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2001 United Kingdom General Election

Here's the rewritten and expanded article, presented with my usual lack of enthusiasm for the mundane.

2001 United Kingdom general election

← 1997 7 June 2001 2005 →

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All 659 seats to the House of Commons 330 seats needed for a majority Opinion polls Registered: 44,403,238 Turnout: 26,367,383 59.4% (–11.9 percentage points)

The 2001 United Kingdom general election, a rather predictable affair, convened on Thursday, 7 June 2001. It was the occasion for electing the full complement of 659 members to the House of Commons, four years after the previous political upheaval on 1 May 1997. The incumbent Labour Party, under the rather self-satisfied gaze of Prime Minister Tony Blair, secured a second term with what was generously termed a "landslide victory." Though they returned 412 Members of Parliament, a net loss of a mere six seats from their previous triumph, the overall turnout was a dismal 59.4%, a stark drop from the 71.6% witnessed in 1997. This significant dip in public engagement, or perhaps just profound indifference, marked the election as something of an anomaly.

The Labour Party, despite its electoral success, saw its vote share decrease by nearly three million votes compared to the preceding election. Nevertheless, Tony Blair etched his name in history as the only Labour prime minister to achieve two consecutive full terms in office. The media, in their infinite wisdom, christened this election "the quiet landslide," a rather poetic, if slightly absurd, moniker for a contest that saw remarkably little change outside the perpetually turbulent landscape of Northern Ireland. In fact, 620 out of the 641 seats in Great Britain elected candidates from the same parties that had held them in 1997. A robust economy, as always, provided a convenient backdrop for the ruling party's continued tenure.

The Conservative Party, led by the perpetually earnest William Hague, found itself in a familiar position of deep internal division, particularly concerning the ever-contentious issue of Europe. Their policy platform, seemingly adrift, had veered noticeably towards the right. Their campaign, which attempted to galvanize support around the prospect of the UK joining the Eurozone, failed to ignite the electorate's imagination. While the Conservatives experienced a brief, fleeting surge in the polls during the 2000 fuel protests, Labour managed to deftly navigate the crisis, resolving it by year's end. Hague's tenure as leader was further hampered by a series of ill-conceived publicity stunts, and the election result prompted his immediate resignation. He formally stepped down three months later, becoming the first Conservative leader in the House of Commons since Austen Chamberlain nearly eighty years prior to not attain the office of Prime Minister.

The election was, in essence, a muted echo of 1997. Labour shed only six seats overall, while the Conservatives, through a complex dance of gains and losses, managed a net gain of a single seat. They did, however, manage to reclaim a seat in Scotland, thereby shedding the rather unflattering label of an "England-only" party that had clung to them in the previous parliament. Yet, their inability to secure any seats in Wales persisted. Curiously, amidst the general lack of dramatic shifts, three future Conservative Prime Ministers—David Cameron, Boris Johnson—along with future Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, were elected as MPs. Osborne, incidentally, would later serve in the same Cabinet as Cameron from 2010 to 2016. The Liberal Democrats, under the somewhat disheveled leadership of Charles Kennedy, managed a modest net gain of six seats.

Significant shifts were observed in Northern Ireland. The moderate unionist Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) saw its representation dwindle, losing four seats to the more hardline Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). A similar ideological realignment occurred within the nationalist community, where the moderate Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) experienced a decline in support, ceding ground to the more staunchly republican and abstentionist Sinn Féin.

One of the most striking features of this election was the exceptionally low voter turnout, dipping below 60% for the first time since the tumultuous 1918 election. The proceedings were, of course, broadcast live on BBC One, with a panel of presenters that included the ever-looming David Dimbleby, the interrogative Jeremy Paxman, the insightful Andrew Marr, the numerically adept Peter Snow, and the astute Tony King. A minor but notable innovation in 2001 was the introduction of party logos on the ballot papers, a departure from the previous practice of displaying only the candidate's name, address, and party affiliation. A minor detail, perhaps, but one that marked a subtle shift in the election's presentation.

Several prominent figures departed the political stage. Among the notable departing MPs were former Prime Ministers Edward Heath (who also held the esteemed position of Father of the House) and John Major. Also leaving were former Deputy Prime Minister Michael Heseltine, former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown, and a cadre of former Cabinet ministers including Tony Benn, Tom King, John Morris, Mo Mowlam, John MacGregor, and Peter Brooke. Also departing were Teresa Gorman and, by then, the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone.

