Katana VentraIP

1955 United Kingdom general election

The 1955 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 26 May 1955, four years after the previous general election in 1951. It was a snap election: after Winston Churchill retired in April 1955, Anthony Eden took over and immediately called the election in order to gain a mandate for his government. It resulted in a majority of 60 seats for the government; the result remains the largest party share of the vote at a post-war general election. This was the first general election to be held during the reign of Elizabeth II. She had succeeded her father George VI the year after the previous election.

All 630 seats in the House of Commons
316 seats needed for a majority

76.8%, Decrease5.8%

First declaration: (Con: 24,259, Lab: 16,638; Con hold)

Cheltenham

: Warwick and Leamington (Con: 29,979, Lab: 16,513; Con hold)

Prime Minister's seat

Sunderland South

List of MPs elected in the 1955 United Kingdom general election

List of MPs for constituencies in Scotland (1955–1959)

List of MPs for constituencies in Wales (1955–1959)

1955 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland

1955 United Kingdom local elections

(1956), The British General Election of 1955, the standard study

Butler, David E.

Archived 23 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine

United Kingdom election results—summary results 1885–1979