British General Election 1992

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(Share of votes in%)

 %

50

40

30th

20th

10

0

41.9

34.9

18.0

1.9

0.8

2.5

Tories

Labor ^b

LibDem ^c

SNP

UUP

Otherwise.

Gains and losses

compared to 1987

 % p

   4th

   2

   0

  -2

  -4

  -6

-0.3

+3.6

-4.8

+0.6

± 0.0

+0.9

Tories

Labor ^b

LibDem ^c

SNP

UUP

Otherwise.

Remarks:

^b with SDLP

^c with Alliance

4th

271

4th

3

20th

1

9

336

3

4th 271 4th 3 20th 1 9 336 3 

A total of 651 seats

• SDLP : 4th
• Labor : 271
• Plaid : 4
• SNP : 3
• LibDem : 20
• Otherwise: 1
• UUP : 9
• Tories : 336
• DUP : 3

The 1992 British General Election took place on April 9, 1992. Elections were made in 651 constituencies (previously 650) using relative majority voting. The Conservative Party under John Major won an unpredictable victory against Labor under Neil Kinnock and held the government until the Labor victory on May 1, 1997 . It was the fourth consecutive election victory for the Conservatives (following election victories in 1979 , 1983 and 1987 with Margaret Thatcher as the top candidate).

Election campaign

Shy Tory Effect

Head-to-head races between Labor and Conservatives were often predicted during the election campaign. However, many Conservative voters were too shy to admit in polls that they would vote for the Tories, and so there was a marked difference between polls and results.

Soapbox

John Major also managed to win the election through a popular election campaign. He traveled with a soap box to various constituencies and gave speeches in the middle of pedestrian zones that were applauded on the one hand and disturbed on the other. Most of the time he used a megaphone or microphone to make himself heard.

Election results

Results by constituency. The colors correspond to the adjacent table.

The Conservatives won with 14,093,007 votes, more votes than any other party in the history of the British general election to date (as of 2018). With 41.9 percent of the vote, they received 336 of 651 lower house seats (51.6%).

Political party		be right			Mandates
		number	%	+/-	number	+/-
	Conservative party	14.093.007	41.9	−0.3	336	−40
	Labor Party	11,560,484	34.4	+3.6	271	+42
	Liberal Democrats	5,999,384	17.8	−4.8	20th	−2
	Scottish National Party	629.564	1.9	+0.6	3	-
	Ulster Unionist Party	271.049	0.8	-	9	-
	Social Democratic and Labor Party	184,445	0.5	-	4th	+1
	Green Party of England and Wales	171,927	0.5	+0.2	-	-
	Plaid Cymru	148.232	0.5	+0.1	4th	+1
	Democratic Unionist Party	103.039	0.3	-	3	-
	Sinn Féin	78.291	0.2	−0.1	-	−1
	Alliance Party of Northern Ireland	68,665	0.2	-	-	-
	Liberal party	64,744	0.2	-	-	-
	Natural Law Party	62,888	0.2	+0.2	-	-
	Social Democratic Party	35,248	0.1	+0.1	-	-
	Independent Labor	33,072	0.1	-	-	-
	Ulster Popular Unionist Party	19.305	0.1	-	1	-
	Independent	18,577	0.1	-	-	-
	Others	72,153	0.2	-	-	-
	total	33,614,074	100.0		651
Eligible voters		43.275.316
voter turnout		77.67%
Source:

consequences

Neil Kinnock resigned as Labor Party leader to make way for John Smith.

See also

• United Kingdom Political System

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Summary results of the 1992 election United Kingdom Election Results (English)