1886 General Election
The Home Rule election1–27 July 1886 · The Mass Franchise · 670 seats, 336 for a majority
Fought on Gladstone's first Home Rule Bill, which had split the Liberals. Salisbury's Conservatives and the breakaway Liberal Unionists won decisively, beginning two decades of Unionist dominance.
Prime Minister before
William Ewart Gladstone
Liberal
Prime Minister after
Marquess of Salisbury
Conservative
Government formed
Conservative
Turnout
74.2%
The result
| Share of Commons | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative and Liberal Unionist | Marquess of Salisbury | 393 | 1,417,627 | 51.4% | +8.4 | |
| Liberal | William Ewart Gladstone | 192 | 1,244,683 | 45.1% | -2.6 | |
| Irish Parliamentary | Charles Stewart Parnell | 85 | 94,050 | 3.4% | -3.5 |
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.