1880 General Election
31 March – 27 April 1880 · The Mass Franchise · 652 seats, 327 for a majority
Gladstone's Midlothian campaign, the first modern stump-speaking tour, turned foreign policy morality into a mass electoral cause and swept Disraeli from office. Campaigning would never be the same.
Prime Minister before
Earl of Beaconsfield
Conservative
Prime Minister after
William Gladstone
Liberal
Government formed
Liberal
Turnout
—
The result
| Share of Commons | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Marquess of Hartington | 352 | 1,836,423 | 54.7% | +2.7 | |
| Conservative | The Earl of Beaconsfield | 237 | 1,426,349 | 42.5% | -1.8 | |
| Home Rule | William Shaw | 63 | 95,528 | 2.8% | -0.9 |
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.