Background

The election was characterized by a pervasive sense of voter apathy, with turnout plummeting to 59.4%, the lowest figure and the first time it had fallen below 70% since the Coupon Election of 1918. Throughout the campaign, the Labour Party maintained a commanding lead in the opinion polls. The outcome was considered so certain that some bookmakers began paying out on a Labour victory before polling day had even concluded. However, the preceding autumn had seen a brief, narrow lead for the Tories in the polls, a surge attributed to public discontent over the government's handling of the fuel protests, which had led to severe fuel shortages.

By the close of 2000, the fuel dispute had been resolved, and Labour reasserted its dominance in the opinion polls. In total, a mere 29 parliamentary seats changed hands during the 2001 election, a testament to the relative stability, or perhaps stagnation, of the political landscape.

The year 2001 also witnessed the rather unusual election of an independent candidate. Richard Taylor, representing Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern (now more commonly known as "Health Concern"), unseated the government MP David Lock in the Wyre Forest constituency. Additionally, Nick Griffin, the leader of the British National Party, secured a substantial vote in Oldham West and Royton, a result that occurred in the wake of recent race riots in the town of Oldham.

In Northern Ireland, the election proved considerably more dramatic. A discernible shift occurred among unionist voters, moving away from support for the Good Friday Agreement. The moderate Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) lost ground to the more hardline Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). This polarization was mirrored in the nationalist community, where the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) saw its vote share decline in favour of the more left-wing and republican Sinn Féin. The election also marked a consolidation of party support, as the small UK Unionist Party lost its sole parliamentary seat.

Campaign

The election had initially been anticipated for 3 May, to align with local elections. However, on 2 April 2001, the local elections were postponed to 7 June due to restrictions on rural movement imposed in response to the devastating foot-and-mouth outbreak that had begun in February.

On 8 May, Prime Minister Tony Blair officially announced that the general election would proceed on 7 June, coinciding with the rescheduled local elections. Blair made this announcement not from the customary steps of Downing Street, but during a speech delivered at St Saviour's and St Olave's Church of England School in Bermondsey, London.

For Labour, the preceding four years had been remarkably smooth sailing. The party had successfully defended all its by-election seats, leading many to anticipate a Labour victory from the outset.

Despite this apparent confidence, a palpable fear of voter apathy permeated the party. This sentiment was perhaps best encapsulated in a poster featuring William Hague adorned with Margaret Thatcher's distinctive hairstyle, accompanied by the stark caption: "Get out and vote. Or they get in." While economic recessions were impacting mainland Europe and the United States following the bursting of global tech bubbles, Britain remained notably insulated. Labour could thus campaign on the strength of a robust economy, with unemployment continuing its downward trajectory, effectively quelling any anxieties about a Labour government jeopardizing economic stability.

For William Hague, however, the situation was far less optimistic. The Conservative Party had yet to fully recover from the drubbing of 1997. The persistent divisions over Europe remained a significant obstacle, and discussions about a potential referendum on joining the Eurozone were widespread, leading to the prominent campaign slogan "Save The Pound." As Labour occupied the political centre ground, the Conservatives, in contrast, moved further to the right. A significant misstep by Oliver Letwin concerning proposed public spending cuts provided Labour with a potent weapon, which they readily exploited.

Margaret Thatcher, in a speech to the Conservative Election Rally in Plymouth on 22 May 2001, characterized New Labour as "rootless, empty, and artificial." Her strong opposition to the Euro, met with enthusiastic applause, further complicated Hague's challenge. Hague himself, despite his adept performance at Prime Minister's Questions, found himself relentlessly scrutinized by the press. He was frequently reminded of a speech he had delivered at the age of 16 at the 1977 Conservative Conference. The tabloid newspaper The Sun, in a move that surely didn't help, backed Labour for a second consecutive election, famously describing Hague as a "dead parrot" during the Conservative Party's conference in October 1998.

