Winners of General Elections From 1818
| Date | Winner |
|---|---|
| August 1818 | Tories |
| April 1820 | Tories |
| July 1826 | Tories |
| July 1830 | Whigs |
| April 1831 | Whigs |
| December 1832 | Whigs |
| January 1835 | Whigs |
| July 1837 | Whigs |
| June 1841 | Tories/Conservatives |
| July 1847 | Whigs |
| July 1852 | Conservatives |
| March 1857 | Liberals |
| April 1959 | Liberals |
| July 1865 | Liberals |
| November 1868 | Liberals |
| February 1874 | Conservatives |
| April 1880 | Liberals |
| November 1885 | Conservatives |
| July 1886 | Conservatives |
| July 1892 | Liberals |
| July 1895 | Conservatives |
| October 1900 | Conservatives |
| January 1906 | Liberals |
| January 1910 | Liberals |
| December 1910 | Liberals |
| 1918 | Coalition |
| 1922 | Conservatives |
| 1923 | Labour |
| 1924 | Conservatives |
| 1929 | Labour |
| 1931 | Conservatives |
| 1935 | Conservatives |
| July 1945 | Labour |
| February 1950 | Labour |
| October 1951 | Conservatives |
| May 1955 | Conservatives |
| October 1959 | Conservatives |
| October 1964 | Labour |
| March 1966 | Labour |
| June 1970 | Conservatives |
| February 1974 | Labour |
| October 1974 | Labour * |
| May 1979 | Conservatives |
| June 1983 | Conservatives |
| June 1987 | Conservatives |
| April 1992 | Conservatives |
| May 1997 | Labour |
| June 2001 | Labour |
Note. The Tory party first started to be referred to as the Conservative Party after the 1834 election, during which the Tory leader, Sir Robert Peel, published his famous "Tamworth Manifesto". The term "Conservative" was intended to be an insult, and was first used by the Tories political opposition, the Whigs. At about the same time, the Whig party began to become known as the Liberal party.
* Following the February election, the Labour party found itself with a majority of only four (301/297) over the Conservatives. Seeking a stronger mandate, Wilson went to the people again on 10th October and the gamble paid off, with an increased majority of 42 (319/277)