Margaret Thatcher: general election record
Margaret Thatcher led the Conservatives at 3 general elections (1979, 1983, 1987) and became prime minister after 3 of them. Seats, vote share and outcome of each.
| Election | Party | Seats | Vote share | Votes | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Conservative | 376 / 650 | 42.3% | 13,760,959 | Prime minister Largest party |
| 1983 | Conservative | 397 / 650 | 42.4% | 13,012,592 | Prime minister Largest party |
| 1979 | Conservative | 339 / 635 | 43.9% | 13,697,516 | Prime minister Largest party |
Head-to-heads
- Margaret Thatcher vs Neil Kinnock
- Margaret Thatcher vs Michael Foot
- Margaret Thatcher vs James Callaghan
Questions and answers
How many general elections did Margaret Thatcher fight as party leader?
3: 1979 (Conservative, 339 seats), 1983 (Conservative, 397 seats), 1987 (Conservative, 376 seats).
What was Margaret Thatcher's best general election result?
397 seats at the 1983 general election, with 42.4% of the vote.
Official results House of Commons Library and UK Parliament election results data. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0. How we use this data