United Kingdom general election, 1970

1966 ←

18 June 1970

→ February 1974

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

Turnout	72.0% (3.8%)
	First party	Second party	Third party

Leader	Edward Heath	Harold Wilson	Jeremy Thorpe
Party	Conservative	Labour	Liberal
Leader since	28 July 1965	14 February 1963	18 January 1967
Leader's seat	Bexley	Huyton	North Devon
Last election	253 seats, 41.9%	364 seats, 48%	12 seats, 8.5%
Seats won	330	288	6
Seat change	77	76	6
Popular vote	13,145,123	12,208,758	2,117,035
Percentage	46.4%	43.1%	7.5%
Swing	4.5%	4.9%	1.0%

Colours denote the winning party, as shown in the main table of results.

PM before election

Harold Wilson
Labour

Subsequent PM

Edward Heath
Conservative

1964 election • MPs
1966 election • MPs
1970 election • MPs
February 1974 election • MPs
October 1974 election • MPs

Harold Wilson
Labour

Edward Heath
Conservative

The United Kingdom general election of 1970 was held on 18 June 1970, and resulted in a surprise victory for the Conservative Party under leader Edward Heath, who defeated the Labour Party under Harold Wilson. The Liberal Party and its new leader Jeremy Thorpe lost half their seats. The Conservatives, including the Ulster Unionists, were given a majority of 31. The election was the first in which people could vote from the age of 18, after the Representation of the People Act 1969.

As of 2017 it is currently the earliest General Election from which there are still MPs in the House of Commons who have continuous service, with Gerald Kaufman, Kenneth Clarke and Dennis Skinner all entering parliament for the first time.

Most opinion polls prior to the election had indicated a comfortable Labour victory and had put Labour up to 12.4% ahead of the Conservatives. On election day, however, a late swing gave the Conservatives a 3.4% lead and ended almost six years of Labour government, although Wilson remained leader of the Labour Party in opposition.

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