1868 General Election
17 November – 7 December 1868 · The Mass Franchise · 658 seats, 330 for a majority
The first election under Disraeli's 1867 Reform Act, which had nearly doubled the electorate to include urban working men. Gladstone's Liberals won decisively on a promise to disestablish the Irish church.
Prime Minister before
Benjamin Disraeli
Conservative
Prime Minister after
William Gladstone
Liberal
Government formed
Liberal
Turnout
—
The result
| Share of Commons | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | William Gladstone | 387 | 1,428,776 | 61.2% | +1.7 | |
| Conservative | Benjamin Disraeli | 271 | 903,318 | 38.7% | -1.8 |
Before 1918, party labels were looser and many seats went uncontested, so vote totals and shares understate real support. Seat counts are the reliable measure.