This is a list of parliamentary by-elections in the United Kingdom since 2010, with the names of the incumbent and victor and their respective parties. Where seats changed

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...

at the election, the result is highlighted: blue for a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

gain, red for a Labour gain, orange for a

Liberal Democrat Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties usually follow a liberal democratic ideology. Active parties Former parties See also *Liberal democracy *Lib ...

gain, purple for a

UKIP The UK Independence Party (UKIP; ) is a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two members of Parliament and was the largest p ...

gain and other colours for any other gains. , a total of 47 by-elections have been held in this period. The first was held in January 2011 and the most recent in December 2022.

Process of resignation from the House of Commons

Where the cause of by-election is given as "resignation" or "seeks re-election", this indicates that the incumbent was appointed on his or her own request to an "office of profit under the Crown", either the Steward of the

Chiltern Hundreds The Chiltern Hundreds is an ancient administrative area in Buckinghamshire, England, composed of three " hundreds" and lying partially within the Chiltern Hills. "Taking the Chiltern Hundreds" refers to one of the legal fictions used to effect ...

or the Steward of the

Manor of Northstead Northstead is an area on the North Bay of Scarborough in North Yorkshire, England. The area near Newlands and Barrowcliff includes Peasholm Park and Scarborough Open Air Theatre. In 2011, the namesake ward had a population of 4,038, since 20 ...

. Accepting an office of profit under the Crown vacates the member's seat. This process is used because members of the House of Commons are not technically permitted to resign. A member who vacates their seat in this manner may stand for re-election.

By-elections

2019–present Parliament

2017–2019 Parliament

There were five by-elections in the 2017–2019 Parliament, which was the smallest number since the six month parliament that sat between the two general elections in 1974. Three were in seats held by Labour, one by the governing

Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

and one by

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur G ...

, who do not take up their seats in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

. Four by-elections were won by the incumbent party and Liberal Democrats won a seat from Conservatives. One by-election was a result of the death of the incumbent MP, who represented Labour. Two by-elections were the result of recall petitions via the provisions of the

Recall of MPs Act 2015 The Recall of MPs Act 2015 (c. 25) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that makes provision for constituents to be able to recall their Member of Parliament (MP) and call a by-election. It received royal assent on 26 March 2015 ...

, the first such in the country. At the dissolution of Parliament in 2019 there were two vacancies: Bassetlaw and Buckingham, caused by the resignations of Labour member John Mann and the Speaker

John Bercow John Simon Bercow (; born 19 January 1963) is a British former politician who was Speaker of the House of Commons from 2009 to 2019, and Member of Parliament (MP) for Buckingham between 1997 and 2019. A member of the Conservative Party prior t ...

. With the proximity of the 2019 general election, by-elections were not called for these seats. Buckingham was regained by the Conservatives, the party Bercow had represented before he took up the position, and the Conservatives also won Bassetlaw from Labour.

2015–2017 Parliament

There were 10 by-elections in the 2015–2017 Parliament (with a planned by-election in

Manchester Gorton Manchester Gorton is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by Labour's Afzal Khan, who was elected at the 2017 general election. It is the safest Labour seat in Greater Manchester by numerical majority and ...

cancelled when the 2017 general election was called). Seven were in seats held by Labour, and three by the governing

. Eight by-elections were won by the incumbent party, the Conservatives won a seat from Labour and lost one to the Liberal Democrats. Three by-elections were a result of the death of the incumbent MPs, all of whom represented Labour. At the dissolution of Parliament in 2017 there was one vacancy:

, caused by the death of its Labour member Gerald Kaufman. With the close proximity of the 2017 general election on 8 June, the by-election previously called for 4 May had its writ cancelled by the House of Commons. All but two of the candidates nominated for the by-election then stood at the General Election, and the seat was held by Labour.

2010–2015 Parliament

There were 21 by-elections in the 2010–2015 Parliament. 14 were in seats held by Labour, four by the governing

, one by their coalition partners the Liberal Democrats and two by

, who do not take up their seats in the

. 17 by-elections were won by the incumbent party, Labour won a seat from the Conservatives and lost one to Respect, while UKIP gained two seats from the Conservatives after the incumbent MPs defected to the party and were re-elected. Six by-elections were a result of the death of the incumbent MPs, all of whom represented Labour. All six of those by-elections were also won by Labour.

Process of resignation from the House of Commons

By-elections

2019–present Parliament

2017–2019 Parliament

2015–2017 Parliament

2010–2015 Parliament

Notes

References

See also