January 1910 General Election
The Peers versus the People election15 January – 10 February 1910 · The Mass Franchise · 670 seats, 336 for a majority
Fought over Lloyd George's People's Budget after the Lords rejected it, breaking constitutional convention. Asquith lost his majority and governed with Irish support, the price of which was Home Rule.
Prime Minister before
H. H. Asquith
Liberal
Prime Minister (continued)
H. H. Asquith
Liberal
Government formed
Liberal
Turnout
86.8%
electorate 7,694,741
The result
| Share of Commons | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | H. H. Asquith | 274 | 2,712,511 | 43.5% | -5.4 | |
| Conservative and Liberal Unionist | Arthur Balfour | 272 | 2,919,236 | 46.8% | +3.4 | |
| Irish Parliamentary | John Redmond | 71 | 74,047 | 1.2% | +0.6 | |
| Labour | Arthur Henderson | 40 | 435,770 | 7.0% | +2.2 | |
| All-for-Ireland | William O'Brien | 8 | 23,605 | 0.4% | +0.4 |
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.