The Conservatives' campaign adopted a decidedly right-wing stance, focusing on themes of Europe, immigration, and taxation – the so-called "Tebbit Trinity". They also unveiled a poster depicting a heavily pregnant Tony Blair, with the provocative slogan: "Four years of Labour and he still hasn't delivered." Labour, however, effectively countered this by questioning the funding sources for the Conservatives' proposed tax cuts, decrying their policy as "cut here, cut there, cut everywhere," playing on the widespread belief that the Conservatives would implement drastic cuts to public services to finance tax reductions. Capitalizing on the prevailing economic prosperity, Labour also launched a significant attack line, particularly aimed at Michael Portillo (who had returned to Parliament via a by-election as Shadow Chancellor), warning of a return to the "Tory Boom and Bust" cycle under a Conservative government.

Charles Kennedy contested his first general election as the leader of the Liberal Democrats, marking a new chapter for the party.

During the campaign, an incident involving Sharron Storer, a resident of Birmingham, gained significant media attention. Confronting Prime Minister Tony Blair on camera at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham on 16 May, she voiced her concerns about the state of the National Health Service. Storer's partner, Keith Sedgewick, a cancer patient suffering from non-Hodgkin lymphoma and thus highly vulnerable to infection, was being treated at the time in the bone marrow unit. However, no bed was immediately available, and he was consequently transferred to the casualty unit for his initial 24 hours of care. On the same evening, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott was involved in a physical altercation, punching a protestor after being egged on his way to an election rally in Rhyl, North Wales.

Endorsements

Opinion polling

Main article: Opinion polling for the 2001 United Kingdom general election

Opinion polling for UK general elections 1992 election Opinion polls

1997 election Opinion polls

2001 election Opinion polls

2005 election Opinion polls

2010 election Opinion polls

  Labour

•   Conservatives

•   Liberal Democrats

Results

Constituency results by party

Equal-area projection of constituency results

Equal-area projection of constituency gains

Result by countries and English regions

The election outcome was, to all intents and purposes, a carbon copy of 1997. The Labour Party maintained its substantial majority, with the BBC declaring victory in the early hours of 8 June. Having presided over a period of relative political, economic, and social calm, the prevailing sense of prosperity in the United Kingdom had carried into the new millennium, granting Labour a clear mandate to pursue its agenda in the subsequent parliamentary term. Despite this electoral success, voter apathy remained a significant concern, as turnout fell below 60%, a decline of 12 percentage points from 1997. All three major parties experienced a reduction in their overall vote counts: Labour's vote dropped by 2.8 million, the Conservatives' by 1.3 million, and the Liberal Democrats' by 428,000. Some interpreted this dramatic decrease as a sign of widespread acceptance of the status quo and a confirmation that Labour's majority was likely to remain unassailable.

For the Conservatives, the profound losses of 1997 were largely replicated. Despite securing nine gains, they simultaneously lost seven seats to the Liberal Democrats and one to Labour (South Dorset). William Hague promptly announced his resignation at 07:44 outside Conservative Party headquarters. While some observers considered Hague to have been unfortunate, and indeed acknowledged his talents as an orator and statesman, he ultimately faced the charismatic Tony Blair at the zenith of his political influence. It was therefore unsurprising that little headway was made in reducing Labour's majority, particularly after a relatively uneventful parliamentary term.

Remaining at what they likely perceived as rock bottom, the Conservatives demonstrated a failure to improve their negative public image, continued to be fractured by internal divisions over Europe, and had not regained the trust lost in the preceding decade. Hague's focus on the "Save The Pound" campaign narrative proved ineffective. Labour's counter-strategy was to maintain a deliberate vagueness on the issue of future monetary union, stating only that the UK would consider joining the Eurozone "when conditions were right." In Scotland, despite gaining one seat from the Scottish National Party, the Conservatives' vote collapse persisted. They failed to recapture former strongholds, with the Nationalists consolidating their influence in the northeastern part of the country.

The Liberal Democrats could, at least, point to steady progress under their new leader, Charles Kennedy. They achieved more seat gains than either of the two larger parties, albeit a modest six in total. This performance echoed the positive results of the 1997 election, where the party had doubled its seat count to 46. While they had not yet established themselves as a credible alternative government, they solidified their growing reputation as a viable option to Labour and Conservative, contributing significantly to parliamentary debate and representing more than just a protest vote.

