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1857 United Kingdom general election facts for kids

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1857 United Kingdom general election

← 1852 27 March – 24 April 1857 (1857-03-27 – 1857-04-24) 1859 →
← List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1852
List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1857 →

All 654 seats in the House of Commons
328 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
  Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston.jpg Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby (cropped).jpg
Leader Viscount Palmerston Earl of Derby
Party Whig Conservative
Leader since 6 February 1855 July 1846
Leader's seat Tiverton House of Lords
Last election 324 seats, 57.9% 330 seats, 41.9%
Seats won 377 264
Seat change Increase53 Decrease66
Popular vote 464,127 239,712
Percentage 64.8% 33.5%
Swing Increase6.9% Decrease8.4%

1857 UK general election map.svg
Colours denote the winning party—as shown in 1857 United Kingdom general election § Notes

Prime Minister before election

Viscount Palmerston
Whig

Prime Minister after election

Viscount Palmerston
Whig

In the 1857 United Kingdom general election, the Whigs, led by Lord Palmerston, won a majority in the House of Commons as the Conservative vote fell significantly. The election had been provoked by a vote of censure in Palmerston's government over his approach to the Arrow affair which led to the Second Opium War.

There is no separate tally of votes or seats for the Peelites. They did not contest elections as an organised party but more as independent Free trade Conservatives with varying degrees of distance from the two main parties.

According to A. J. P. Taylor:

The general election of 1857 is unique in our history: the only election ever conducted as a simple plebiscite in favour of an individual. Even the "coupon" election of 1918 claimed to be more than a plebiscite for Lloyd George; even Disraeli and Gladstone offered a clash of policies as well as of personalities. In 1857 there was no issue before the electorate except whether Palmerston should be Prime Minister; and no one could pretend that Palmerston had any policy except to be himself.


Results

1857 UK parliament.svg
UK General Election 1857
Party Candidates Votes
Stood Elected Gained Unseated Net  % of total  % No. Net %
  Whig 507 377 +53 57.65 64.77 464,127 +7.0
  Conservative 351 264 −66 40.37 33.45 239,712 −7.1
  Independent Irish 13 1.99 1.69 12,099
  Chartist 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.1 614 −0.1

Summary

Popular vote
Whig
  
64.77%
Conservative
  
33.45%
Others
  
1.69%
Chartist
  
0.09%

Seats summary

Parliamentary seats
Whig
  
57.65%
Conservative
  
40.37%
Others
  
1.99%

See also

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