December 1910 General Election

3–19 December 1910 · The Mass Franchise · 670 seats, 336 for a majority

A second election in one year to force the Parliament Act, with the King's secret pledge to create peers if the Lords resisted. The near-identical result gave Asquith his mandate; the Lords' veto was broken in 1911.

Prime Minister before

H. H. Asquith

Liberal

Prime Minister (continued)

H. H. Asquith

Liberal

Government formed

Liberal

Turnout

81.6%

electorate 7,709,981

The result

Sort by

Liberal

H. H. Asquith · 44.2%

272

seats

Conservative and Liberal Unionist

Arthur Balfour · 46.6%

271

seats

Irish Parliamentary

John Redmond · 1.9%

seats

Labour

George Barnes · 6.4%

seats


Liberal	H. H. Asquith	272	2,157,256	44.2%	+0.7
Conservative and Liberal Unionist	Arthur Balfour	271	2,270,753	46.6%	-0.3
Irish Parliamentary	John Redmond	74	90,416	1.9%	+0.7
Labour	George Barnes	42	309,963	6.4%	-0.6

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.