Topic summary
1987 United Kingdom general election
- 7 July 1976 (Steel)
- 21 June 1983 (Owen)
- Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale (Steel)
- Plymouth Devonport (Owen)
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0.2 pp3.2 pp2.8 ppA general election was held in the United Kingdom on Thursday 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the House of Commons. This was the third consecutive general election victory for the Conservative Party, which won a second landslide under leader Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the Earl of Liverpool in 1820 to lead a party into three successive electoral victories. The Conservatives were returned to government with a net loss of only 21 seats, which left them with 376 MPs and a reduced but still overwhelming majority of 102 seats. The Conservatives have not matched or surpassed this seat total in any subsequent general election, although they recorded a greater share of the popular vote in the 2019 general election.
The Conservatives ran a campaign focusing on lower taxes, a strong economy and strong defence. They also emphasised that unemployment had just fallen below the three million mark for the first time since 1981, and inflation was standing at 4%, its lowest level since the 1960s. National newspapers also continued to largely back the Conservative government, particularly The Sun, which ran articles against the Labour Party, led by Neil Kinnock, with headlines such as "Why I'm backing Kinnock, by Stalin".
Following Michael Foot's resignation in the aftermath of Labour's landslide defeat at the 1983 general election, Kinnock was slowly moving the party towards a more centrist policy platform, following the promulgation of a left-wing one under Foot's leadership. Kinnock's main aim was to re-establish the party as the main progressive centre-left alternative to the Conservatives, after the rise of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) forced Labour onto the defensive, and he succeeded in doing so at this general election. Labour increased its vote share in Scotland, Wales and the North of England, but still returned only 229 MPs to Westminster. In London, the Conservatives made gains in several previously Labour-held constituencies.
The Alliance between the SDP and the Liberal Party was renewed, but co-leaders David Owen and David Steel could not agree whether to support either major party in the event of a hung parliament. The election was a disappointment for the Alliance, which saw its vote share fall and suffered a net loss of one seat as well as former SDP leader Roy Jenkins losing his seat to Labour. This led to the two Alliance parties merging completely soon afterwards to become the Liberal Democrats. In Northern Ireland, the main unionist parties maintained their alliance in opposition to the Anglo-Irish Agreement; however, the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) lost two seats to the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP). One of the UUP losses was former Cabinet Minister Enoch Powell, famous for his stance against immigration, and formerly a Conservative MP.
The election night was covered live on the BBC, presented by David Dimbleby, Peter Snow and Robin Day. It was also broadcast on ITV, presented by Alastair Burnet, Peter Sissons and Alastair Stewart.
The 1987 general election saw the election of the first Black Members of Parliament: Diane Abbott, Paul Boateng and Bernie Grant, all as representatives for the Labour Party. Other newcomers included future Cabinet members David Blunkett, John Redwood, John Reid, Andrew Smith and Alistair Darling, future Shadow Cabinet minister Ann Widdecombe, and future SNP LeaderAlex Salmond. MPs who left the House of Commons as a result of this election include former Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan, Keith Joseph, Jim Prior, Ian Mikardo, former SDP leader and Labour Cabinet Minister Roy Jenkins, former Health Minister Enoch Powell (who had defected to the UUP in Northern Ireland from the Conservatives in 1974) and Clement Freud.