The SNP failed to secure any new seats and lost one to the Conservatives by a mere 79 votes. In Wales, Plaid Cymru managed to gain one seat from Labour (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr) but lost another (Ynys Môn) to them.

In Northern Ireland, the Ulster Unionists, despite gaining North Down, lost five other seats.

UK General Election 2001 Net %
Party Leader Stood Elected Gained Unseated Net
Labour Tony Blair 640 [b] 412 [c] 2 8 −6 [d]
Conservative William Hague 643 166 9 8 +1
Liberal Democrats Charles Kennedy 639 52 8 2 +6
SNP John Swinney 72 5 0 1 −1
UKIP Jeffrey Titford 428 0 0 0 0
UUP David Trimble 17 6 1 5 −4
Plaid Cymru Ieuan Wyn Jones 40 4 1 1 0
DUP Ian Paisley 14 5 3 0 +3
Sinn Féin Gerry Adams 18 4 2 0 +2
SDLP John Hume 18 3 0 0 0
Green Margaret Wright and Mike Woodin 145 0 0 0 0
Independent N/A 137 0 0 1 −1
Scottish Socialist Tommy Sheridan 72 0 0 0 0
Socialist Alliance N/A 98 0 0 0 0
Socialist Labour Arthur Scargill 114 0 0 0 0
BNP Nick Griffin 33 0 0 0 0
Alliance Seán Neeson 10 0 0 0 0
Health Concern Richard Taylor 1 1 1 0 +1
Speaker N/A 1 1 1 0 +1
Liberal Michael Meadowcroft 13 0 0 0 0
UK Unionist Robert McCartney 1 0 0 1 −1
ProLife Alliance Bruno Quintavalle 37 0 0 0 0
Legalise Cannabis Alun Buffry 13 0 0 0 0
People's Justice Shaukat Ali Khan 3 0 0 0 0
Monster Raving Loony Howling Laud Hope and Catmando 15 0 0 0 0
PUP Hugh Smyth 2 0 0 0 0
Mebyon Kernow Dick Cole 3 0 0 0 0
NI Women's Coalition Monica McWilliams and Pearl Sagar 1 0 0 0 0
Scottish Unionist Danny Houston 2 0 0 0 0
Rock 'n' Roll Loony Chris Driver 7 0 0 0 0
National Front Tom Holmes 5 0 0 0 0
Workers' Party Seán Garland 6 0 0 0 0
Neath Port Talbot Ratepayers Paul Evans 1 0 0 0 0
NI Unionist Cedric Wilson 6 0 0 0 0
Socialist Alternative Peter Taaffe 2 0 0 0 0
Reform 2000 Erol Basarik 5 0 0 0 0
Isle of Wight Philip Murray 1 0 0 0 0
Muslim N/A 4 0 0 0 0
Communist Robert Griffiths 6 0 0 0 0
New Britain Dennis Delderfield 1 0 0 0 0
Free Party Bob Dobbs 3 0 0 0 0
Leeds Left Alliance Mike Davies 1 0 0 0 0
New Millennium Bean Party Captain Beany 1 0 0 0 0
Workers Revolutionary Sheila Torrance 6 0 0 0 0
Tatton Paul Williams 1 0 0 0 0

Government's new majority: 165 Total votes cast: 26,367,383 Turnout: 59.4%

All parties with more than 500 votes shown.

The seat changes reflect the shifts from the 1997 general election results. It's worth noting that two seats had already changed hands in by-elections between the general elections:

Seats won in the election (outer ring) against number of votes (inner ring)

The results of this election yielded a Gallagher index of disproportionality of 17.74, a figure primarily driven by the discrepancies between Labour and the Liberal Democrats.

