7 April 1976 | Stonehouse resigns from Labour | -2 | 315 | 3 | |||||||||||||
| 14 April 1976 | Stonehouse joins English National Party | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| 4 May 1976 | Delargy (Lab, Thurrock) dies | -3 | 314 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 24 June 1976 | Crowther wins Rotherham by-election for Lab | -2 | 315 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 15 July 1976 | McDonald wins Thurrock by-election for Lab | -1 | 316 | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 26 July 1976 | Sillars & Robertson leave Labour for Scot Lab | -5 | 314 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 27 August 1976 | Stonehouse (Eng Nat, Walsall N) resigns seat | -4 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 23 September 1976 | Peart (Lab, Workington) elevated to Lords | -5 | 313 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 12 October 1976 | Lane (Con, Cambridge) resigns seat | -4 | 277 | 3 | |||||||||||||
| 21 October 1976 | Short (Lab, Newcastle C) resigns seat | -5 | 312 | 4 | |||||||||||||
| 4 November 1976 | Cons win 2 by-elections, Lab win 1 (Newcastle C) | -6 | 313 | 279 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 2 December 1976 | Rhodes James (Con) wins Cambridge by-election | -7 | 280 | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 5 January 1977 | Tugendhat (C), Marquand[dubious – discuss] & Jenkins (Lab) resign | -8 | 311 | 279 | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 19 February 1977 | Crosland (Lab, Great Grimsby) dies | -9 | 310 | 4 | |||||||||||||
| 24 February 1977 | Brooke (Con) wins London & Wminster by-elect | -10 | 280 | 3 | |||||||||||||
| 31 March 1977 | MacKay (Con) wins Birmingham Stechford b-e | -11 (15) | 281 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 16 April 1977 | Kirk (Con, Saffron Walden) dies | -10 (16) | 280 | 3 | |||||||||||||
| 28 April 1977 | Cons win Ashfield, Lab win Grimsby by-elections | 311 | 281 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 16 June 1977 | Walden (Lab, Birm Ladywood) resigns seat | -11 (15) | 310 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 7 July 1977 | Haselhurst wins Saffron Walden by-el for Cons | -12 (14) | 282 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 25 July 1977 | Cordle (Con, Bournemouth E) resigns seat | -11 (15) | 281 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 18 August 1977 | Sever wins Birm Ladywood by-election for Lab | -10 (16) | 311 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 8 October 1977 | Prentice defects from Labour to Conservatives | -12 (14) | 310 | 282 | |||||||||||||
| 29 October 1977 | Miller (Lab, Ilford N) dies | -13 (13) | 309 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 24 November 1977 | Atkinson wins Bournemouth E by-el for Cons | -14 (12) | 283 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 26 November 1977 | Craig defects from Vanguard to UUP | 7 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| 18 January 1978 | Small (Lab, Glasgow Garscadden) dies | -15 (11) | 308 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 19 January 1978 | Hall (Con, Wycombe) dies | -14 (12) | 282 | 3 | |||||||||||||
| 22 February 1978 | Lipton (Lab, Lambeth C) dies | -15 (11) | 307 | 4 | |||||||||||||
| 2 March 1978 | Bendall wins Ilford N by-election for Cons | -16 (10) | 283 | 3 | |||||||||||||
| 23 March 1978 | Wilson (Lab, Hamilton) dies | -17 (9) | 306 | 4 | |||||||||||||
| 6 April 1978 | Rawlinson (Con, Epsom & Ewell) resigns seat | -16 (10) | 282 | 5 | |||||||||||||
| 13 April 1978 | Dewar wins Glasgow Gars by-election for Lab | -15 (11) | 307 | 4 | |||||||||||||
| 20 April 1978 | Tilley wins Lambeth C by-election for Lab | -14 (12) | 308 | 3 | |||||||||||||
| 27 April 1978 | Conservatives win Wycombe, Epsom by-elections | -16 (10) | 284 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 16 May 1978 | Hatton (Lab, Manchester Moss Side) dies | -17 (9) | 307 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 20 May 1978 | Mendelson (Lab, Penistone) dies | -18 (8) | 306 | 3 | |||||||||||||
| 31 May 1978 | Robertson wins Hamilton by-election for Lab | -17 (9) | 307 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 24 June 1978 | Harper (Lab, Pontefract & Castleford) dies | -18 (8) | 306 | 3 | |||||||||||||
| 13 July 1978 | Labour wins Penistone, Moss Side by-elections | -16 (10) | 308 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 30 July 1978 | Mackintosh (Lab, Berwick & E Lothian) dies | -17 (9) | 307 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 26 October 1978 | Labour wins 2 by-elections; Walder (Con) dies | -14 | 309 | 283 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 6 November 1978 | Davies (Con, Knutsford) resigns seat | -13 | 282 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 15 December 1978 | Irvine (Lab, Liverpool Edge Hill) dies | -14 | 308 | 3 | |||||||||||||
| 14 February 1979 | Maudling (Con, Chipping Barnet) dies | -13 | 281 | 4 | |||||||||||||
| 1 March 1979 | Conservatives win Clitheroe & Knutsford by-els | -15 | 283 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 2 March 1979 | Swain (Lab, NE Derbyshire) dies | -16 | 307 | 3 | |||||||||||||
| 29 March 1979 | Alton wins Edge Hill by-election for Liberals | -17 | 14 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 30 March 1979 | Neave (Con, Abingdon) dies | -16 | 282 | 3 | |||||||||||||
| 2 April 1979 | Broughton (Lab, Batley & Morley) dies | -17 | 306 | 4 |