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by | Mar 19, 2018 | Almond

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Main article: 1970 United Kingdom general election

The 1970 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland was held on 31 March with 12 MPs elected in single-seat constituencies using first-past-the-post as part of the wider general election in the United Kingdom. It was the first general election held after the Representation of the People Act 1969 which reduced the voting age from 21 to 18.

Results

The Ulster Unionists lost seats to the Protestant Unionist Party led by Ian Paisley, moderator of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster, and to Unity, a nationalist organisation which had won a by-election in 1969.

In the election as a whole, the Labour Party failed to return to government and the Conservative Party, which included the Ulster Unionists, formed a government led by Edward Heath as Prime Minister. This was the last parliament where the UUP took the Conservative whip in the House of Commons, breaking with them after the Parliament of Northern Ireland was suspended by the Northern Ireland (Temporary Provisions) Act 1972.

Results[1][2][3]
Party MPs Votes
No. Change No. % Change
UUP 8 Decrease 3 422,041 54.2% Decrease 7.6
Unity 2 Increase 2 140,930 18.1% Increase 15.6
Protestant Unionist 1 Increase 1 35,303 4.5% Increase 4.5
Republican Labour 1 Steady 30,649 3.9% Decrease 0.5
NI Labour 0 Steady 98,194 12.6% Increase 0.4
Ulster Liberal 0 Steady 10,929 1.4% Decrease 3.5
National Democratic 0 Steady 10,349 1.3% Increase 1.3
Ind. Unionist 0 Steady 17,787 2.3% Increase 2.3
Independent Labour 0 Steady 7,565 1.0% Increase 1.0
Independent 0 Steady 4,290 0.4% Increase 0.4
Total 12 Steady 778,037 100 Steady

MPs elected

Constituency Party MP
Antrim North Protestant Unionist Ian Paisley
Antrim South UUP James Molyneaux
Armagh UUP John Maginnis
Belfast East UUP Stanley McMaster
Belfast North UUP Stratton Mills
Belfast South UUP Rafton Pounder
Belfast West Republican Labour Gerry Fitt
Down North UUP Jim Kilfedder
Down South UUP Lawrence Orr
Fermanagh and South Tyrone Unity Francis McManus
Londonderry UUP Robin Chichester-Clark
Mid Ulster Unity Bernadette Devlin

Footnotes

  1. ^ Chichester-Clark sat as the MP for South Londonderry in the Northern Ireland Parliament.

References

  1. ^ Walker, Brian Mercer (1992). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1918–1992 (New History of Ireland). Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. p. 28. ISBN 0901714968.
  2. ^ "Elections to the United Kingdom Parliament held in Northern Ireland: General Election 1970". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 31 January 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  3. ^ "The 1970 Westminster Elections in Northern Ireland". ARK: Northern Ireland Elections. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2019.


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