Popular vote

  • Labour: 40.7%
  • Conservative: 31.7%
  • Liberal Democrat: 18.3%
  • Scottish National: 1.8%
  • UK Independence: 1.5%
  • Others: 6.1%

Parliamentary seats

  • Labour: 62.7%
  • Conservative: 25.2%
  • Liberal Democrat: 7.9%
  • Ulster Unionist: 0.9%
  • Scottish National: 0.8%
  • Democratic Unionist: 0.8%
  • Others: 1.8%

Results by constituent country

LAB CON LD SNP PC NI parties Others Total
England 323 165 40 – – – 1 529
Wales 34 – 2 – 4 – – 40
Scotland 56 1 10 5 – – – 72
Northern Ireland – – – – – 18 – 18
Total 413 166 52 5 4 18 1 659

Seats changing hands

Seat 1997 election Constituency result 2001 by party 2001 election
Belfast North UUP DUP
Carmarthen East and Dinefwr Labour 4,912 13,540 2,815
Castle Point Labour 17,738 16,753 3,116
Cheadle Conservative 18,444 6,086 18,477
Chesterfield Labour 3,613 18,663 21,249
Dorset Mid and Poole North Conservative 17,974 6,765 18,358
Dorset South Conservative 18,874 19,027 6,531
Fermanagh and South Tyrone UUP Sinn Féin
Galloway and Upper Nithsdale SNP 12,222 7,258 3,698
Guildford Conservative 19,820 6,558 20,358
Isle of Wight Liberal Democrats 25,223 9,676 22,397
Londonderry East UUP DUP
Ludlow Conservative 16,990 5,785 18,620
Newark Labour 20,983 16,910 5,970
Norfolk North Conservative 23,495 7,490 23,978
Norfolk North West Labour 24,846 21,361 4,292
North Down UK Unionist UUP
Romford Labour 18,931 12,954 2,869
Romsey Conservative 20,386 3,986 22,756
Strangford UUP DUP
Tatton Independent 19,860 11,249 7,685
Taunton Liberal Democrats 23,033 8,254 22,798
Teignbridge Conservative 23,332 7,366 26,343
Tyrone West UUP Sinn Féin
Upminster Labour 15,410 14,169 3,183
Wyre Forest Labour 9,350 10,857
Ynys Mon Plaid Cymru 7,653 11,906 2,772

MPs who lost their seats

Party Name Constituency Office held whilst in power Year elected Defeated by Party
Labour Party Alan Williams Carmarthen East and Dinefwr 1987 Adam Price Plaid Cymru
Christine Butler Castle Point 1997 Dr. Bob Spink Conservative Party
Fiona Jones Newark 1997 Colonel Patrick Mercer Conservative Party
George Turner Norfolk North West 1997 Henry Bellingham Conservative Party
Eileen Gordon Romford 1997 Andrew Rosindell Conservative Party
Keith Darvill Upminster 1997 Angela Watkinson Conservative Party
David Lock Wyre Forest 1997 Dr. Richard Taylor Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern
Conservative Party Stephen Day Cheadle 1987 Patsy Calton Liberal Democrats
Christopher Fraser Mid Dorset and North Poole 1997 Annette Brooke Liberal Democrats
Ian Bruce Dorset South 1987 Jim Knight Labour Party
Nick St Aubyn Guildford 1997 Sue Doughty Liberal Democrats
The Hon. David Prior Norfolk North 1997 Norman Lamb Liberal Democrats
Patrick Nicholls Teignbridge 1983 Richard Younger-Ross Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats Dr. Peter Brand Isle of Wight 1997 Andrew Turner Conservative Party
Jackie Ballard Taunton 1997 Adrian Flook Conservative Party
Ulster Unionist Party Willie Ross East Londonderry 1974 Gregory Campbell Democratic Unionist Party
Cecil Walker North Belfast 1983 Nigel Dodds Democratic Unionist Party
William Thompson West Tyrone 1997 Pat Doherty Sinn Féin
Democratic Unionist Party William McCrea Antrim South 2000 David Burnside Ulster Unionist Party
UK Unionist Party Robert McCartney North Down 1995 Lady Hermon Ulster Unionist Party
Independent Martin Bell Tatton contesting Brentwood and Ongar 1997 Eric Pickles Conservative Party

Voter demographics

According to a post-election survey conducted by MORI interviewing 18,657 adults in Great Britain, the demographic breakdown of the vote was as follows:

The 2001 UK general election vote in Great Britain (in per cent)

The disproportionality of the house of parliament in the 2001 election was 18.03 according to the Gallagher Index, primarily reflecting the electoral system's impact on the distribution of seats between Labour and the Liberal Democrats.

See also

Notes