1900 United Kingdom general election facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
1900 United Kingdom general election

← 1895 26 September – 24 October 1900 (1900-09-26 – 1900-10-24) 1906 →
← List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1895 List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900 →
All 670 seats in the House of Commons 336 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	75.1%
First party Second party   Leader Marquess of Salisbury Henry Campbell-Bannerman Party Conservative and Liberal Unionist Liberal Leader since April 1881 December 1898 Leader's seat House of Lords Stirling Burghs Last election 411 seats, 49.3% 177 seats, 45.6% Seats won 402 183 Seat change 9 6 Popular vote 1,637,683 1,469,500 Percentage 50.2% 45.1% Swing 0.9% 0.5%   Third party Fourth party   Leader John Redmond Keir Hardie Party Irish Parliamentary Party Labour Representation Committee Leader since 6 February 1900 28 February 1900 Leader's seat Waterford City Merthyr Tydfil Last election 82 seats, 3.9% Did not contest Seats won 76 2 Seat change 6 2 Popular vote 57,576 41,900 Percentage 1.8% 1.3% Swing 2.1% New party
Colours denote the winning party
Prime Minister before election Marquess of Salisbury Conservative Prime Minister after election Marquess of Salisbury Conservative

The 1900 United Kingdom general election was a big vote held in the UK between September 26 and October 24, 1900. People sometimes called it the Khaki Election. This name came from the khaki uniforms worn by soldiers. It was held when many people thought the Second Boer War was almost over. The war was happening in South Africa at the time.

The Conservative Party, led by Lord Salisbury, worked with their friends, the Liberal Unionists. Together, they won a large number of seats. They got 134 more seats than all other parties combined. This was even though they only had a slightly higher percentage of votes than the Liberals, led by Henry Campbell-Bannerman. A big reason for their win was that the Conservatives won 163 seats where no one else ran against them.

This election was also special because the Labour Representation Committee (which later became the Labour Party) took part for the first time. However, it was a very new party. Only two of their members, Keir Hardie and Richard Bell, became Members of Parliament (MPs) in 1900.

Another interesting fact is that this was the first time Winston Churchill was elected to the House of Commons. He had tried to win the same seat, Oldham, the year before but didn't succeed. This election was also the last one to happen during the Victorian era, which was when Queen Victoria was on the throne.

Election Results: Who Won?

The map shows which party won in different areas.

This section shows the results of the 1900 general election. It lists how many seats each political party won. It also shows how many votes they received from the public.

How People Voted (Popular Vote)

The "popular vote" shows the total number of votes each party received from the public.

How Many Seats Each Party Won

"Parliamentary seats" refers to the number of places each party won in the House of Commons. The party with the most seats usually forms the government.

More to Explore

• List of MPs elected in the 1900 United Kingdom general election
• Parliamentary franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918
• 1900 United Kingdom general election in Ireland