MPs elected in the UK general election, 2005 facts for kids

The 2005 general election was a major event in the United Kingdom. It took place on 5 May 2005. During this election, people across the UK voted for who they wanted to represent them in the House of Commons. The House of Commons is a very important part of the UK Parliament, where laws are made and debated.

The people elected are called Members of Parliament, or MPs for short. This article is about the MPs who were chosen to serve in the Fifty-Fourth Parliament of the United Kingdom after the 2005 election.

What is a General Election?

A general election is when all the people in the UK who are old enough get to vote for their local representative. These representatives are called Members of Parliament (MPs). Each MP represents a specific area, known as a constituency. Think of a constituency as a local area, like your town or a part of a big city.

The main goal of a general election is to decide which political party will form the next government. The party that wins the most MPs usually gets to lead the country.

Who are Members of Parliament (MPs)?

MPs are the people who represent you and your local area in the UK Parliament. They work in the House of Commons in London. Their main jobs include:

• Speaking up for their constituency: MPs bring local issues and concerns from their area to the attention of the government.
• Making laws: They debate and vote on new laws that affect everyone in the country.
• Checking the government: MPs ask questions and hold the government accountable for its actions.

It's a very important job, as they help shape the future of the country!

The 2005 Election Results

The 2005 general election was held on 5 May 2005. After all the votes were counted, 646 Members of Parliament were elected across the UK. The Labour Party, led by Tony Blair, won the most seats. This meant they formed the government. The Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats were the next largest parties.

Understanding the List of MPs

The full list of MPs elected in 2005 is very long, with hundreds of names! It's usually organised by constituency, which helps people find out who represents their local area.

For each constituency, the list shows:

• The Constituency name (the local area).
• The Elected MP (the person who won the election).
• The Elected Party (the political party the MP belongs to).
• The Previous MP (who held the seat before the election).
• The Previous Party (their party before the election).

Sometimes, the boundaries of constituencies change. This happened a lot in Scotland before the 2005 election. Because of these changes, it wasn't always possible to show the exact "Previous MP" for some Scottish areas. Instead, the list would show who would have "notionally" won the new seat in the previous election, based on careful analysis. This helps to compare results even when the areas are a bit different.

This list helps people understand who was elected and how the political landscape of the UK changed after the 2005 general election.